Planned changes for the Kingsway in Swansea

SWANSEA Council has taken the decision to remove all eastbound traffic from the Kingsway.

This will mean traffic will only flow in a single westbound direction on the Kingsway in future.

The planned changes will affect all bus and coach operators, taxis and private hire firms.

There are a number of statutory and legal steps to take before the changes can be fully introduced.

The alterations will specifically mean that bus and coach operators will need to consider how their services travelling eastbound along the Kingsway can best be re-routed along other roads in the city.

The decision to alter the traffic movements along the Kingsway followed conversations with Justin Davies – the managing director of local bus operator, First Cymru, and the chair of the Confederation of Passenger Transport Wales.

As an immediate measure, First Cymru has agreed to look at what alternative arrangements can be made for its Services – X11, X13 and the ftrMetro – all of which use the eastbound traffic lane to reach their destinations. At present these three services account for 10 bus journeys an hour along the eastbound section of the Kingsway.

Before the changes can be made, the alternative bus routes will need to be considered and planned. Special arrangements for the ftrMetro service will also need to be thought through.

If changes are possible, First Cymru has agreed to write to the Traffic Commissioner, with the Council’s support, to formally request his approval for them.

The Council has already announced plans to install barriers along the central reservation of the Kingsway to encourage pedestrians to use the designated crossing points.

Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, said: “We are all deeply saddened by the tragic incident on the Kingsway earlier this week and we offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Louise Lucas.

“The public have raised concerns about the road layout along the Kingsway and we’ve been working for some time to develop a new road layout for the city centre that includes the Kingsway.

“This has been part of our recent consultations on the city centre. However, we are bringing forward some of the potential measures and we’re working in partnership with others, including local bus operators, to address concerns as quickly as possible.

“These measures are the ones we can do immediately, but others will follow as we develop our plans.”

Mark Thomas, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Transportation, said: “The Council takes road safety extremely seriously and we are taking immediate steps to try to address public concerns.

“However, these changes will take some time because we need to properly plan how we re-route 10 bus journeys an hour, which isn’t an easy task. We have to ensure that we don’t create problems in other parts of the city. The operators will also require the support of the Traffic Commissioner before the changes to bus routes can be made.

“There are also some other legal processes we need to go through and we may need to alter roads and bus stops.

“However, we are doing all we can, and as quickly as we can to make these changes.”

Justin Davies, speaking on behalf of the Confederation of Passenger Transport Wales, the trade body for all bus operators in Wales, of which he is chair, said: “We welcome the steps that the Council is making to introduce temporary barriers along the Kingsway’s central reservation.

“We have also welcomed the opportunity to discuss the flow of traffic around this section of Swansea city centre.

“In holding these discussions with the Council, the safety of passengers and pedestrians has, of course, been the top priority. There is a need to consider carefully though where eastbound traffic should go instead, being acutely aware of the need to ensure that any changes to the traffic flow do not adversely impact access to the city centre, which is so crucial to the local economy, or create a hazard elsewhere.

“The incident that occurred earlier this week was incredibly tragic. Those operators who are members of CPT Wales will, I am sure, join with myself and my colleagues from First Cymru in expressing our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Louise Lucas.”