Residents WILL get their say after controversial Padstow bus stop scrapped
A town council under pressure from its own residents over a decision to scrap a well-used bus stop has bowed to pressure and will now ask people for their views. Padstow Town Council decided to remove the bus stop at the Railway Car Park because it claims there are too many buses which creates a health hazard.
The local authority said as a result too many people are queuing on the road or walking across the street while buses struggle to get in and out, which makes the whole situation dangerous.
The town council has blamed Cornwall Council and the bus companies for the situation. However the reverse has also been true, with the larger authority and bus firms saying they have been trying to meet up with Padstow Town Council to try to come to a mutually beneficial solution but to no avail.
The decision to close the bus stop has angered many in the community, especially the elderly, who now face having to walk up a steep hill to catch the bus. Padstow Town Council was asked to put the matter on its transport committee meeting this week but refused, saying the agenda had been set and printed, so it was too late and they would not accept public representation at the meeting.
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A protest was even held outside the council's offices but the building remained locked up for the duration and no-one from the council came out to speak to residents or members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) which is campaigning for the bus stop to be reinstated.
The transport committee meeting instead discussed raising car parking tariffs and recommended that the decision to do so goes to its finances committee for approval as part of the budget setting process for 2025-26.
You can read about this ongoing bus saga here:
READ MORE: Padstow bus stop axed in blow to 'thousands of passengers'
READ MORE: Padstow Town Council shares photos to show why it scrapped popular bus stop
READ MORE: Pressure piles up on Padstow Town Council over bus stop removal saga
READ MORE: Australian visitor to Cornwall to shun Padstow after bus stop removal
On its agenda the council stated: "Car park income is slightly down on the previous years. Visitors don't seem to be staying in the car parks for as long during the day as they used to, late afternoons and evenings are quieter in comparison with a few years ago."
The suggested increases would be £1.30 for an hour from £1; £3.60 for two hours from the current £3 and £4.80 for three hours from the current £4. Parking for four hours would also increase from £6 to £7.20 with the 12-hour tariff also going up from £8 to £9.60. The 24-hour stay would go up from £10 to £12 while coaches tariffs would go up from £8 for four hours to £9.60.
The local authority added: "The rationale for the suggested new tariffs is to allow for inflation up to date so that car park income is not falling in real terms, to help with the turnover of vehicles by having varying fees and to keep the car park tariffs affordable but increase them to Cover Padstow Town Council's increasing revenues expenditures."
While there was no mention of the issue of the bus stop being removed from Railway Car Park during the meeting on Tuesday evening (October 22), the council has now decided to hold a special public meeting about the issue on Tuesday, October 29 instead.
In a statement on its website, it said that a meeting had been arranged between the town council and Cornwall Council's covering cabinet member for transport Cllr Martin Worth. Town mayor councillor James O’Keefe said: "It's a shame it’s taken so long to get to this point. We’ve been waiting for a response from a Cabinet Member since July, when we first gave notice to Cornwall Council and advised Go Cornwall and First of this. There have been a number of misleading and inaccurate comments in the press over the last few weeks which have not been helpful to resolving this issue for our town, I’m hopeful that this meeting will be collaborative and we can move forward."
The town council added: "An item concerning this matter has been placed on the agenda for the meeting of the full council, which is being held on Tuesday, October 29 at 7.30pm. The meeting is open to the public and due to the level of interest will be held at Padstow Community Hub where a larger number of residents can be accommodated."
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