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Estate faces a bus ban after dark
Jeni Harvey23/ 2/2006
TRAVEL company First is considering stopping buses running through Langley after dark following a spate of attacks by stone-throwing yobs.
During the past month five vehicles have had their windows smashed in the Windermere Road area and, every time this happens, the buses are diverted away from the estate for that evening leaving passengers stranded.
The area is now having a 'careful eye' kept on it by bus companies which say that, due to safety fears, buses may have to stay out of the estate after 6pm for up to a week at a time.
Community activist Irene Edge, who lives on Windermere Road, tried to get a number 163 bus back from Manchester at about 9pm on 13 February.
As a bus had been vandalised earlier that evening, she had to get off on Long Street and get a taxi home instead.
She said: "You can't just leave passengers stranded. What about people who are working? Let's face it, where's the parents when these kids are doing this?
"What are the kids doing running around smashing windows? It does happen but there must be some other way around this rather than taking off the buses. I know the 112 bus has security on it.
"It's the people who suffer because of what these individuals are doing. In the end we'll end up with no buses on Langley."
A spokesman for First, which operates the 163 service, said the 'caution level' in the Windermere Road area had been raised from green to amber. If it goes up to red, buses will be rerouted for a whole week.
The spokesman said: "This is a warning that there's problems going on there. It remains at amber for seven days since the last incident, as long as it doesn't happen again.
"If it does happen again, the caution goes up to red and services in the area will come off after about 6pm at night, but that's not happening on Windermere Road at the present moment.
"If the services do go to red, notices will be put up on bus stops saying that, because of the problems, the buses will be rerouted for seven days.
"The first thing the company is concerned with is safety and, if the problem continues to grow, somebody is going to get hurt. We're keeping a very careful eye on it now and, hopefully, it's going to settle down. These individuals have absolutely no concern for the people who rely on this bus service."
Most recent 2 of 3 user comments
Yobs in Middleton. Thats a shock. The town is full of uneducated louts, with no morals, manners or courtesy.
The police do nothing and the parents do nothing.
17/03/2006 at 13:51
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