On The Road To Nowhere

Durham County Council Builds Useless Bus Stop

Bus durham Durham County Council Framwellgate Moor

Waiting for a bus can be a stressful thing– they’re often late, and indeed, two might show up at once. However, in the case of one of Durham’s newest bus stops, none will show up. Ever.

The bus stop in question is located in Framwellgate Moor opposite the Salutation pub, a glass structure having replaced the old brick one from the days when buses used to pass by.

The problem is that this station is now a good 150 metres away from any bus route operated by Aviva, with a blank bus schedule inside betraying this fact.

This basically means that the local council have effectively wasted money (around £4000) on a rather expensive shed, at a time when money is especially tight (the council have to cut £190 million from their budget) and Framwellgate Moor’s community centre is under threat of closure, much to the chagrin of local residents.

The mistake is believed to have been caused by a lack of communication between the council and Arriva, the company which provides the bus service, as hinted by Adrian White, Durham County Council’s head of transport;

'The county council looks after the highways and bus stops, which includes bus shelters; but we do not operate bus services.

'Therefore, before we do any work on bus stops, we always check with the bus companies regarding their operational services.

'The work on the shelter was carried out after consultations with Arriva who, on two separate occasions, confirmed that their bus services would be using the stop.

'Unfortunately, they have subsequently informed the council that they are now not planning to operate services on this route.

'We will be looking to relocate the shelter in the near future.'

The cost of relocating the shelter is believed to be around £580.

So next time you look to catch the bus, whether into town or to the far-off land of Stockton, be sure not to wait at this particular station. You could be waiting a rather long time.