Bosses at Durham County Council gave the go-ahead to work to fill in the layby outside the University Hospital of North Durham (UHND), just off Aykley Heads roundabout on the B6532.
And although it should mean passengers find it easier to queue while maintaining social distancing, fears have been raised about the impact the change could have on drivers and road safety.
“Every time a bus stops now, an accident risk is created,” said opposition Liberal Democrat councillor Liz Brown.
“There’s nothing to stop motorists overtaking, and in the space of a few minutes in the morning you can witness dozens of near misses. It’s an accident waiting to happen.”
Transport bosses at the council have insisted the new layout of the bus stop is now ‘standard across the country’ to try and minimise the risk of COVID-19 infections. Signs have been added to warn motorists buses may now stop in the road, while road chiefs have promised they are ‘monitoring the situation’. But councillors have also raised concerns about the process of approving the changes, which were given the green light with minimal consultation.
Describing Aykley Heads as one of the busiest roundabouts in Durham City, the council’s opposition leader, Coun Amanda Hopgood, claimed the work had created a ‘safe space [for bus travellers] at the expense of creating a dangerous scenario for motorists’.
But county chiefs have insisted speedy action was needed to minimise infections among those working and visiting the hospital while coronavirus lockdown restrictions are rolled back.
“This is a popular bus stop that is used regularly by hospital staff and patients, but the footpath at this location is narrow, making social distancing very difficult,” said Dave Wafer, the county council’s interim head of Transport and Contract Services. We had to act quickly to make our communities safe in the wake of the pandemic and have put in place more than 150 measures across the county to give pedestrians more space. Due to the tight timescales, we were regrettably not able to consult as we would in normal circumstances.”
Article originally appeared on Sunderland Echo.
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