Campaign villagers angry at new threat

Jul 3 2008 by Paul James, The Journal

A COMMUNITY fighting the closure of its post office will lose its only bus as part of a new round of service cuts.

People in Garden Village at Gosforth, Newcastle, have raised a petition of 600 names in just two days to save the branch, in Hollywood Avenue.

They will suffer a second blow tomorrow when Stagecoach proposes to end the estate’s only bus service.

The loss of route 33 also signals the end of buses going from Jesmond’s Osborne Road to the city centre and connecting Jesmond with Gosforth High Street.

In a confidential letter to city councillors, seen by The Journal, Stagecoach said lack of passengers meant the six services being withdrawn or reduced were losing up to 50p of every £1 it spent running them. Residents said it was “another kick in the teeth” and elderly people would suffer most.

An off-peak service on the 33 route is subsidised by public transport body Nexus, but unlikely to survive if the daytime service is lost. Also being withdrawn by Stagecoach are some direct buses between Newcastle’s West End and the MetroCentre in Gateshead.

Cuts are planned in services between the city centre and Kenton, and the centre and Killingworth. Garden villager Fiona Beare, 36, co-ordinating the post office campaign, said many elderly neighbours would suffer from the double blow.

Mrs Beare, 36, whose husband Roland, 54, is a retired police officer, said: “I rarely use public transport because I have a car, but I’m very sympathetic. It’s another kick in the teeth for Garden Village”

Coun Ron Armstrong said: “This will create major problems for those who live some distance from the Metro stations and who aren’t able to walk the distance very easily, especially the elderly.”

In his letter to councillors, Stagecoach commercial director Robin Knight said revenue on some routes was expected to drop below 40p for every £1 the company spent on them. He said the group was committed to heavy investment in the Newcastle network.

A Nexus spokesman said: “If residents and councillors have concerns about losing public transport, we’d be happy to meet them to discuss alternatives, such as community minibuses.”

There will be eight weeks of consultations on the proposals.

Arriva and Go North East say they do not plan any service changes in the city.

Routes earmarked for cuts

PROPOSED Stagecoach bus cuts in Newcastle:

4 – withdrawn

MetroCentre, Scotswood View, Riverside Way, Derwenthaugh Road, Scotswood Bridge, Scotswood Road, Denton Road, Whickham View, Benwell Lane, Adelaide Terrace, Elswick Road, Bentinck Road, Westgate Road, Wingrove Road, Hadrian Road, Linden Avenue, Cedar Road, Two Ball Lonnen.

5 – withdrawn

MetroCentre, Scotswood View, Riverside Way, Derwenthaugh Road, Scotswood Bridge, Scotswood Road, Denton Road, West Road, Slatyford Lane, Pooley Road, Stamfordham Road, Two Ball Lonnen.

33 – withdrawn

Pilgrim Street, New Bridge Street, John Dobson Street, St Mary’s Place, Sandyford Road, Osborne Terrace, Osborne Road, Jesmond Dene Road, Great North Road, Gosforth High Street, Regent Centre Metro, Hollywood Avenue.

15 – reduced from four buses an hour to two

Walker – Newcastle-Kenton

16 – reduced from four buses per hour to two

Four Lane Ends-Newcastle- Kenton

X63 – cut from five an hour to four

Newcastle-Killingworth