(29 May 2014, 8:31 am)cbma06 wrote Yes, originally the E2 at busy periods had to wait about 2 changing of lights to make the right turn going to Sunderland from the Blue Bell, same go for the E6 coming along Fulwell road to turn right onto Sea Road heading to South Shields, that's why their decided to change the route and make the E2 and E6 go straight across the lights so their wont get stuck.
Hmm, I thought it was more to do with the *LEFT* turns that the E2 and E6 had to do at the Blue Bell. High-floor buses could manage these tight turns (just!) but low-floor vehicles had a wider turning circle and so caught the pedestrian refuge on the south exit of the junction of swept into the path of cars on the north exit. Hence just in advance of the routes being converted to low-floor operation, the routings were changed.