17/08/10…..Outrage over changes to bus route

PROPOSALS by the bus operator Arriva to amend the route of the 280 bus through Haddenham, have caused outrage among some of the villagers.

Although the changes include providing an extra bus to the route, guaranteeing three an hour instead of two, there are also plans to redirect the service from its current Church Way route to one past the village Medical Centre.

The move has prompted a spate of complaints from residents, including George and Freda Dorrell of Willis Road, Haddenham, who insist that the current route provides much needed access for villagers getting to the library, the local shops and surrounding towns like Oxford, Thame and Aylesbury.

The Dorrells say that the elderly and disabled living at Church Way and Church End will be particularly hard hit, as the lack of a bus stop in the area will place the 280 service beyond their reach. Similarly, the new route via Woodways and the Medical Centre is beset by speed bumps and contains several schools and a busy crossing. Re-routing buses they say, would therefore make the area more hazardous for pedestrians.

?It?s a crazy situation,? says Mrs. Dorrell, who with her husband has written to the Traffic Commissioner, Aylesbury Vale MP John Bercow and Arriva to protest about the changes. ?We?ve had no response from anyone beyond the Traffic Commissioner saying it was the Council?s responsibility and not theirs,? added Freda. ? All they?re interested in is going with the route they?ve said they?ll run.?

As well as the Dorrells, many other villagers are angry because, they say, residents were not consulted over the proposed changes. Despite several phone calls today, no one from Bucks County Council was available for comment.

By Maddy Fry