Lancaster Bus Station problems

[Acathater]

I don't know when it happened, but a partially collapsed building some time this week seems to have blocked use of the eastern side of Lancaster Bus Station - the side used by all routes headed south (e.g. Preston, Blackpool, University, some town services)
An external structural wall of a derelict former Kwik Save supermarket has collapsed into an adjacent car park.

As a result the building has been surrounded with safety barriers which block off a pathway alongside the bus station. Authorities - either Stagecoach or the Council - seem to have decided the risk of someone instead walking through the station roadway is too high and blocked reversing out of the stands on that side of the station, so making them unusable. Tonight everything in service was using the western side with a few off-service buses parallel parked on the eastern side so that reversal wasn't needed for exit - but that would be unsafe for boarding passengers to cross the apron.

It wasn't causing too much of a problem this evening, just needed bus drivers to be a bit random as to which stand they used. However on a regular daily service I foresee chaos. Perhaps it's just as well tomorrow is Good Friday with just a Sunday service. Saturday might be interesting with a full service.

I see problems in future as I suspect the whole building is going to need support scaffolding as part of any remedial work or demolition - and that's going to perpetuate the blockage


== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Apr 2026 ==

Addendum
Looks like it happened last week - 24th March, that'll teach me to check the newspapers before printing. However it must be giving the bus companies a headache.

Some press reports about it - mainly concerned with the users of the building rather than the buses

Wall collapses on foodbank building near bus station as area sealed off

No entry to the building is permitted and the site remains closed off

www.lancs.live

Wall collapses on Lancaster foodbank building near bus station as area sealed off​

No entry to the building is permitted and the site remains closed off​

Part of a wall on a building used by a foodbank charity in Lancaster city centre has collapsed.
Emergency services were called to the property at the corner of Chapel Street and Wood Street, opposite the bus station, on Tuesday evening (March 24). Lancaster City Council said its emergency procedures were immediately activated and the area was cordoned off.
An initial structural assessment was carried out overnight, and a secondary inspection is taking place today to assess the extent of the repair work. No entry to the building is permitted and the site remains closed off.

Community rallies round as Lancaster charity building remains closed after wall collapse

A charity distributing food to people in need has thanked everyone who has helped them after their Lancaster premises had to close following a wall collapse.

www.beyond.radio

Community rallies round as Lancaster charity building remains closed after wall collapse​

A charity distributing food to people in need has thanked everyone who has helped them after their Lancaster premises had to close following a wall collapse.

The incident at the Chapel Street building, near Lancaster Bus Station, last Tuesday evening meant that Eggcup's team are unable to enter the building and so cannot provide their normal service to members from there.

Eggcup rescues food which would otherwise go to waste and distributes it to those in need.

The charity said they were grateful for "the quick and flexible response" from the Gregson Community Centre and St Chad’s Church, who have helped Eggcup to set up two alternative 'pop up' food clubs in Lancaster.

 

[yorksrob]

I remember shopping in that Kwik Save in my youth.

 

[Ballyheigue]

I like it how they've deemed people needing to be protected just in case they decide to they step into the carriageway to avoid the barriers, it's all health and safety madness nowadays. If a person does that, it's their risk, they know what to expect if a bus hits them. All the bus station management team should be responsible for is a simple notice saying not to step into the carriageway, simple.

This country should should not be wrapping the small number who decide to take that chance in cotton wool whilst causing chaos in the bus station to the majority. Laws need to change, so long as the bus station management proves they put up a notice warning people not to step into the carriageway then that should stop people from being able to sue if they get hit doing so.

I wonder how much of a dicky fit the way over the top health and safety police would have if they saw what happened at some bus stations in the past lol, Tralee Bus Station in Ireland back in the mid 90s for example. Basically you stood on a strip of land, then as your bus came in you had to walk into the roadway and watch for moving buses to board your bus, which may have been 3 or 4 buses down. Sometimes buses would park behind one another on busy days as well. If any of the younger generation are up in arms about this type of bus station, please note people didn't get hit as they sensibly looked and listened, they knew how much damage a bus could cause.

 

[Man of Kent]

I like it how they've deemed people needing to be protected just in case they decide to they step into the carriageway to avoid the barriers, it's all health and safety madness nowadays. If a person does that, it's their risk, they know what to expect if a bus hits them. All the bus station management team should be responsible for is a simple notice saying not to step into the carriageway, simple.

This country should should not be wrapping the small number who decide to take that chance in cotton wool whilst causing chaos in the bus station to the majority. Laws need to change, so long as the bus station management proves they put up a notice warning people not to step into the carriageway then that should stop people from being able to sue if they get hit doing so.

I wonder how much of a dicky fit the way over the top health and safety police would have if they saw what happened at some bus stations in the past lol, Tralee Bus Station in Ireland back in the mid 90s for example. Basically you stood on a strip of land, then as your bus came in you had to walk into the roadway and watch for moving buses to board your bus, which may have been 3 or 4 buses down. Sometimes buses would park behind one another on busy days as well. If any of the younger generation are up in arms about this type of bus station, please note people didn't get hit as they sensibly looked and listened, they knew how much damage a bus could cause.

That's one way to look at it, but another is to consider it from the position of a bus driver who hits an errant pedestrian. Avoiding that controllable conflict in the first place is a much better way of reducing the physical and mental health issues that arise from such an incident.

 

[stevieinselby]

This country should should not be wrapping the small number who decide to take that chance in cotton wool whilst causing chaos in the bus station to the majority. Laws need to change, so long as the bus station management proves they put up a notice warning people not to step into the carriageway then that should stop people from being able to sue if they get hit doing so.

How did I know before even seeing the username which of the forum's favourite pub boors had written this

Preventing accidents is a good thing. There was an incident recently where a bus hit a pedestrian near York station. Even if you have no compassion for the pedestrian who was hit and you assume that the driver will be as uncaring and unbothered as you would be, the disruption alone caused by needing to close a major road for several hours is enough reason to try to stop that kind of thing from happening.

 

[hornbeampark]

For what it’s worth, this is is still fenced off but the buses have been running as normal from that side of the station since.

Nothing seems to be happening structurally to remedy the issue. It was the second time in a short period of time that a building partially collapsed in Lancaster, the other has been pretty much sorted since.

One of the main reasons for the reversing restriction was the presence of some student accommodation directly on the bus apron. You would have to walk around the block to get from Sainsburys to the accommodation without stepping onto the apron after the collapse.