LETTER: Too narrow for the bus route

This morning I boarded the 10.14 bus, a double decker, in Fordwater Lane. In College Lane our driver came to an abrupt halt, when meeting a huge, stationary, articulated lorry, pulling not one but two very large separate containers.

There was no way our driver could attempt to pass it, explaining to us, the passengers, that he couldn’t back onto a side road and if he risked mounting the pavement he could cause damage to the bus, which would incur a heavy penalty for him.

At first the driver of the lorry, when challenged by our driver, said there was nothing he could do and we would have to wait at least 15 minutes.

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After a delay of some 25 minutes, the lorry was eventually reconnected to the containers and backed away.

Our driver was then able to continue down College Lane, meeting another No 50 bus coming up the lane, which, he told us, he should never meet, as there should be a 30 minute interval between his bus going in one direction, towards the city centre, and the next one coming up to Summersdale.

The unhappy incident has driven home to me, as I am sure it has to the other passengers this morning, that the re-routing of the Summersdale buses up the very narrow College Lane, rather than the Broyle Road, and the introduction of double decker buses, so out of place in our narrow roads, was a very serious mistake.

In fact it is well nigh impossible for two large vehicles to pass each other anywhere in College Lane and if one of those vehicles is parked there, a major problem arises, causing unacceptable delays to others.

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Please could the company reconsider a return to the Broyle Road route for the No 50 bus and only allocating the smaller buses which are so much better suited to our roads in Summersdale.

Mrs H J Napier

The Drive

Chichester