Haydon Wick Parish Council represents public concerns over rerouted bus service

Haydon Wick Parish Council says it is representing residents with concerns over safety of the re-routed number 15 bus service.

The number 15 bus service runs every 30 minutes through Thursday Street and Friday Street, Haydon End, North Swindon.

The parish council said despite transport being out of the council’s remit they wrote to Swindon's Bus Company in October 2022, and are yet to receive a response. The aim of the correspondence is to report residents’ concerns and discuss suitable solutions.

The parish council says resident concerns include:

• The lack of consultation before the redirection of the bus services
• The erection of temporary bus shelters outside their properties
• The difficulty in entering and exiting into their properties
• The safety issues with children attending local primary schools in the vicinity – the roads are very narrow and will only worsen in the winter during icy conditions
• The negative effect the buses are having locally relating to the pollution and wildlife
• The vibration and noise levels caused by the frequent buses affecting residents home life.

Swindon Borough Council were said to have confirmed during initial investigations that they had not been involved with the decisions made by Swindon's Bus Company, despite subsiding the bus service and authorising the Highways applications.

The parish council says it has now escalated the matter to Leader of Swindon Borough Council and Haydon Wick Ward Borough Councillor, Cllr David Renard, who has confirmed he is happy to work with the parish council and ward colleagues in Priory Vale to seek a resolution.

North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson is said to have also escalated the concerns to Swindon's Bus Company on behalf of the parish council and acknowledged that originally the service was due to be lost completely and therefore the re-diversion through additional streets was a compromise to provide a regular service.

Cllr A John, Chair of the Planning & Highways Committee of Haydon Wick Parish Council, said: “The Parish Council was surprised to hear the lack of engagement with residents regarding the rerouted bus service outside their homes and the impact that this has on their day to day activities and the local environment.

"The lack of response from Swindon Bus Company is disappointing, however, the Parish Council will continue to raise awareness on this local issue with the Leader of Swindon Borough Council and Justin Tomlinson MP and liaise with its residents until a suitable resolution has been received.”