A DRIVING instructor has raised his concerns about the newly created bus lanes on the A13 at Bread and Cheese Hill.

Road users are unhappy with new road layouts near the Kents Hill Road junction, Benfleet, which they claim are unclear and end abruptly.

Tom Skipp, of Skipp’s Driving School, is also unhappy with the changes.

Mr Skipp, who is also a Benfleet councillor, said: “At the junction of Kents Hill Road, you get a lot of people trying to get back into the left-hand lane.

“One of my pupils was cut up by a van driver who was trying to force his way back into the lane.

“The problem is not only the road markings, but also the way drivers are using them, because it’s only a bus lane during certain times of the day.”

Mr Skipp is also concerned the bus lane and the regular lane merge abruptly on the westbound carriageway at the Kents Hill Road junction.

He added: “You’ve got big buses trying to pull back into the rest of the traffic, which is always going to cause problems.

“I’ve never really felt the need for bus lanes there because there aren’t enough buses using the route to justify it.

“However, I don’t think the council should tear it up and start again, people just need to give it a chance to bed in.”

The new bus lanes were introduced last month as part of Essex County Council’s improvements to the A13 corridor.

The changes will also see the roundabouts at Tarpots junction replaced with traffic lights and new bus lanes installed on the A13 between Tarpots and Sadlers Farm roundabout.

The authority has said the new bus lanes comply with national guidelines and the changes are clearly signposted.