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The Medway Broadside Issue Three Autumn 2011 Trouble on the buses


© Lisa Dillon


People visiting Chatham for the first time will now be greeted by the new ‘Dynamic Bus Facility’ - a phrase which I will come back to later. The bus station has been a controversial project from start to finish and, I believe, highlights some of the biggest fail- ings of the Medway Council administration. Users of the former bus station in the Pentagon will know its problems; poorly lit a toilet facility for both pigeons and humans, grubby. But it was enclosed and part of the shopping hub of Chatham. One of the constant failings levelled, somewhat justifiably, at


the Conservative administration is their inability to consult resi- dents. When it came to the issue of the bus station, the numbers who responded compared to number of bus journeys was negligi- ble. Other local authorities come up with much better engagement


with their residents, business owners and other key stakehold- ers. I believe until they up their game on the issue of public con- sultation, the residents of Medway will continue to be let down by the Conservative administration. As part of the planning process, the Conservative members of


the committee failed to allow a public site visit which would have allowed for direct feedback on the proposals. The project eventually moved into construction stage, without


the backing of Medway residents. As the project continued, it became clear that it would not meet the deadline originally set.


Over budget Once deemed complete, the project was over-budget, several


months delayed and lacking public support. The phrase ‘Dynamic Bus Facility’ which was criticised by the public was quiely dropped by the council's PR machine.


Another issue is that tax payers ended up paying hundreds of


thousands of pounds to the Arriva bus company, owned by Ger- man multinational Deutche Bahn. The money changed hands in order to move into the bus station by releasing them from their lease in the Pentagon. Many felt this was somewhat unfair when other alternative


options which could have given a greater level of competition and a better service for Medway passengers, were not considered by the Conservative administration. On the day of opening, criticism of the new bus station ranged


from there being no toilets, to information on bus times and stops being confusing. Most worryingly, many people raised concerns around safety,


in particular the lack of crossing points being clearly marked. Even the much-maligned Children’s Services spokesperson, Les Wicks admitted it was ‘unsafe’. So what next? Many residents have raised concerns around


how open to the elements the new bus station is. Many others have said the walk from the shopping area to the bus station will be too far for them to manage. Anyone involved in local Medway politics will want Chatham


town centre to flourish, the administration needs to listen to the public to try and put right what has been a poorly run pro- ject and a PR disaster.


Vince Maple


Ward Councillor for Chatham Central and Deputy Leader of Medway Labour Group


More information: www.medway.gov.uk/transportandstreets/ publictransport/buses/chathamwaterfront


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