Bus users to benefit from £500,000 shelter upgrade

Mar 3 2010 by Shona Mitchell, East Kilbride News

BUS users in the town are set to benefit from a £500,000 project to upgrade shelters.

The shelters at key routes linking East Kilbride, Rutherglen and Glasgow are currently being improved and upgraded.

By the end of the financial year on March 31, almost £500,000 will have been spent on the first phase of bus infrastructure improvements as the result of a partnership between South Lanarkshire Council and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT).

In total 51 bus stop locations will be improved, 35 of which are in East Kilbride.

Areas to benefit include Glasgow Road, Kingsway, Calderwood Road, Maxwellton Road, St Leonards Road, Lickprivick Road, Eaglesham Road, Westwood Road, Murray Road, Strathaven Road, Whitemoss Avenue and the Queensway.

Bus passengers will benefit from improved footways at boarding points, shelters with seats and lighting, disabled access and most shelters will also have closed circuit television capability.

In the event of graffiti, vandalism or anti-social activity becoming a problem at any of these new shelters then CCTV will be used to identify offenders and assist with prosecutions in court. The CCTV and the shelter illumination will also help improve the safety and security of waiting passengers.

The new council bus shelters have also been specifically designed to incorporate real time information display panels similar to the ones which show bus arrival times in Glasgow city centre.

In the next financial year, a further phase of improvements will see real time displays fitted to key bus shelters informing passengers of the actual arrival times of buses.

Chair of South Lanarkshire Council's enterprise resources committee, Councillor Chris Thompson, said: “I am delighted we are able to upgrade and improve the quality of bus stops at so many locations in our area.

“The introduction of CCTV, along with better lighting will, hopefully, make people feel much safer when standing at bus stops.

“Meeting disabled access requirements is also very important as we want to ensure as many people as possible have the option of using the bus.

“I am certain that these improvements will encourage bus use throughout South Lanarkshire.”

Davie Fagan, vice-chair of SPT, said: “Good bus shelters are a small thing that makes a big difference to regular passengers. By improving the experience of waiting for a bus, we are actively encouraging people to use public transport.

“I'm delighted to see over 50 bus shelters being upgraded across South Lanarkshire and it is just another example of organisations like the council and ourselves working together to benefit the travelling public.”

East Kilbride South Councillor Archie Buchanan, said the replacement of many of the town’s bus shelters is very welcome.

He said: “Unfortunately the new bus shelter situated on Lickprivick Road located under the footbridge was damaged recently by a vehicle but it is now being repaired and should be in place shortly.

“The imminent replacement of this shelter will be welcomed by the many users particularly during the recent severe weather that we have been experiencing.”