A Labour-run council has apologised after painting a bus stop directly in front of a couple’s driveway.
Christopher Harris and Michelle Smith said they were left speechless after returning home to find the newly created stop outside their home in Beddau, Rhondda Cynon Taf.
It was positioned in front of a dropped kerb directly outside their house, and a bus sign pole had also been installed in one of their hedges.
Almost a month later, Mr Harris and Ms Smith have now been given a full apology and told that the stop on Llantrisant Road will be removed immediately.
The couple said they had been aware of plans for the bus stop in the street but believed it was to be positioned further up the road.
The bus stop caused Mr Harris and Ms Smith a lot of disruption, including parking spaces on the road – Media Wales
Mr Harris said he and his partner had faced constant disruption since the bus stop had been put in place. Numerous buses had been stopping and parking for long periods outside his home while crowds of schoolchildren gathered outside in the mornings and afternoons.
He said: “When I saw the plans, it was supposed to be up the road so I didn’t take any notice. But we had parking spaces outside our house and now we’ve lost those spaces.
“That wasn’t in any consultation. At no point did they ever say the stop would be there.
“They’ve put the post in my hedge and the bus stop is literally right at the end of my drive. The buses are being told to stop right on a dropped kerb, which I’m sure isn’t legal.”
Mr Harris continued: “When you Google it, there is plenty of information online about why a bus stop should not be placed on a dropped kerb. I can’t believe it’s been put there.
“The bus stops have been moved to accommodate the school kids. So I could have God knows how many kids smack outside my gates every day. What happens when I open my gates and try to get my car out in the morning?”
The couple have been told the bus stop will be removed ‘immediately’ – Media Wales
Mr Harris previously told Wales Online that, when he confronted one of the drivers, they were very amenable and agreed the bus stop should never have been put there.
The council has since apologised and told the couple the bus stop will be removed. Mr Harris said he was glad that “common sense has prevailed”.
He added: “I had an email just apologising and saying it’s going to be taken away and put back to what it was before, which was a couple of parking bays and traffic-calming bollards.”
A spokesman for Labour-run Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council said it had not met standards expected of the local authority during the consultation process.
He added: “We sincerely apologise to the impacted householders. Having reviewed the process undertaken, we found that it didn’t meet the standards expected of us during the consultation period. As a result the bus stops will be removed from the highway.”
