Station revamp is badly needed
Hooray! Let us put out the flags if the proposal to turn the bus station into something pretty, comes to fruition, as reported by Jonathan Schofield (Free Press, June 18).
Having spoken to people myself while waiting to catch a bus, there seems to be universal agreement that the bus station and its immediate environment, including the waste land opposite, is an absolute eyesore; consisting of overgrown mass of weeds and general detritus, including an abandoned shopping trolley.
Sudbury is no different to any other town with its social problems, particularly vandalism, as the young seem to congregate around this area.
This little market town, nevertheless, has much to offer locals and tourists alike, such as the Gainsborough Gallery, the Quay Theatre, the Granary, which is the headquarters of the River Stour Trust, to say nothing of the meadows, a favourite venue for picnics, and very good local shops. Yet the bus station really lets the town down.
The bus shelters are drab, dirty, in need of a coat of paint. Not infrequently the glass has been broken by vandals or covered in paint. Food is discarded at the entrance to these shelters, probably attracting vermin and very unpleasant if you accidentally tread on it. Nobody seems to sweep it away and it conveys an aura of general neglect.
In the late autumn, it is socially uncomfortable for passengers, particularly women when they are waiting for a bus that might be late, making them feel vulnerable and exposed. This is particularly so when it starts to get dark with one or two lights shining down, casting eerie and menacing shadows, to say nothing of inclement winter weather, making the shelters barely capable of sufficient protection and comfort, especially when vandalised or daubed with indecent graffiti.
With this unpleasant yet true picture in mind, let us hope that the public does not have to wait too long for improvements to materialise so that Sudbury can have a bus station to be proud of, perhaps on a par or near equivalent to Bury St Edmunds.
There, when when the weather is bad, there is somewhere to take shelter from the damp and cold, perhaps have an opportunity to buy a drink in a caf or a slot machine, sitting in relative comfort until the bus is due.
Maybe, this will encourage more visitors from elsewhere who take a holiday in this county, relying on public road transport as well as giving Sudbury a well-deserved place on the map with decent travel facilities.
If I am not mistaken, this matter has been raised before on more than one occasion. Then, for a variety of reasons, the idea was kicked into the long grass and we heard nothing more about it.
Although we have a recession, let us hope that we do not have a deliberate repetition of abandonment and see some meaningful action taking place by next year, making this area of Sudbury, a place to be proud of rather than one that makes the locals hang their heads in shame.
Not only will a decent bus station entice visitors and locals to use their public transport facilities but the people of Sudbury will surely take pride in their new and improved environment.
After all, hope springs eternal.
FIONA JOHNSTON
Monks Eleigh
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Weather for Sudbury
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
