Work begins to remove M4 bus lane

Work to remove the bus lane on the M4 is set to begin

Work to remove an unpopular bus lane on a busy motorway is getting under way.

The 3.5-mile lane on the M4 near Heathrow Airport west of London was introduced in 1999 by then Transport Secretary John Prescott.

But it was rarely used and not always enforced, and the current Transport Secretary Philip Hammond announced earlier this autumn that the lane was being suspended until the 2012 London Olympics.

The Highways Agency will begin work on Monday night and traffic is expected to be able to use the lane later this week.

Mr Hammond said: "Scrapping the M4 bus lane is symbolic of this Government's decision to end the war on the motorist. It ends the injustice suffered by thousands of drivers who sit in traffic next to an empty lane day in day out.

"We will monitor the suspension over the next 18 months, but my intention is to scrap the lane permanently after the London 2012 Olympics are over."