Row after calls for new hospital bus lane

Thatcham councillor's desire for new hospital bus lane to save journey time sparks row

A Thatcham councillor has called for a new bus lane into West Berkshire Hospital to stop what he describes as 'unnecessary detours' and 'increased journey times'.

Thatcham West cllr Keith Woodhams (Lib Dem), shadow executive member for highways and transport, has called for a new right turning into the hospital from the westbound carriageway of the A4 for buses only.

The councillor raised the issue at Thursday executive meeting at West Berkshire Council offices in market Street Newbury.

Following the meeting Cllr Woodhams said: “Currently there is a bus service that routes via the Thatcham Wyevale Garden Centre roundabout, along Turnpike Road into the West Berkshire Hospital and onto Newbury.

“To pick up passengers at the bus stop at Benham Hill where both elderly and people with disabilities live, the bus has to come out of the hospital, turn left drive up to the garden centre roundabout and back along the A4 to Benham Hill and on to Newbury.

“To overcome this unnecessary detour that increases the journey time for passengers and increases the cost of fuel for the bus company, my suggestion to West Berkshire Council is to construct a right hand turn into the hospital from the A4 for buses only.

“With the massive underspend of tax payers money revealed by the Conservatives at the recent executive meeting, their money could be well spent on this scheme.”

However, the bus lane proposal was not popular with Newbury Labour party spokesman Richard Garvie who called on West Berkshire Council to reject calls for a new bus lane, arguing that motorists would be forced to wait longer at traffic lights on the A4.

He said: "At a time when the council can't even afford to keep day centres for the disabled open, I'd like to know what support Cllr Woodhams has for spending tens of thousands of pounds on such a project that will effectively leave up to thirty bus passengers in Pound Lane without a service. If the services are rerouted, passengers from Pound Lane would be forced to use Jet Black services from the stop at the top of Pound Lane. Would thirty less passengers per day effect the viability of service 102, and if so, would that result in the loss of the service for hundreds of other Thatcham residents, just for the sake of a one minute saving in journey time?"

Mr Garvie estimated the bus lane costs to be around £60,000.

Portfolio holder for Portfolio - Highways, Transport (Operational), ICT, Customer Services, David Betts (Con, Purley), said: “Officers are looking into this and we should have a report ready for Cllr Woodhams soon.”