Cromer Road/Aylsham Road

In November 2021 an inbound bus and cycle lane which was operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week was installed along Cromer Road and Aylsham Road as well as some double yellow lines as part of a scheme funded by the Transforming Cities Fund. From May 2022 taxis were also permitted to use the lane.

The bus, cycle and taxi lane has seen benefits including time savings and improved reliability for buses travelling into Norwich as well as improved safety in the area.

However following the implementation of the scheme concerns have been raised by some residents, businesses and councillors which relate to issues of perceived safety and access to shops on Aylsham Road. In addition, the Department for Transport guidance, which was issued in the spring, stated bus lanes should not operate when no bus services are running, or when traffic would not delay them.

In response to both these points the cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport has approved the implementation of an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) to change the hours of operation to 7am - 7pm.

The work to install the signage for these changes will take place during the week commencing 4 November and the new bus lane times will become operational on Friday 8 November 2024.  

What is an ETRO?

An Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) means that these changes are for a set period of time, during which consultation is open for feedback. The initial consultation period for the ETRO will run for 6 months until 8 May 2025, but the order itself can be in place for up to 18 months until 8 May 2026.

Have your say on the new timings of the bus lane here

Why was the original scheme proposed?

Cromer Road/Aylsham Road is a key public transport corridor from North Norfolk, Hellesdon and the Airport Park & Ride site. However, bus passengers were delayed by congested traffic conditions and there was no facilities for those wanting to cycle in this area. Traffic modelling forecasts that the new bus lanes will reduce bus journey times for all bus services using Aylsham Road and Cromer Road, particularly in the morning peak, by 15 to 20 per cent. The impact for general traffic using roads in the local area is low, with an increase in peak-period journey times of between 5 and 10 per cent.

The proposals also included the installation of additional double yellow lines in some areas to improve safety for cyclists and enable all traffic to flow freely without obstruction. No changes were proposed for designated on-street parking.

Next steps

The ETRO will be accompanied by a monitoring programme to assess the impacts of the changes, and this, alongside any feedback received during the consultation period, will be considered before a decision is made about whether to make the experimental order permanent.

Historical consultation information

Feedback received during the original scheme consultation was reviewed and plans revised in response, where appropriate. The points raised through the consultation were presented in a report to members of the Transport for Norwich Joint Committee, along with the final proposed version of the scheme for construction.

View the report - agenda item 8

Committee members voted in favour of progressing with the proposal at the meeting held on 10 June. Full minutes of the meeting are available on the above link. You can also follow the full discussion and reasons for the decision taken via the YouTube recording (starting at 58 minutes, 30 seconds).

The legally required traffic regulation orders (TROs) associated with these proposals were formally advertised in September 2021 providing further opportunity for public comment.

Following the TRO consultation, permission was subsequently granted to install the necessary road markings via a delegated decision in November 2021.

The work was completed between November/December 2021 as part of a major resurfacing scheme being carried out by our Highway Maintenance Team across the wider area.

Background

The Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded £32m of funding to TfN from the Transforming Cities Fund to deliver a range of schemes across Greater Norwich. These projects aim to improve access to jobs, training and retail by supporting improvements to sustainable modes of transport, while also responding to issues around air quality.

More information about our application to the DfT and all the proposed schemes can be found at our Transforming Cities page. You can also read more about previous, current and future TfN projects by visiting Transport for Norwich.