Watford Borough Council is engaged in a road improvement programme to the High Street, which will result in limited bus access, but increased pedestrian-only sections.

At the moment, most bus services that used Clarendon Road and then went forward to Market Street, now use part of the ring road and use the bus stops behind the old market, off Beechen Grove.

This arrangement is extremely unsuitable in its present form.

The bus access lane off Beechen Grove is very narrow with severe limitations on bus capacity.

It seems that many services lay over at these bus stops leading to congestion with a resultant build-up of buses waiting to access the roadway.

It now requires constant vigilance when waiting for a bus as the sight lines are poor and buses can creep up on the outside of a parked bus and pull off without being seen by passengers.

Again because of congestion, buses very often have to stop in the middle of the road resulting in passengers being forced onto the roadway, between parked buses in order to board.

Although the scheduled road improvements will take a considerable time to be competed, the passenger provision at the Beechen Grove stops is grossly inadequate.

Two small bus shelters, plus two dilapidated benches are all that’s provided for the large number of passengers that now have to use these stops.

If it rains, the situation becomes intolerable with people crammed into the shelters with the prevailing wind blowing rain into the shelter and over them. The floor becomes soaked with nowhere to put heavy shopping bags.

This brings up the often-asked question, why has Watford never had a proper bus station?

The interchange at Watford Junction is an ill-conceived and deeply flawed failure.

I would have thought that any sensible council would have made provision for a bus station long ago.

With the expansion of the intu shopping centre, it surely would have made sense to incorporate a bus station alongside these plans for the High Street?

I wonder how many councillors have ever used these facilities or indeed any of the buses?

I would suggest that an investigation is made as soon as possible regarding passenger dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs.

Christopher George

Pinfold Road, Bushey