New bus stop eases '˜dangerous' traffic

Bispham councillors Colin Maycock and Don Clapham campaigned for the installation of the new stop on Devonshire Road, after nearby residents complained that buses were stopping outside their homes up to 20 times a day.

After a site meeting with Blackpool Transport and Blackpool Council, a decision was made to locate the new bus stop in a disused lay-by near the junction of Red Bank Road.

The £680 renovation project, which was funded by Blackpool Council, is set to come into use by the end of the week.

Coun Maycock said: “When I went to visit the residents I sympathised with their predicament. A bus was stopping and waiting for up to 15 minutes dangerously outside their home up to 20 times a day just on the side of their road.

“I thought that this was an inconvenience to residents and also a potential danger to other vehicles, especially when not far away was an ideal solution of the disused lay-by.

“I was pleased to have funded this project out of the ward budget and also that Blackpool Transport agreed to add the stop.

“It makes sense all round as the lay-by is nearer to the shops at Bispham Village and reduces the distance for shoppers, making it safer to cross the road using the existing crossing.

“The lay-by used to be a bus stop and nobody really knows why it was closed.

“As a new councillor I think it is crucial that I get out and about talking to residents and seeing their concerns first hand. It is also crucial to use common sense and to think laterally for a solution.

“For a few hundred pounds we’ve created a better, safer, and more convenient bus stop that everyone is pleased with.

“The feedback we have had online has been overwhelmingly positive.”