Crossroads for customers in bus route 'bombshell'

Published on Tuesday 15 March 2011 14:25

BUS bosses have been accused of "dropping a bombshell" by stopping a service that residents say leaves school-children and the elderly facing a busy crossing.

&#149 Some users of the 11 service are unhappy with changes

Residents have raised concerns over plans by Lothian Buses to stop the "popular" service from travelling to Fairmilehead.

From next month, the number 11 bus will no longer pick up or drop off passengers in Fairmilehead, with all services instead turning left at the Fairmilehead crossroads before continuing to Hyvots Bank.

The change means the service will not travel along Biggar Road, where there is a bus stop and a bus terminus.

Instead, residents in the area will have to board the number 11 bus at Buckstone Terrace, which is around a five-to-10-minute walk away depending on what part of Biggar Road they live on, and negotiate the busy crossroads with Biggar Road and Frogston Road West.

Alternatively, they could catch the number 15 or 15A bus on Biggar Road, but residents claim these services are infrequent.

Secretary of Fairmilehead Community Council, Norman Tinlin, who hit out at the bus operator for failing to consult residents before "dropping the bombshell", said: "It means people have to pay an additional fare and passengers, including children, have to get off part of the way along Oxgangs Road and then negotiate the busy junction to get to the first bus stop in Buckstone Terrace."

Pupils from the Swanston and Winton estates who travel by bus to Boroughmuir High School, St Thomas of Aquin's or George Watson's College will now have to board the number 11 bus at Buckstone Terrace, which would involve making their way across the busy crossroads.

Alternatively, they can get on the number 15 bus from Biggar Road, but Mr Tinlin said this would add to their journey.

The city council, which spent 1,077,484.77 subsidising Lothian Bus routes last year, said it did not bankroll the 11 service.

Mr Tinlin, who also raised concerns about the potential for an accident while people are trying to negotiate the Fairmilehead crossroads, has been contacted by around 18 disgruntled residents from Swanston and Winton over the last two weeks.

Managing director of Lothian Buses, Ian Craig, said the number of passengers travelling on the number 11 service south of the Fairmilehead crossroads was very low.

He added: "We are responding to growing passenger numbers on the Frogston Road section of the route, including high demand at Mortonhall caravan park.

"In addition, we will be providing a further bus on service 15 to ensure school pupils are able to travel to school from the Swanston area.

"Although service 11 will no longer serve Biggar Road, the area will still be served by five buses per hour on services 4 and 15/15A."

ALL CHANGE

Other timetable changes from April 3 include:

&#149 Hunters Tryst: will be served by numbers 5 and 27. Service 16 will instead run to Colinton at all times.

&#149 Queen Margaret University: will be served by 15/15A and 30, with extra journeys on 15/15A replacing 44/44A journeys.

&#149 Dalkeith: will have more 48/X48 buses at busy times from Monday to Friday.

&#149 Hermiston Gait: will be served by buses on Sundays as service 2 will be extended to the retail park.

&#149 More buses will also be added at certain times on services 21, 26, X26, 47 and 49.