Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Spare change for a bus shelter pal???

From tonights Tully...
http://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/output/2005/11/08/story7721003t0.shtm
Mill o’ Mains bus shelter assurances
The installation of 300-plus hi-tech bus shelters in Dundee has ground to a halt after the city council ran out of money with around 30 stops left to complete, writes Lynne Stewart.
The construction of the new hi-tech bus stops throughout the city is funded through the £14 million awarded to the city council over four years by the Scottish Executive to upgrade the city’s public transport system.
While 300 of the electronic shelters have already been erected, more cash is needed to complete the roll-out. It is hoped that further money will become available from the Executive.
Claverhouse ward Councillor Andy Dawson has had numerous constituents contact him about the lack of a bus shelter outside the shops at Mill o’ Mains. The council say a shelter will be erected in due course, but could not place a timescale on the work. Cllr Dawson said, “The bus shelter due to be sited adjacent to the shops in the Mill o’ Mains has been put on hold because of funding problems.
“Due to this, many of the elderly and other potential passengers have taken to sheltering beside the shops when the weather turns bad, the result being that bus drivers are not recognising them as passengers and are driving past.
“There was never a bus shelter at that point and I am aware of that, but people noticed the electronics going into place and they realised a shelter would be installed and they were looking forward to it.” Cllr Dawson has written to bus firm Travel Dundee to ask if their drivers can slow down and pay particular attention to the stop at the shops to allow passengers to come forward to board. “Because there is no shelter, people are sheltering against the shops and if they are elderly, by the time they get forward the bus has passed,” he said.
A spokesman for the city council said a new bus shelter on the site referred to by Councillor Dawson will be installed in the future, but could give no timescale as to when the work will be completed. The spokesman said, “There are three stops in Mill o’ Mains and we have done two. “We have provided 300 new shelters across the city and we hope to provide some additional ones within the funding. “However, that hasn’t been possible as yet, but it will be done in the longer term.”

posted by Suzy Scott @ 23:42 0 comments