¿Chris Harris and Michelle Smith outside their home in Beddau, where a newly-installed bus stop has been placed directly at the end of their driveway. Chris says the move by RCT Council has cost him parking space and will leave schoolchildren waiting on his drive each morning.¿[/caption]
A COUPLE have been left fuming after their drive was blocked by a new bus stop leaving them unable to access their house.
The pair were stunned to find a bus stop installed without any notice outside their home in Beddau, South Wales, last week.
A couple have been left fuming after their drive was blocked by a new bus stop[/caption]
Christopher Harris made the stunning discovery when he returned home from work last week[/caption]
Christopher Harris and Michelle Smith knew of plans for a new bus stop on their road but didn’t expect to find it at the end of their driveway, they told WalesOnline.
Harris made the stunning discovery when he arrived home from work last Thursday, leaving him in “disbelief”.
It’s proved a nightmare for the couple since with multiple buses stopping and blocking him them in.
The vehicles will be parked up outside for lengths of time too if they’re running ahead of schedule, leaving them seething.
With kids soon set to get back to school after the summer holidays, the problem is set to get worse too.
Not only will the couple have to deal with being blocked in by buses – they’ll have crowds of kids waiting outside every morning too.
And to add insult to injury, they’ve lost their parking spaces outside the property too.
‘No consultation’
Harris fumed that no-one had consulted them beforehand meaning when he returned home that day, the new addition was a complete surprise.
“They’ve put the post in my hedge and the bus stop is literally right at the end of my drive,” he said.
“Not only have we lost parking spaces outside the house without notice, we’re often being blocked into our own drive.”
The Sun has reached out to Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council for comment.
Harris also pointed out that the buses stop on a dropped kerb – something he was sure “isn’t legal”.
‘It can’t go on like this’
Harris revealed he’s due to meet with his local councillor and speak with the traffic officer, branding the situation “ridiculous”.
Even the local bus drivers have expressed their sympathy with one even calling a company after blocking a driveway.
But Harris’ patience is wearing thin, saying “it can’t go on like this.”
“I have threatened that if buses continue to block my drive then I will block the bus stop – I’ll have no choice,” he fumed.
It’s not the only instance where residents have had their driveway blocked either.
The Sun reported last month how a landowner had erected a huge barrier which blocked residents’ driveways.
The landowner says the barrier will “stop illegal activity” but residents are claiming that it is causing major disruption to their lives.
They’ve been using a small road in Talke, Stoke-On-Trent, for years in order to access their houses.