"This is why bus shelters have been disappearing from Nuneaton and Bedworth"

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Some bus users have been left stood in the rain



The mystery has been solved over why bus stops have been disappearing from streets in Nuneaton and Bedworth.

CoventryLive has been contacted by several residents puzzled as to why bus stops have gone missing in communities across the town.

One reader said: "There is a problem that all bus shelters are slowly disappearing in Nuneaton and Bedworth. I have phoned the relevant councils for some answers and I am hitting a brick wall.

"There has been a lot of rain lately and there are no shelters for people to wait for a bus, what is going on?"

We contacted Warwickshire County Council to get to the bottom of the mystery.

It has been revealed that Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council were recently approached by JC Decaux (JCD) who owned a number of bus shelters in Nuneaton and Bedworth to advise that they wanted to remove them.

The borough council contacted Warwickshire County Council, as highways authority, to see if they could help to maintain some of the 58 shelters owned by JC Decaux (JCD).

Due to cash constraints the county council has bought 39 of the 58 shelters - meaning 19 bus stops have been removed and will not be replaced.

In a statement, councillor Wallace Redford, portfolio holder for transport and highways at Shire Hall,explained: “ Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council (NBBC) had a contract with JC Decaux (JCD) that provided 58 bus shelters across Nuneaton and Bedworth.

"Advertising revenue from the shelters paid for their maintenance, however, in the last two years, advertising revenue has significantly declined. This contract ended at the end of 2020 and NBBC passed an offer to buy the shelters over to Warwickshire County Council.

"While we are committed to promoting the use of public transport, we do not have the resources to maintain all these shelters, so the county council worked with NBBC, JCD and bus operators to identify which of the shelters were most used. Based on this data, 39 of the 58 shelters were purchased by the county council.

"The others were removed as part of the contract between NBBC and JCD."

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Pensioners take turns leaning on post box after bus shelter removed

OAPs are being forced to take it in turns leaning against a post box as they have been left with nowhere to sit as their bus shelter in Bedworth has disappeared.

The tale of the two 80-year-olds in Smorrall Lane has emerged in the wake of the loss of some bus shelters across the borough.

As we reported in our newsletter, a total of 21 bus shelters have disappeared across the two towns.

This is having an impact according to resident Karl Mayer who explained the situation in a statement read out during a full council meeting.

He said: "The problem first came to my attention when talking to one of my friend's 80-year-old mother, with the bus stop being removed, especially the seats at Lindley Road/Smorrall Lane.

"Herself and also her 80-year-old sister in law have nowhere to sit and actually take it in turns to lean-up against the post box.

"I know this has been reported to county, and appreciate with the current situations, things take time but winter is fast approaching. Is there anyway things may be sped-up so the elderly and other people who use the buses can do so in very basic comfort, to get to the town centre, health centre, market and Civic Hall."

Councillor Kyle Evans, cabinet member for public services at the Town Hall, explained that JC Decaux, which owned all 58 bus shelters in the borough, decided it was no longer financially viable for them to operate them.

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and Warwickshire County Council were given the chance to buy all 58.

After accessing data and the funds available, they bought 39 of the 58 bus shelters.

"I believe that bus shelters are vitally important for local residents, in particular our elderly population," Cllr Evans said.

"It is only right that our elderly population are provided with a seat when waiting for a bus and when it is raining, our residents should be provided with some sort of shelter

"We had the capital and funding to purchase 39 of the 58 bus shelters.

"While it is regrettable that NBBC has been unable to purchase more or the full 58, I am afraid to say that our financial circumstances are challenging as a result of the previous Labour administration's mishandling of the public purse."

He went on to add that, in the case of Smorrall Lane, if it is one of the bus stop that is not being retained under the new deal, he will speak with the two local county councillors to see if some of their highways budget can be used to buy one for the area.

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Anger over 'bus stop to nowhere' amid losses elsewhere across Nuneaton and Bedworth



Anger is growing over why a bus stop to nowhere remains in place while other vital shelters have disappeared elsewhere in Nuneaton and Bedworth.

For years there has been a bus shelter on Arbury Road, Nuneaton just after its junction with Heath End Road, but no buses stop there.

Councillor Chris Watkins branded it 'nothing more than a glorified bench' and is campaigning for it to be removed.

He said that vital bus shelters have disappeared across the borough over a contract change and it would be better used where people actually need it.

"You couldn't make it up really, it is just there for people to sit in, no buses ever stop there," said the leader of the Labour group at Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council.

"It is nothing more than a glorified bench. Yet up on Thornton's Way, the bus shelter there has been removed and lots of elderly people use that stop and actually need access to a shelter.

"I have been campaigning for about seven years to get this bus shelter removed,

"It is nothing more than a glorified bench. Yet up on Thornton's Way, the bus shelter there has been removed and lots of elderly people use that stop and actually need access to a shelter."

As we reported in our newsletter, a total of 21 bus shelters have disappeared across the two towns.

In one area of Bedworth, pensioners have been forced to take it in turns leaning on a Post Box as they have been left with no-where to sit while they wait for a bus.

JC Decaux, which owned all 58 bus shelters in the borough, decided it was no longer financially viable for them to operate them.

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and Warwickshire County Council were given the chance to buy all 58.

After accessing data and the funds available, they bought 39 of the 58 bus shelters.

The Arbury Road bus shelter, which is almost opposite HiQ Tyres and Auto Repair, is one that has been saved - much to the bemusement of Cllr Watkins.

"Buses go nowhere near it, they go down Heath End Road instead," he explained.

"I just don't understand why it is there when no one can use it to actually catch a bus."