Transit lanes leading to and from the Spit Bridge to become bus lanes
The change commences Monday and is being done to make way for the B-Line buses. But will it improve congestion?
Manly
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TRANSIT lanes leading to and from the Spit Bridge will become bus lanes during the morning peak hours from Monday.
And while the move — to make way for B-Line buses — is likely to frustrate some drivers, it has the backing of the NRMA, which said it would help battle congestion in peak hours.
But NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury urged the State Government to monitor conditions in the area to ensure the changes were not too much for the peninsula’s already gridlocked traffic.
“This will be a significant change for some who have been using the T3 lane, especially those using it legally. Unfortunately some people have been using it illegally in such cases you are not getting the full benefit,” Mr Khoury said.
“We would encourage the government to monitor the impact it has had on traffic and make sure it is a positive impact on getting buses in and out of the area faster.”
He pointed to the NRMAs 2015 survey which showed a 10 per cent traffic increase since 2007, as one need for a mass-transit solution.
“One of the real challenges we have with trying to tackle the congestion around the northern beaches is that we need to get people on mass transit options,” he said.
“We know the publicly- supported, long-term solution is the northern beaches tunnel but we want to see opportunities to transition people into these mass-transit options.”
The T3 lanes will be changed to bus lanes in locations along Burnt Bridge Creek Deviation from Condamine St to Sydney Rd.
They will also change along Spit and Military roads from Ourimbah Rd, Mosman to Watson St, Neutral Bay.
The new bus lanes will operate during the morning peak period from 6am to 10am weekdays.
A Transport for NSW spokeswoman said the changes were part of ongoing improvements to the public transport network.
“The major uplift in bus services for the northern beaches introduced on November 26 is only the first phase of revitalising public transport in the area and encouraging people to leave the car at home,” she said.
“We are also rolling out road infrastructure improvements to manage the congestion both bus customers and general traffic currently experience.
“This includes the newly- opened bus indent at Spit Junction and the construction of new and extended tidal flow systems on Military and Spit roads which will improve traffic flow and provide greater reliability for public transport users.”
The B-Line comes every five minutes during peak hours and every 10 minutes the rest of the day.
The spokeswoman said the change to a bus lane “will most benefit the thousands of bus customers commuting into the CBD”.
“Traffic modelling for the lane conversion showed that converting these sections of the T3 lane to a citybound bus lane in the AM peak would provide the greatest benefit to bus travel times and reliability when and where it’s needed most,” she said.
As part of the new B-Line, customers also have access to commuter carparks at Mona Vale, Narrabeen, Dee Why, and Brookvale, with carparks at Warriewood and Manly Vale due to open later this year.