ePetition - Madeira Terrace Lift Bus Replacement Service
navigation and tools
Find it
You are here - Home : Council and Democracy : Councillors and Committees : Petition
ePetition details
Madeira Terrace Lift Bus Replacement Service
This could simply be a diversion of an existing bus service such as the 52. This concept of a small diversion in an area well supplied with buses is affordable and practicable. We ask to take part in discussions regarding this between members of the Committee and our bus service providers.
The 52 bus, for example, could pass along Upper Bedford St, College Place, St George’s Road and Eaton Place to collect beachbound residents – and to deliver them back.
This ePetition ran from 22/03/2023 to 05/07/2023 and has now finished.
25 people signed this ePetition.
Council response
Following requests from residents officers have explored the option of running a shuttle bus service on a loop between the top and bottom of the lift through the summer season while the Madeira Terrace lift is out of action. Unfortunately, the additional £80,000 cost of running this service is unbudgeted at a time when resources are already under pressure. Over the summer, Madeira Drive gets extremely busy with traffic and cars looking for parking spaces and manoeuvring into the bays often leads to congestion and delays. This would make any service and journey along Madeira Drive extremely slow and time-consuming.
Officers have also explored the option of a diversion to the
existing 52 bus service and are awaiting a response to enquiries
from The Big Lemon CIC who operate the service on our behalf,
however officers think this option may be problematic as the
current service runs at a relatively high cost per passenger and
there is a risk that significant changes could further increase
operating costs and put the service at risk. The service also uses
electric buses which are at the limit of their operating battery
range. The Council have also made recent improvements to the
service to increase passenger numbers using Bus Service Improvement
Plan funding and have publicised this extensively. It will take a
while for these changes to bed in and further alterations could
confuse passengers.