Councils and metro mayoral authorities are being offered new London-style powers over roads in a bid to grow and improve the nation’s cycle and bus networks.
Under the proposed changes, intended to boost cycling, walking and bus route delivery and management, councils will be able to enforce moving traffic offences and, perhaps more radically, metro mayors to introduce strategic transport networks, akin to London’s (no stopping) red routes.
Between July and September 2021, the Department for Transport (DfT) consulted on Key Route Network (KRN) powers. As the consultation document put it, “mayors have strategic transport responsibilities, but limited and inconsistent powers over the most important part of their strategic transport network, their strategic roads”.
The changes would give metro mayors the ability to set traffic restrictions and alter the design and use of a designated strategic road network. This would mean introducing cycle lanes and bus lanes, restricting parking and banning traffic turns, as well as enforcing bus lane contraventions across a city region.
