HEYWOOD Parish Council chair, John Masson, is asking for two dangerous bus stops to be moved for fear they will cause a serious accident.
The bus stops are located on Hawkeridge Road serving the West Wilts Industrial Estate.
John Masson, along with former Wiltshire councillor, Jerry Wickham, before he died, were campaigning for the bus stops to be moved.
John said, “The bus stops are dangerous in both directions. They are set on blind corners, therefore when they are stopped, to drop off or pick up passengers, overtaking vehicles are at risk of meeting oncoming vehicles.
“This is also the site where often the drivers are changing over, so the buses are stationary for longer periods of time, sometimes more than five minutes. As the industrial estate serves larger vehicles, it is just a matter of time before there is a major accident.
“Myself and Jerry have spoken to First Group who run the bus service and they told us that costs would near £200,000 to move them. Jerry took a video of the area and we just couldn’t believe what happens there.”
White Horse News also approached First Group who said, “Generally speaking it’s the local authority that’s responsible for roadside infrastructure, including correct siting.”
A spokesperson from Wiltshire Council said, “Following a Westbury Community Area Transport Group meeting, investigations to determine the feasibility of engineering measures (including lay-by provision) to resolve the issues caused by the waiting buses was undertaken. Unfortunately, due to land ownership issues and the positioning of underground utilities, engineering measures are not possible at this location. The bus company First were approached regarding possible changes to their operations, to allow driver changeover to take place at alternative locations. However, they stated they are unable to change the current arrangements.”
