DSD reject bus lay-by in city

A BUS lay-by at the Waterloo Place public realm place in Londonderry city centre was rejected after consultation with interested parties and because it was felt it would detract from the overall aesthetic appearance of the scheme and encourage illegal parking.

Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland said a bus route has been running through the area for nearly two years and there is no evidence that a bus stop at Waterloo Place is causing undue delay to other road users.

He stated: “A bus stop has been provided as part of the public realm scheme in Waterloo Place in Londonderry. During the design work on the public realm scheme, the provision of a lay-by at this bus stop was considered.

“However, following consultation with interested parties, it was decided that this feature should not be included.

“This was because it was felt that including a bus lay-by would detract from the overall aesthetic appearance of the scheme and would encourage illegal parking, which is one of the issues which the scheme aimed to address.”

The Minister also suggested it could be difficult for buses parked in lay-bys to pull back into the traffic stream, which can lead to timetabling delays.

“A further benefit of the final design is that it helps to ensure that the local traffic, for which the road is primarily provided, moves through this well used pedestrian area in a slow and safe manner giving priority to pedestrians as necessary.

“The bus route has been in operation for almost 2 years and there is no evidence that the bus stop is causing undue delay to other road users,” stated Mr McCausland.