By Geoff Fisher The latest town council meeting was held in the Town Hall on 12 April when discussion of several local topics was overshadowed by a longstanding issue that may well have wider consequences for the town and for many of its residents.
As readers of Reepham Life, you will be aware of complaints about buses parking near the junction of Norwich Road and Bircham Road.
Apparently, the situation has worsened to the extent that bus drivers are claiming that they are subjected to personal abuse and harassment.
Although complainants had been invited to the meeting to discuss their problems, regrettably without response, councillors considered the matter in some depth.
Unfortunately, there appear to be very few locations with access suitable for buses where they can be parked and it was generally agreed that the area near the junction of Bircham Road and Norwich Road offered the only reasonable location, not being in front of, or obstructing access to, residential properties.
However, it was agreed that the council would seek alternative sites with adequate access and would also look into the possibility of introducing some form of traffic control measure with dedicated bus parking areas.
It was also recognised that, unless the parking problem for buses could be resolved, there is a possibility that the existing services could be either curtailed or withdrawn because of the lack of suitable parking.
This would have a dramatic impact on residents who rely on public transport, particularly those without access to any other form of transport.
It was therefore agreed that the council would support the bus service by seeking alternative parking arrangements but that, in the meantime, there does not appear to be a suitable alternative other than in Bircham Road.
The council would therefore respectfully ask local residents to support the service by accepting that buses may be parked in Bircham Road until such time as an alternative location can be found.
Geoff Fisher