§ Mr. DowdTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress his Department has made in respect of the programme of bus priority schemes; and when he expects them to be completed. [7378]
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§ Mr. MossBus lanes have been in operation on the Ormeau road and Nelson street, Belfast since 1992. Further bus lanes were opened on the Albert Bridge road and Queen's square in April 1996. It is hoped to begin implementation of a further three lengths of bus lane, on Great Victoria street, Lisburn road and Malone road, in mid-January 1997. Investigations are under way into schemes on a further eight lengths of street in Belfast city centre, which have been identified as having the potential to accommodate bus lanes.
A pilot study into the operational implications and potential benefits of introducing selective vehicle detection systems at signalised junctions has been under way on the Upper Newtownards road since spring 1993. Due to changing technology, this will of necessity be a protracted study. The intention is to assess the potential benefits of extending such a system to other routes in the city.
All these measures, together with others being investigated from earlier studies, feed into a rolling programme of bus priority development.