Jeweller asks for bus go slow in Queen Square

9:51am Friday 2nd January 2004

JEWELLER Tony Moth has called for buses to put the brakes on outside his shop before someone is badly injured.

Mr Moth, who has run AD Moth in Queen Square, High Wycombe, for ten years, said the vehicles are making shoppers jump as they zoom past.

He said: "It is supposed to be pedestrianised but buses come through it quickly. They are supposed to give way to pedestrians."

Ian Reed, local area co-ordinator for Buckinghamshire County Council, added: "The county council has observed incidents of buses travelling at excessive speed down Castle Street and to get entry into Church Street and to travel into Queen Square."

He said the council will be operating the sinking bollards in Church Street again from this month.

Mr Reed added: "At the moment they don't have to slow down at Castle Street to wait for the bollards to go down. But if they have to stop and start again it will slow them down."

Brian Drury, commercial director for Arriva the Shires and Essex, said: "Both Arriva and our team of professional drivers are fully aware of the need to drive with extreme care on all roads including Queen Square, where there is a ten mile per hour speed limit.

"Arriva has an excellent safety record and has received awards from the road safety charity Brake for our commitment to ensuring the safety of our customers, employees, pedestrians and other road users.

"Towns such as High Wycombe benefit greatly from customers being able to reach the centre without facing traffic congestion and the hassle of finding a parking space, and Arriva's bus services contribute to ensuring they can do this."

Steve Burns, from Carousel Buses said: "As a company we abide by the ten-mile an hour restriction. If one of our drivers is caught exceeding that they will be disciplined. As far as we know, there are no incidents of our buses speeding through there."