Red route trial paused after council U-turn

The new coalition in charge of Luton Borough Council has paused plans for an 18-month trial of red routes in part of the town.

Last month, the previous Labour executive green-lit the scheme, which would have seen all stopping and loading banned in Bury Park, despite claims people involved in the plans had received death threats.

However, a no-confidence vote saw the leadership of the authority change to a new Liberal Democrat-led administration.

Leader Amjid Ali said: "Whilst we have not implemented the red route we have continued to undergo an impact assessment. Enforcement has been increased and we are working with several locations to create more parking facilities within the area."

Bury Park is more than a mile north-west of Luton town centre along the A505 Dunstable Road and is a commercial, residential and community hub, with high volumes of through-traffic and public transport.

Concerns relating to congestion, road safety and inappropriate parking behaviour have been raised by the community and businesses for years and the trial would have seen double red lines painted on some main roads - with fines for parking, loading and waiting.

However, a report delivered to Luton's executive estimated that providing red routes enforcement for a 16-hour day, using the current restrictions, would require at least 15 more staff and would cost about an extra £700,000 per annum.

The council's executive will now ask officers to carry out a three-month economic impact assessment to measure the effect of red routes on businesses, which will be looked at early in 2027.

A number of other road safety proposals for Bury Park - including banning on-street parking but offering extra off-street spaces instead - will go ahead. These include a preference for increased enforcement of current traffic regulations on yellow lines, rather than the planned use of cameras to monitor double red lines.

The authority said it had already provided more parking spaces in the area, including 120 at Luton Town Football Club, and the maximum stay in disabled parking bays would be increased to 90 minutes.

It also said it intended to remove parked vehicles from formal crossing points and introduce footway parking restrictions to keep pavements clear and accessible.

It will work with bus operators to review bus stop locations and their contribution to congestion and explore the feasibility of increasing the use of low-emission vehicles in Bury Park.

Ali said: "We have adopted a practical and structured approach to dealing with the congestion and illegal parking within Bury Park. We have been speaking to residents, businesses and shoppers who are all equally frustrated with the status quo."

Do you have a story suggestion for Beds, Herts or Bucks? Contact us below.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.