Work is set to start on a new one-way road in Swansea’s city centre to accommodate a new, larger bus.
The one-way system will be installed along the central route of Kingsway so that a new, two-way bus lane can be introduced, and city centre traffic transferred into a separate lane.
The Swansea Metro transport scheme will allow the specially-created StreetCar – designed to provide the flexibility and affordability of a bus, with the benefits of a tram – to carry passengers from the north of the city and into the centre between Morriston and Mumbles.
The proposed route would use a combination of existing roads and dedicated lanes. The scheme is a joint project between Swansea council and transport provider, First, who have designed the new vehicles.
Managing director of First Cymru, Justin Davies, claimed that the scheme would provide ‘much more than any bus can’.
But the plans face opposition. Swansea Civic Society spokeswoman, Phillipa Watkins, said: ‘We are against the council’s decision to create three lanes of traffic in place of two, which goes against the national move towards shared space solutions.’
Swansea Council is currently inviting tenders for preparatory works to the Kingsway. The aim is to complete the work by the end of the year.