Concerns for children’s safety have been raised after plans were revealed that may allow taxis on a bus-only road.
Harding’s Way in South Lynn currently only has buses travelling down it. The pathway next to the road is often used by children walking to Whitefriars Primary School.
However, parents are “horrified” by the idea of a feasibility study set to take place by Norfolk County Council, which proposes to explore the idea of letting taxis down the road.
The county council has said that it is “appropriate” to explore the possibility of taxis using the road.
South Lynn parent Emma Marriott, whose children often use Harding’s Way to walk to school, believes that taxis will not drive safely down the bus lane.
She said: “A few other parents and I use Harding’s Way to get to and from the town as well as Whitefriars Primary School.
“We think it’s a bad idea to be open to taxis as this will cause danger to our children who use this path.
“The children could come into harm, as parts of the bus lane run single file, and we feel that taxis will not drive safely down the bus lane.
“We have already seen a few near misses, and that’s without taxis being permitted.”
Councillors have also expressed their concerns, saying that they are not in favour of vehicles other than buses using Harding’s Way.
Alexandra Kemp, a councillor for the South and West Lynn Ward, said it would be “dangerous” to allow taxis to use the road and said it would cause accidents and increase congestion.
She said: “Harding’s Way was designed with a suite of traffic measures to stop the gridlock on Saddlebow Road.
“It is not for cars. They would come into conflict with buses. There is not enough room at the sluice for two vehicles to pass at the same time.
“It is the children’s walk to Whitefriars School. Traffic modelling shows it would not cut journey time to allow traffic to use it other than buses.”
Cllr Francis Bone, leader of West Norfolk Labour Party and representing the St Margaret’s and St Nicholas Ward, said there are “mixed opinions” in the area.
He said: “In the ward, there are mixed opinions, although I am aware that many parents at the school do have concerns.
“I personally am not in favour of vehicles other than buses using Harding’s Way. It could be arguable that a private taxi hire is public transport, but how would this be regulated, and what would the increased risks be to the families that currently use this as a safe route?
“The fact is, historically, when the Nar Ouse developments were being planned, Harding’s Way was built as a bus lane so that a park and ride service could be introduced to reduce the congestion on London, Wisbech, and Hardwick Roads.
“I feel that it was short-sighted that this was not utilised, as it would have had a real benefit for reducing congestion in the town by encouraging people to use the park and ride as the buses could get into the town centre much quicker.
“This would have been far more effective than the proposed bus lane on Hardwick Road. By sticking to the original plan, the taxi providers would find it easier to traverse the traditional routes.
“The old track has been used by children going to Whitefriars school for much longer than Harding’s Way has existed, and it has always been a safe route to do so.”
The proposal has been made as a suggestion to reduce congestion around Lynn town centre.
There have been many suggestions as to how Lynn’s traffic problem can be reduced, including a plan by Norfolk County Council to put a bus lane down Hardwick Road.
A spokesperson from the county council confirmed that the feasibility study will be taking place to “explore” options.
They said: “There are a number of bus lanes across Norfolk, and in most cases, taxis are allowed to use them as they are a form of public transport.
“There are two key routes in Lynn with bus gates that control access to permitted vehicles only, and these are on Harding’s Way and Saddlebow Road. However, unlike the rest of Norfolk, taxis are currently not allowed to use these routes.
“Representations from taxi drivers have been made to local councillors about allowing taxis to use the bus lanes in Lynn, and this issue was discussed recently by councillors from both Norfolk County Council and West Norfolk Council. Recognising the anomaly, the councillors did not agree to allow taxis to use the Lynn bus lanes. Instead, they suggested that a feasibility study should be carried out to investigate the pros and cons of the issue.
“We believe it is appropriate to examine this matter at this time to understand the issues around bringing the King’s Lynn bus lanes in line with the rest of Norfolk.
“Unless a study is carried out, it will not be possible for officers and councillors to make an informed decision as to whether any changes should be made to the bus routes in Lynn.
“This study will not examine the potential for allowing general traffic to use the Harding’s Way bus lane. This has been looked at previously, and the evidence was that it would not provide any significant relief to London Road to offset the impact of additional traffic on the bus lane.”
Cllr Kemp added: “Children use the road as a quiet walk to school. There is a link between open spaces, fresh air and health with community cohesion.
“You have Freebridge putting people with some of the greatest challenges into the housing in the area, some have no green spaces.
“We need to make sure that we keep the area traffic-free. Why waste money on a feasibility study?”
