Man ridicules council and Transport for London after bus stop and shelter put 100 yards apart

A man has branded Greenwich Council ‘ridiculous’ after a bus stop and shelter ended up about 100 yards apart in Eltham, south-east London. Colin Cleary says a bus stop serving the 162 and 286 route was recently moved further up the road – but the bus shelter remained. Yet he was flabbergasted when workmen came to replace and upgrade the 15 year old shelter – in the same position.



Despite frantically making calls to Greenwich Council, and trying to tell the builders the bus stop has moved, it was replaced costing Transport for London (TfL) £6,700. Mr Cleary, 65, said: “I thought they were going to pick it up to take it down the road, or they were going to take the whole shelter away. It’s laughable leaving it there. I said aren’t you going to move it? It should have been moved. Who puts a bus stop and shelter miles apart? It’s totally impractical. What a waste of money.” Mr Cleary said it is a ‘reasonable walk’ between the two.



He added: “Some people wait then run down the road. Some people sit at it and don’t realise the bus stop isn’t there. I’ve just seen them sitting there waiting then they get a shock when they see the bus drive down past them on the road. They have to go running for the bus. It’s ridiculous, especially for people with children or the elderly.” He blasted the council, and TfL, for failing to communicate with one another over the issue. “I'm dumbfounded” he fumed, “No one knows what they’re doing. No one talks to one another.” Gary Snewing, TfL’s Asset Manager, said: “Greenwich Council requested that we move the bus stop and shelter so that a pedestrian crossing could be installed.



“We moved the stop and are now waiting for the council to alter the kerb there so we can place the shelter at the same location. We are in discussion with the council to find a way forward on the issue. Our obvious preference is to have the stop and shelter at the same location.” A council spokesman confirmed they were installing a new toucan crossing at the junction. They added: “To install the new crossing we have had to re-locate a bus stop further along the road. While works were underway TfL upgraded the shelter at their cost but in the old position. Residents will be consulted on whether the bus stop should be fitted with a shelter.”