Gimme shelter! Bus shelter destroyed in accident finally replaced 398 days later
A village bus shelter which was damaged after a crash has finally been restored more than a year later, a councillor says.
Councillor Dr Tristan Learoyd said it took 398 days for the shelter in St Germain’s Lane, Marske, to be replaced.
Cllr Learoyd had complained over the wait and began posting humorous videos on Facebook which tracked the number of days that had elapsed. He said there had been initial confusion about who had ownership of the damaged shelter and it had “fallen through the cracks”.
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The maintenance of a number of bus shelters in the borough is Redcar and Cleveland Council’s responsibility, although services more broadly are overseen by the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) as the local transport authority, working in partnership with commercial operators.
The council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, Councillor Carl Quartermain previously said an order for four new bus shelters had been placed with a supplier, but after it went out of business a new procurement process had to be undertaken to secure a new contract with another company.
While pleased at the ending of the saga, Cllr Learoyd said “simple tasks” like a new shelter should not take so long to complete. He said: “Despite pre-election promises from both Labour and Conservative politicians, bus services remain sparse and disjointed for tens of thousands of local residents.
“They are not linked to rail services and operated by private firms.”
Cllr Learoyd said the 81 bus, which uses the stop in question, was the only remaining service left in the area, running hourly during daytime hours.
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