Change is not for the better

Where I live at Hall Farm we are very poorly serviced by buses going to East and Middle Herrington. We have a retirement village here and the residents use the No 4 bus to access this area, now that service is going through Farringdon instead.

There are many elderly people who live in East and Middle Herrington who need the transport to get to Morrisons, Aldi, Post Office, chemist and church, and also into the town centre. If they want transport into town they have to walk to Allendale Road, which is fair distance for them.

It’s a lifeline for many people and now they are stuck and cannot access their local community and shops.

Many workers at Doxford International use the No 4 at Oakfield Court where they take the bus into town.

With Stagecoach re-directing the bus through Farringdon, that means there will be three buses travelling through the estate (Nos 3, 4 and 13), not forgetting the two schools that are there and all the congestion that it will cause, especially when parents are dropping children off at school. How many more buses can the Farringdon estate take.

Stagecoach has said that the No 5 is going to be re-directed through East Herrington but it won’t be coming to Doxford Park and Hall Farm, that’s isn’t a very good replacement, plus it takes you on a world tour if you want to access the town.

Surely, this hasn’t been thought through very well or any consultation taken place with the residents of Hall Farm, Doxford Park and the surrounding area. It’s about time we had a say and not be dictated to by bus companies.

Margaret Harris