Viewpoint: new bus routes 'make life as difficult as possible'

New bus routes cause hardship for users

In respect of all the new bus routes, they seem to have been devised in order to make life as difficult as possible for people.

One can get used to change, but change is not always a good thing.

In my case, the whole of the Norden Farm estate is now a bus free zone. The buses go around it but not through it. Not much good if you find it difficult to get to the bus stops, which have moved quite a distance.

The bus stops which are supposed to be the nearest, and laughingly called Badminton Road, have been moved about 100 yards into Wooton Way, and one is going to be moved further along Wooton Way.

This makes it very difficult for half the people who use the bus, as many of them are elderly or disabled, and carrying shopping from twice the distance is a real hardship.

I was assured about a year ago there was no plan to cut out routes, for what that is worth. If changes can be made I trust the bus company will reconsider, but I am not holding my breath.

Evelyn Zivkovic

Badminton Road

Maidenhead

Senseless for buses to compete for passengers

It was to be expected that there would be a certain amount of confusion following the revised and amended bus schedules introduced on April 6, but it was quite chaotic at some bus stops as there were no printed timetables available for travellers to check their routes, and times.

Passengers were boarding the buses and enquiring of the drivers if they went down ‘so and so road’ when the drivers were on new routes themselves, or using their mobile phones to point to a destination and asking ‘do you turn left after the school/pub/park?’

The number 7 service on one occasion left 14 minutes late from the railway station stop in Shoppenhangers Road.

Coupled with this you now have some additional services running very closely to existing services.

See, for example, the timetable for the 7 and 7A services at Brill Close.

The Thames Valley 7 is scheduled at the Shoppenhangers Road railway station stop at 15.29 and the Carousel 7A is scheduled there at 15.36.

If, as has happened, the 7 is running late and the 7A is a tad early, you have the two buses leapfrogging each other going up Shoppenhangers Road and covering broadly the same route.

This cannot be profitable for the operators and makes no sense at all. Why not vary the time of one or the other to save them ‘competing’ for passengers?

If you miss this service you have a wait of over an hour for the 7 at 16.34 and 40 minutes for the 7A until 16.16. Brilliant!

Simon Fisher, general manager of Thames Valley Buses says on the Council’s website: ‘As a locally-owned bus company, our dedicated team take pride in delivering the best service possible for people in the area’.

And Luke Marion, Carousel Buses managing director, says on the same page: ‘Our new Borough Bus routes 3, 3A, 4, 7A, 9 and 52 will see several enhancements against the current network’.

Who decided these schedules? Did the RBWM, who subsidise these services, have a say in the timings and routes?

Because the present arrangement does not seem very logical?

Mervyn Buston

Sheringham Court

East Road

Maidenhead

Council is helping with unadopted road issues

Following the letter last week about ‘unadopted roads’ and inadequate street lighting, we would like to take the opportunity to clarify that for this particular private road in Belmont ward we have:

• Regularly had fly tipping in the road and nearby promptly removed (it is good to hear the council is now fining more culprits for this offence)
• Cleared litter along the road (there is too much litter everywhere)
• Liaised with the council and the neighbourhood police on anti-social behaviour
• While the council is not responsible for private property, we encouraged both them and the developer to see if there is a cost effective way to improve the lighting, regretfully without success.

We are regularly out and about across Belmont ward, and have visited this particular road often enough to observe the police patrolling to look out for any anti-social behaviour.

In our view, there should not be almost 200 new homes with inadequate lighting outside.

While recognising it is a private road, this should have been a consideration at the application stage, before planning permission was granted back in 2018.

Unfortunately, we cannot achieve everything we would like for Belmont ward but do what we can.

We cannot be everywhere all the time, so it is great when residents are our eyes and ears.

Councillors Siân Martin, Simon Bond and Anthony Ball

Belmont ward Lib Dem Team

Ode to the Oligarchy

Pity the plight of poor President Trump. This kindly man has spear-headed a job-creation scheme for multi-billionaires.

With an economy only the largest in the world, I fear he struggled to find enough billionaires to fill EVERY top role in is administration.

Naturally, like the current and previous UK Government, he looks to some of the world’s poorest countries to fund his country’s tax and spending schemes.

“Oh, Donny Boy”

(tune: “The Derry Air”/ Derriēre”)

Oh, Donny Boy, my Tesla shares are falling;

When tariffs come, my car sales take hard knocks.

World leaders say our President’s appalling –

Changes his mind like others change their socks!

But are your plans intended to be really fair,

And are they just an economic farce?

So, let us show great pity for a billionaire,

Who’ll change again next time he’ll scratch his a**e!

Jay Flynn

Moneyrow Green

Holyport

Join the conversation in MS Awareness Week

Local charity Berkshire MS Therapy Centre will be marking MS Awareness Week next week with a variety of activities.

MS Awareness Week runs from Monday  to May 4 and sees local and national MS (multiple sclerosis) charities come together to raise awareness of the condition and the support available.

Located in Reading, the centre offers specialised therapies including oxygen therapy and physiotherapy, as well as a social space for individuals living with MS throughout Berkshire and its surrounding areas. Although there is currently no cure for MS, the therapies provided at the centre significantly enhance the quality of life for those affected.

The centre will have information stalls at the Royal Berkshire Hospital on Tuesday, April 29, at the Oracle Shopping Centre in Reading on Wednesday, April 30, and at John Lewis, Reading on Thursday, May 1. Their collectors will also be carrying out a bucket collection to raise funds at Reading Station on May 1.

MS Awareness Week is a great chance for us to raise awareness of this condition, which affects over 150,000 people across the UK. The theme for this year’s MS Awareness Week is ‘MS conversations’ so we will be sharing stories on our social media and website all next week from our members about important conversations they have had about MS.

We also look forward to meeting people out and about at our information stalls and we hope to reach more people with MS in the local area and their families.

Find out more about the Centre on their website at www.bmstc.org or give us a call on 0118 901 6000.

Claire Frew

Marketing and engagement office

Berkshire MS Therapy Centre