Free Shoreham footbridge replacement transport cancelled after poor interest (From The Argus)
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Free Shoreham footbridge replacement transport cancelled after poor interest
12:40pm Monday 11th February 2013 in News
The old Shoreham footbridge is closed while the new bridge is under construction
A free evening door-to-door transport service for people who would normally walk across the Shoreham footbridge has been stopped because nobody was using it.
West Sussex County Council introduced the scheme after the bridge was shut last October for safety reasons.
The bridge provides a link between Shoreham Beach and the town centre.
The transport was aimed at people with reduced mobility who did not have their own cars.
The service was available between 5pm and 10pm from Monday to Friday but has not been taken up.
The council, which was paying £1,300 to provide the link, has now decided to use the money elsewhere.
Alternative transport arrangements are being sought to provide an on-call evening service if people need it in future.
Pieter Montyn, council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “The community transport service represented poor value for money.
“Drivers were being paid to be on-call in the evenings, but no one came forward to use the service.
“We are now looking at cheaper alternatives.”
However a regular daytime shuttle bus service has proved popular with users and will continue to operate.
The bus averages 940 passenger trips per day between Monday and Friday, 1,155 on Saturdays and 746 on Sundays.
The new footbridge is on course to open to the public in August.
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Comments(2)
Whitelion
says...
3:02pm Mon 11 Feb 13
Sussex jim wrote:It was closed for safety reasons. That's what the report says if you read it.
Judging by the picture, as the new bridge is taking a different route to the old, why can the old bridge not still be in use until the new one is finished?
Sussex jim says...
2:45pm Mon 11 Feb 13