Calderdale Council confident bus stop in King Cross will be back in use soon after First divert buses off the route

When work was taking place to install a cycle lane in King Cross, the turning into King Cross Road from the Burnley Road/Rochdale Road/Aachen Way junction was closed for all traffic.

This meant that buses coming from Hebden Bridge and Sowerby Bridge continued along Aachen Way, turning left onto Queens Road and then right, back onto King Cross Road, missing out a well used bus stop – no buses from Halifax were affected as they continued to use the normal route.

The road was fully re-opened a few months ago but the buses heading towards Halifax have continued on the diversion route due to First's concerns about parked cars.

But the Halifax Courier has now been told that new parking restrictions will soon be in place, which Calderdale Council hopes will see the former route reinstated.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet member for Regeneration and Strategy, Coun Jane Scullion, told the Courier: “Improvements to the road layout around the King Cross area have been introduced in response to public feedback to support better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.

“The introduction of these measures has included parking restrictions to prevent vehicle obstruction, which is currently causing issues with some bus journeys in the area.

"These restrictions will soon be enforceable, which should resolve the issue and allow bus services to run as planned.

"As always, we urge motorists to pay attention to signage and the road layout and park with consideration for other road users.”

A spokesperson for First Halifax told the Courier: “Our buses have remained on the diversion route due to persistent obstructive and illegal parking in the Kings Cross area.

"This causes major problems for our drivers in manoeuvring the bus safely and in consideration of other road users and pedestrians.

"This diversion is noted in a daily log shared with the combined authority and Calderdale Council.

"The team visits regularly to check for any improvements to bus use and access and we are continuing to explore ways this situation with parked vehicles can be overcome.”