08 Aug 2024
Isolated villagers are demanding an extension to Sunday bus routes so they can access neighbouring communities without a car, writes Oliver Sasson.
They have signed a petition calling on the county council to extend the 635, 361 and 601 services so they include Bricket Wood, How Wood, Chiswell Green, Colney Street, Frogmore, Park Street and St Julians – linking them to Hatfield and St Albans city centre.
The petition has been spearheaded by Park Street local, Jon Breen, who explained: “Transport should be there for everyone, not just for the middle of St Albans. For me it’s got to be fair for everyone.”
He said many villagers living on the outskirts of the district feel neglected and isolated: “It is the elderly and the youth who are burdened the most by the inadequate transport from their village to the centre of St Albans.
“There might be young people who want to get to St Albans to work in a shop or a restaurant or whatever. And this facility isn’t there.
“The other key theme for me is that [integrated bus services] are going to bring revenue into the middle of St Albans. When you think that you’ve got all the shops open on a Sunday in St Albans, all the markets open, the coffee shops, it’s all open, so we’re bringing business in.
“We are only asking for three buses which are going through all the villages. During the week they run one an hour. But, if a bus was running on a Sunday every two hours, it wouldn’t matter, as long as there were buses for people.”
He recognises that extending the services will have financial implications, but believes it is essential to improving access for those people living away from the city centre: “It’s a cash issue, they’ve got to have the funds to support this. So, they [the county council] have to think differently, they might have to think about saying to people, well, we’ll split it with you. We’re subsidising it, but you pay something towards it, like a bus fare.”
The petition, which runs until December 2, can be found at https://democracy.hertfordshire.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?id=1193
