New bus route has been welcomed

Sir - I must respond to several inaccurate letters published in the Herald regarding the re-routing of the Stagecoach 157 Coast Link service between Sidmouth Three Cornered Plot/Triangle and Exmouth.

It is correct to say that Stagecoach have agreed to my suggestion, made at a meeting some 18 months ago, to re-route the service via Woolbrook Road, and I know that this has been welcomed by many residents living in the Woolbrook area.

At that meeting we discussed which route the service could take and it was agreed to look at using either Alexandria or Winslade Road and then picking up with Station Road, which would ensure those passengers living on the west side of town continue to benefit from this service.

When the announcement was made about the re-routing of the service from May 19, I was surprised to hear Stagecoach had intended to take the Temple Street, Vicarage Road, All Saints Road route and I immediately contacted John Richardson Dawes, Devon County Council's public transport co-ordination service team leader, and expressed my concerns and he agreed to discuss the routing with Stagecoach, which agreed to take the Winslade Road, Alexandria Road, Station Road route.

Therefore, all those residents who live on the west side of Sidmouth can continue to use the service and I'm sure that they will be delighted to hear this news.

Here are the proposals for the 157 service as outlined in an email to me from the service team leader at Devon County Council:

"With the exception of early morning buses, which don't have time, service 157 will run Woolbrook Road, Exeter Cross, Arcot Road, Winslade Road, Alexandria Road, Station Road. This will be Monday to Saturday.

Sundays, will remain on the existing Bulverton Road route. This is because the operational change which creates sufficient time for the Woolbrook route does not take place on Sundays - the service with which 157 will inter-work does not run on Sundays.

Councillor Stuart Hughes

Temple Street