Safety fears spark call for night buses to use station once The Forum is complete
A public transport campaigner raised safety concerns about planned bus stops for the night buses at a council meeting
A public transport campaigner who claims he was almost mugged recently in Gloucester city centre is calling for night buses to use the station overnight once The Forum is completed.
David Redgewell has public safety concerns over the bus stop planned for Market Parade being used to pick up passengers in the evenings once the regeneration project is complete.
He raised the issue at Gloucester City Council’s meeting on September 18.
Mr Redgewell said he and his colleague were threatened and almost mugged down there one night last week outside Tesco.
“Not by down and outs but people on fast bikes with balaclavas over their face,” he said.
“They were after money.
“We talked to the police, the police were there. The police didn’t catch them as far as I know.
“But it was quite frightening. The whole area around there, despite your efforts to regenerate the city, Jeremy and other councillors, I do appreciate your efforts.
“But that area is derelict, those shops I once knew as restaurants, hairdressers and cafes have gone.
“It’s boarded up as is that beautiful building at the end. It’s not a safe area at 2am in the morning to be picking up passengers from a bus or to be waiting.”
Mr Redgewell asked whether there would be city protection officers, CCTV and extra police in the area.
He called for a meeting between the County Council, City Council, MP and police to sort out the issues there.
“The ownership there is so confusing,” he said. “The bus station is yours, the information boards are theirs.
“They say it is full of buses, I was there tonight and it was three quarters empty.”
Deputy leader and resources cabinet member Declan Wilson (LD, Hucclecote) thanked Mr Redgwell for his question and he picked up his comments to the County Council meeting the week before.
He said the safety concerns need to be looked at.
“We haven’t met Stagecoach yet but we are arranging a meeting with them to see if we can put pressure on them to make sure those buses stay there,” he said.
“It sounds like there is a bigger issue there than buses being in a hub and I agree with you coming up on the train, going across the road and then having to go across outside the hub in the middle of the night is not a good idea.
“That’s something I don’t want to see.”