Leamington bus route revised after campaign

The problems began when the routes of the U1 and U2 Stagecoach services direct into town were not reinstated following Severn Trent works and the reopening of Radford Road.

Warwickshire County councillor Matt Western (Lab, Willes) and Labour’s Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Lynnette Kelly took up the campaign for the residents.

And after talks with Stagecoach, the 67 bus route has been revised.

Ms Kelly said: “It’s a good decision which reflects common sense.

“Residents living in Sydenham that want to get into town, go to the various churches and temples or to the two GP surgeries along the Radford Road will now be able to with a journey time of minutes, not hours.”

Cllr Matt Western added: “Several residents brought the problem to my attention in the autumn and it quickly became clear that this was a real issue for the local communities.

“Clearly, if you live in the Radford Road area it was a huge inconvenience to get into town as you would have had to travel all around Sydenham, Grosvenor, St Helen’s and Tachbrook roads to get into the centre (Priory Terrace).

“Likewise, for residents in Sydenham, access to GP surgeries, schools and places of worship became either impossible or involved convoluted trips involving two buses and taking an hour and a half. I very much welcome the decision by Stagecoach.”

Steve Burd, managing director at Stagecoach Midlands, said: “The revised U1/U2 route introduced during the Severn Trent roadworks proved very popular with students, who are the service’s main customers.

“I am, however, pleased that the revised service 67 route which my company has agreed with Warwickshire County Council, following discussions with Lynette Kelly and Cllr Matt Western, will address the concerns that have been raised regarding links to the churches and the temple in the High Street/Radford Road area.”