Traffic Accident on New Bus Contraflow

BTS Optare Excel 223 on service 17 southbound on the new bus contraflow lane on Central Drive on 3rd March

The new contraflow bus lane on Central Drive suffered its first road traffic accident on Monday 3rd March, a careless car driver drove out of one of the side roads on the new contraflow section without looking, straight into the path of an oncoming Blackpool Transport Optare Excel colliding with it. This part of Central Drive has been one way for decades, and it will obviously take some time before local motorists get used to it being two way again, especially as for some drivers the road will have been one way all their lifetime! Excel 223 is seen passing the Stevonia Cafe, which became famous in 1961 when murderer James Hanratty was arrested there in the October of that year. Hanratty was one of the last murderers to be sentenced to capital punishment in Great Britain, being hung at Bedford Prison in April 1962.