AS TRANSPORT representative of Risinghurst & Sandhills Parish Council, I have received several complaints regarding the re-siting of the City 8/9 bus stop in St Aldates for the foreseeable future due to the work being done on the Westgate development.

I could not comment at the time, as I had not experienced the implications that it has had on the older residents within our community, that is, until today, on my visit to Oxford.

A lot of our residents are either elderly (myself included) or are younger people with pushchairs etc, and the trek down St Aldate’s was a nightmare today, which made me fully understand why we have received these complaints.

The bus stop itself is situated just past Pembroke Square, with no shelter or seating, and traffic is constantly turning into the square just by the bus stop – a danger in itself if you cannot move out of the way quickly.

The pavement from Carfax to Pembroke Square is congested with tourists and bus queues. The pavement is uneven, and there are shop signs impeding your movement outside retail outlets. Tourist buses are constantly parked outside St Aldate’s Church, again bringing more people into the area.

Woe betide if you have to use a shopping trolley, pushchair or walking sticks, to get to this stop, because you are in danger of being knocked, pushed, or tripped up by trying to reach the City 8/9 stop to get yourself home from Oxford.

I would like to know how the decision was reached to locate this popular stop so far down St Aldates, and why the Number 3 was sited in High Street for very easy access for those residents of Rose Hill.

Why couldn’t the City 8/9 be re-sited near to the 280 bus stop in High Street, or at least those making the final decision, ask our communities for their ideas.

I am writing on behalf of the residents of Risinghurst, but I am sure that this also affects people from Barton who will also encounter the same problem.

I would like the bus companies, the city council and those who made these decisions to comment please, and suggest ways that we can help ease the journey home after travelling to Oxford by bus at the moment.

BARBARA NAYLOR

Transport Representative

Risinghurst & Sandhills Parish Council