Plan to run bus lane along Desborough Avenue, High Wycombe
1:24pm Thursday 16th July 2009 in
A BUS lane could be put along Desborough Avenue, High Wycombe in a bid to take congestion away from Marlow Hill.
It would run from the junction with Lancaster Road to Suffield Road towards the town, with smaller sections southbound.
This could see on-street parking removed and the park and ride facility re-routed down the road, instead of Marlow Hill.
John Kemplen, team leader for transport, planning and modelling at Buckinghamshire County Council, told a public meeting this week: “We think it is do-able.
“We are hoping to go along a continuous length of Desborough Avenue which would make it a lot more effective.”
But ward councillor Mahboob Hussain said: “I think it would be awful. I am quite concerned about safety.
Cllr Hussain, of Wycombe District Council, said: “Our roads are bad enough already. People are parking cars all over the place.”
And traders gave a mixed response to the news.
Simon Windfield, owner of Cycle Care, said: “I wouldn’t have thought there was enough room. It could really clog up the area. I’d like to see the plans.”
Mohammed Rashid, of Computer Gallery, said: “Putting the bus lane there would mean more congestion, other people wouldn’t be able to use the bus lane.”
The council is looking at Marlow Hill as another option for the bus lane but this is unlikely to go ahead, given its affect on traffic, said Dave Roberts, BCC team leader for public transport development.
The move comes as bus travel rocketed in the town by a fifth. The recession and UK-wide free bus travel for the over 60s is thought to be driving the numbers (see link, bottom of story).
Steve Burns, managing director of Carousel Buses, said: “It is a marvellous idea.
“The more bus priority measures we have in High Wycombe, the more free running all the traffic in the town will become because people will use buses more.
“I think people in High Wycombe are realising buses are a viable alternative to cars.”
Comments(29)
Tref
says...
1:51pm Thu 16 Jul 09
While it is a nice utopian thought that people will simply use buses when driving becomes hard enough, this is simply not practical for the vast majority of people. Unless you work in the centre of Wycombe then you will need to change buses at least once to get to/from work. Then what about taking the kids to schools, what about the increased commute time? What about the fact that your car is sitting at home on the drive costing money and only used at the weekend. I don't think so.
Buses are great, but we cannot excluse car drivers. Don't forget, on average car drivers will have a higher disposable income to spend in our lovely town. They will simply bypass Wycombe - I never go to Oxford for this very reason.
john_b
says...
1:53pm Thu 16 Jul 09
I have nothing to back that statement up, but I am sure it is true.
Perhaps Steve Burns has some stats to prove me wrong? He seems to think everyone will hop on a bus because there are more bus lanes. Rubbish!
demoness
says...
2:18pm Thu 16 Jul 09
I hate waiting in the cold and the wet.
I hate being spoken to like a piece of wotsit by rude and surly bus drivers.
I hate sitting next to strangers who have colds and like to share..
I hate sitting next to strangers anyway as it is invading my body space.I hate having to then walk home from the bus stop with bags and bags of shopping.
I hate queueing, I hate the price of buses and for what??
I love my car - I am not going to give it up so WDC and Carousel buses, carry on with your daft fantasy that people like buses.
I am with Tref - Wycombe becomes a bus free zone, off I frolic to Aylesbury.
demoness
says...
2:23pm Thu 16 Jul 09
demoness wrote:Whoops - last bit should read, car free zone..
I hate buses. I used them for 20 years. I hate waiting in the cold and the wet. I hate being spoken to like a piece of wotsit by rude and surly bus drivers. I hate sitting next to strangers who have colds and like to share.. I hate sitting next to strangers anyway as it is invading my body space.I hate having to then walk home from the bus stop with bags and bags of shopping. I hate queueing, I hate the price of buses and for what?? I love my car - I am not going to give it up so WDC and Carousel buses, carry on with your daft fantasy that people like buses. I am with Tref - Wycombe becomes a bus free zone, off I frolic to Aylesbury.
Bogart
says...
2:34pm Thu 16 Jul 09
Tref
says...
2:34pm Thu 16 Jul 09
There is room for both on our roads. But excluding cars means excluding money from our town.
demoness
says...
2:38pm Thu 16 Jul 09
Tref wrote:Of course it does..
:-) There is room for both on our roads. But excluding cars means excluding money from our town.
I despair sometimes - the only winners here will be the bus companies - and lets watch while the fares go up!!
tom.marlow
says...
4:00pm Thu 16 Jul 09
Plus ça change...
says...
4:16pm Thu 16 Jul 09
Poor residents!
Why not smaller buses. Lots of them.
Why do buses need to be so big?
miccles
says...
4:20pm Thu 16 Jul 09
demoness
says...
4:26pm Thu 16 Jul 09
tom.marlow wrote:You shouldn't realy cycle in a bus.
They are good for cycling in too
It is very dangerous and besides which the seats get in the way. :)
tom.marlow
says...
5:01pm Thu 16 Jul 09
demoness
says...
5:10pm Thu 16 Jul 09
I know a blogger who never leaves home without his pants and helmet.
tom.marlow
says...
5:26pm Thu 16 Jul 09
J B Blackett
says...
5:40pm Thu 16 Jul 09
tom.marlow wrote:Someone's Commited Crimea.
balaclava
We don't need to involve the Russians, do we ?
am i the only one
says...
6:36pm Thu 16 Jul 09
Chelseafan
says...
7:49pm Thu 16 Jul 09
ferrellcat
says...
2:15am Fri 17 Jul 09
bakerbill
says...
8:28am Fri 17 Jul 09
demoness
says...
10:40am Fri 17 Jul 09
ferrellcat wrote:OMG yes .
This is utter nonsense.Mr Burns read Demoness input, its spot on. Though did leave out the smell of old ****,violence,and **** off drivers that are late for there tea break throwing your body around like a rag doll
i had forgotten about that.
When the grotty old bus station was still around, the bus would pull in ( late usually). We would all stand up and the flipping bus driver would get out and dissappear for 10 minutes.
The lack of respect is appalling - we are paying customers and made to feel like bits of poo underneath their shoes.
Nope - they can keep their buses.
acjy1985
says...
12:03pm Fri 17 Jul 09
miccles
says...
12:29pm Fri 17 Jul 09
acjy1985 wrote:Yes they do, and then turn off to go along Suffield Road i think.
Do the park and ride buses not already pass down desborough avenue? I thought they did.
artliner
says...
1:30pm Fri 17 Jul 09
artliner
says...
1:33pm Fri 17 Jul 09
sjdafonseca
says...
2:40pm Fri 17 Jul 09
acjy1985
says...
3:47pm Fri 17 Jul 09
miccles
says...
3:50pm Fri 17 Jul 09
acjy1985 wrote:lol..
Why would you drive for 5 minutes when you could walk it in 20?
bakerbill
says...
4:30pm Fri 17 Jul 09
And more traffic lights .
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Shelley61 says...
1:35pm Thu 16 Jul 09