Key Points
- £1 million bus lane on Regent’s Park Road, Finchley, funded by Mayor Sadiq Khan, removed after three months.
- The bus lane was part of the Mayor’s ‘25×25 bus priority programme’ aiming to add 25 km of bus lanes by December.
- Local residents and politicians claimed the lane created safety risks and was unsuitable due to road width constraints.
- Critics highlighted inconsistent lane width forcing buses to drive on the wrong side in sections.
- Over 1,700 people signed a petition against the bus lane, citing limited public consultation.
- Barnet Council will remove the lane and redeploy remaining funds to improve bus users’ experience.
- Conservatives hailed the removal as a “significant win for common sense,” while questioning the cost.
- Transport for London (TfL) emphasised the importance of bus lanes but is in talks with Barnet Council.
What led to the removal of Sadiq Khan’s £1 million bus lane after just three months?
A bus lane installed in August on Regent’s Park Road in Finchley, North London, designed to improve bus journey times, has been dismantled after complaints about safety risks and road suitability. According to Jonathan Barr of Godfrey & Barr estate agents, as reported by The Telegraph, the removal marks a “wonderful victory” for local campaigners but also raises questions about public money wastage. He stated,
“It does beg the question how over £1 million of public money has been wasted by Barnet council. It goes all the way to the top of TfL and Mayor Sadiq Khan, and his insatiable appetite to extend bus lanes to 25 km in London and it appears at any cost – no matter the wastage.”
Barnet Council, which oversees the area, confirmed the lane’s withdrawal following significant resident opposition and local political pressure. The council said only about a third of the allocated £1 million budget had been spent, with remaining funds redirected to enhance bus and road user experiences. As per the council’s spokesman,
“Although £1m was allocated to this scheme by TfL, only the first phase had been implemented and so only around a third of that has been spent.”
Why did locals and politicians oppose the bus lane scheme?
According to Conservative councillors Jennifer Grocock and Josh Mastin-Lee, who issued a joint statement, the bus lane “created unnecessary risks and disrupted daily life in our community.” They expressed relief at the lane’s reversal, calling it a “significant win for common sense” driven by residents making their voices heard.
Concerns included the road being
“not physically wide enough for two lanes of traffic, bus lanes and parking,”
as reported in various outlets. The lane’s inconsistent width meant buses had to drive on the wrong side in some parts, posing dangers to all road users.
A petition opposing the scheme gathered over 1,700 signatures, reflecting wider community dissatisfaction with the scheme as well as complaints about insufficient prior consultation.
How has Barnet Council justified the decision to scrap the bus lane?
Barnet Council’s cabinet member for environment and climate change, Councillor Alan Schneiderman, emphasised the council’s commitment to resident engagement. He said,
“Although the independent engineers have given us assurances that this scheme is safe, we made a commitment to engaging closely with residents and to listen to their concerns – and that is what we have done. These proposals won’t now go ahead.”
Councillor Schneiderman added that the council views the removal as an opportunity to learn and improve future bus lane schemes in the borough.
“One of the long-term plans in our transport strategy is to create new bus lanes to encourage more people to use public transport and to speed up journey times. We will be taking stock from this scheme and using the learning to inform any new bus lane schemes that are put forward elsewhere.”
What is the ‘25×25 bus priority programme’, and how does this removal affect it?
The scheme was part of Mayor Sadiq Khan’s ambitious ‘25×25 bus priority programme’, which aims to create 25 km of new bus lanes on Transport for London (TfL) and borough roads by December. On its official webpage, TfL notes it remains “on track” with these plans compared to April 2021.
A TfL spokesman highlighted the importance of bus lanes, saying they “play a vital role in enabling Londoners to travel using one of the capital’s most affordable and accessible forms of transport.” The spokesman added,
“They help improve bus journey times and reliability and provide benefits for others, including people using taxis and people cycling.”
TfL is currently
“in discussions with Barnet Council about the lane on Regent’s Park Road”
and promised an update “in due course,” indicating the removal may influence how similar future projects are approached.
What do political figures say about the scheme’s cost and accountability?
Jonathan Barr’s critical remarks about public money wastage call into question the oversight of funding and project execution at both TfL and mayoral levels.
Conservative councillors Grocock and Mastin-Lee stressed their commitment to transparency, stating they
“will continue to demand full transparency on why this flawed scheme was introduced and abandoned so it is never repeated.”
This political scrutiny reflects broader concerns about spending efficiency and consultation in transport infrastructure projects under Mayor Khan’s administration.
What will happen to the road markings and infrastructure now?
Barnet Council has announced that the original road line markings will be reinstated between 21 and 24 November, with all remaining works completed by 28 November. This work will return Regent’s Park Road to its previous layout before the bus lane’s installation.
How does this episode reflect on Mayor Sadiq Khan’s wider transport policies?
While the removal is a setback for the 25×25 bus lane programme, it underlines the challenges of balancing ambitious transit improvements with local community concerns and road safety.
The incident demonstrates that even well-intentioned projects must be carefully planned and widely consulted to avoid costs, safety issues, and public backlash.
Ongoing dialogue between borough councils, TfL, and residents may shape future attempts to expand bus priority lanes across London.
