Campaigners win park and ride fight in north Norwich

Campaigners have won their fight to stop park and ride buses using a narrow north Norwich street where they said a bus drove into a wall last month.

Concerns were raised about the use of Silver Road as a route for park and ride buses at recent meetings of the Mousehold Tenants' and Residents' Association.

People in Silver Road are opposed to this route because of the potential dangers posed to pedestrians and people living nearby.

The road has parked cars on both sides and is consequently fairly narrow for normal traffic, let alone buses, residents claim. They said that a bus drove into a resident's wall on Silver Road a few weeks ago.

Residents asked council officers to look at the issue and to reconsider the appropriateness of this particular route.

And in response to residents' concerns, the Sprowston park and ride service has since been rerouted from Silver Road back to its original route via Anglia Square.

City and county councillors today welcomed the move and Green Party county councillor, Philip Hardy said: 'Many local residents on Silver Road and Mousehold Street alerted me to the dangers of park and ride buses using Silver Road. I'm pleased officers at Norfolk County Council took their concerns seriously when I asked them to change the route.

'If local residents see any park and ride buses using the Silver Road route in future, they should contact me and I will pursue it with the officers.'

Julie Brociek-Coulton, Sewell ward city councillor, added: 'The residents have had their opinions heard and that is what really counts.

'The residents will feel so much safer now, especially near to the schools in the Sewell area.'

A Norfolk County Council spokesman said: 'Maintaining a fast and reliable service is essential for park and ride to remain an attractive option for people who could choose to add to congestion and rat-running by taking their cars into the city.

'Using Silver Road on the Sprowston park and ride route was initially thought the best option which would deliver better reliability when the number of buses was reduced. Once the revised service was in place, we compared the new running times with the previous route via Anglia Square and found there was little difference.

'In light of this, and public feeling, we decided we would revert to the Anglia Square route. Silver Road will now only be used in the event of abnormal circumstances such as roadworks on the main route.'

Are you campaigning to get buses rerouted from or to your street? Call Evening News reporter David Bale on 01603 772427 or email david.bale2@archant.co.uk.