Bus Stops (Three of Them)

The first is nothing to do with the company except that we stop at it. It's at Windy Corner on the way from Brixham to Paignton. There has been a couple of problems at this stop for ever. The first and most important is it's position. If this bus stop was a packet of cigarettes it would be forced to have a Government Health Warning printed on it.

Pulling up at the stop isn't hard, a left turn indicator a bit of gentle breaking and a slight turn on the wheel and there you are, stopped 10 feet past the bus shelter. The shelter, which was made from recycled guns from the Crimean War, was in the perfect position for back loader buses. (back loaders vanished from Torquay over 40 years ago). Now passengers have to walk ten feet to get on the bus at the front which in the wind and rain isn't fun. It ain't called Windy Corner for nothing.

Pulling away, now that is what makes this stop so dangerous, Two lanes of traffic hurtle by and we have to get into that second lane. Not only that, there is a road just in front of the stop that is fairly hard to get out of. If you have been waiting two minutes to get out, which can happen, you aren't going to let a little thing like a bus stop you. And, one more thing, there is a side road on the right just behind the bus stop, we have to make sure no one is blasting out of there as well. Oh yes, I forgot about the traffic lights 15 yards in front of the stop. So you finally get moving, press the right foot down hard to get away as fast as possible and the lights change so brakes get pressed down hard. Will the car driver behind have noticed the lights have changed or will he realise they changed when he runs into the back of the bus.

Ask all 12 drivers which is the worst stop in the Bay and 95% will say Windy Corner. The other 5% are mistaken when they say Brunel Road.



9 years ago a Union Official, who has since retired, told me that he was going to insist this stop be moved. All it needs is moving 50 yards towards Brixham away from the junction. But that is common land and the council are having difficulty acquiring a small section to turn into a bus lay by. He, the union man, also told me that if the bus stop wasn't moved by September 2001 he was going to instruct his members not to stop at this stop as it was too dangerous.



Sorry, got of the point a little there. Over the last two days someone has spent £6000 building a brand new bus shelter. So now when we pull up at the bus stop passengers still have to run 10 feet in the cold wet rain and wind because the 21st Century bus shelter is in exactly the same place as the Crimean War bus shelter. Perfect for back loaders. Maybe we are going retro and buying 50 London Route Masters painted in Devon General colours.



Yeah, right, I know the title said bus stops, 3 of them bus it's 12:30 in the morning and I am tired so Good night.