Labour council 'sorry' after painting bus stop directly in front of someone's driveway

A Labour-led council has apologised after a bus stop was painted right outside a couple's drive. Christopher Harris and Michelle Smith, from Beddau, south Wales, said they returned home from work one day to find the newly created bus stop right outside their house on Llantrisant Road, Beddau, sitting squarely over their dropped kerb and blocking their access. A bus stop sign was even planted into one of their hedges, leaving them stunned.

The couple said they were aware of proposals for a bus stop in their street but were under the impression it would be located further up the road, not right outside their gate. Since the bus stop appeared, Mr Harris said they lost their previously available parking spaces, and buses were regularly stopping and idling for long periods outside of his home, with large crowds of schoolchildren gathering right in front of the house every day.

Mr Harris previously told WalesOnline that when he confronted one of the bus drivers, they agreed the stop should not have been placed there. He warned that if buses kept blocking his driveway, he would have no choice but to block the bus stop himself.

Mr Harris 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."

He added: "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?"

After nearly a month, the council has apologised to the couple and confirmed it will remove the bus stop.

Mr Harris said: "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. I'm glad common sense has prevailed. It was a nonsense."

A spokesman for Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council said: "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."