Bus bedlam in Paisley

PAISLEY town centre is still in the grip of bus chaos two years after the authorities vowed to sort it out.

Bus passengers and drivers say not enough is being done to free up streets in and around the town centre which are clogged with dozens of buses - even outwith rush hours.

The chaos which unites the travelling public and it came to light when the Evening Times took to local streets to find out just how the situation had improved.

Some residents want to see a new bus terminal while others pointed the finger of blame at a pedestrianisation scheme which restricts traffic movements.

The Evening Times went back to Paisley two years after bus inspectors were brought in to bring to an end the town's so-called bus wars when rivals gridlocked streets and blocked bus bays in a deliberate attempt to pinch passengers by preventing other operators from picking up.

The authorities have cracked down hard but the paying public reckons more can be done.

The main problems are in Gauze Street, St Mirren Brae and New Street as the buses which include single and double deckers, bendy buses and small independent operator buses vie for space at the bus stops - often blocked the road for other users.

The existing bus terminus under the Piaza Shopping Centre was last week named one of the worst polluted places in Scotland and continues to be a bug bear to the travelling public.

Betty Johnston, a 51-year-old clerical assistant from Gallowhill, said: "I have always said for years that Paisley should have had a bus terminal to ease congestion.

"It's getting really bad because there's more than one bus stopping at one time. You can also wait five or 10 minutes to get out of the one-way system so I think they need to manage the number of buses on the road."

The number of buses in the centre of Paisley drives Paul Hughes to distraction. The 35-year-old unemployed commuter from Kilbirnie, North Ayrshire, declared: "There's far too many buses in the town centre. If they reopened the High Street there wouldn't be as many."

Pensioner Colin Cumming, 77, from Glenburn also worries about the health implications. He said: "There are too many buses and the fumes produced are terrible. I can't see any change coming soon but it's too bad at the moment."

Council worker Claire Reilly, 27, reckons the number of buses on local streets wouldn't be so bad if the number of operators was cut. "There's so many different companies," she said.

Benefits office worker Lilias Houston, 53, is another who reckons there are far too many buses in the town.

"The traffic congestion depends on the route I take but it seems really bad on some roads like Neilston Road. If they standardised the bus routes it might help ease some of the problem," she said.

Teenager David Hannah was another who complained about bus numbers and reckons one solution would be to cut back on the frequency of journeys so that there are longer gaps between pick-ups.

The 19-year-old, from Glenburn, who is unemployed, said: "It would probably be better if there were less of the wee buses on the roads."

But the authorities which successfully tackled the town's "bus wars" dismiss the criticism. WHAT YOU THINK... Betty Johnston: "Number of buses needs to be managed" Paul Hughes: "Too many buses in the town centre" Claire Reilly: "There's so many different companies" Colin Cumming: "I can't see any change coming soon" Lilias Houston: "They should standardise routes" David Hannah: "Fewer wee buses would be better"

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport which introduced bus inspectors to police operators two years ago before extending the scheme is not aware of any problems.

A SPT official insisted: "Our wardens work across Strathclyde to drive up the quality of bus provision and have been praised by Scotland's Traffic Commissioner for the work they are doing.

"You only have to look at the figures from Paisley to see how much of an improvement there has been."

Renfrewshire Council also hotly refutes the public complaints.

Environment and infrastructure convener councillor Marie McGurk said: "We believe there has been significant improvements in the scheduling and routing of buses through the town centre in the past year or so.

"These improvements include opening up St Mirren Street and Gauze Street to cars - these previously had lanes restricted to bus and taxi access only.

"The introduction of bus wardens in Paisley has delivered big improvements for passengers and I believe it has been good for the bus companies as well.

"We've seen increased reliability of service and better information on routes and timetables. Traffic flow has improved and congestion has eased."

She added: "In recent times a number of factors have jointly impacted on traffic patterns in Paisley town centre.

"These involve short or medium term issues such as the temporary closure of Cotton Street at Bridge Street, diversions linked to the M8 works, and the introduction of traffic lights at Old Sneddon Street and Niddrie Street.

"Once these changes have ended or had more of a settling in period, we are confident we will see more fully the results of the good work that has been done to boost travel in and around Paisley town centre." City firms face tough rules on emissions

By Graeme Murray BUS firms in Glasgow are facing tough new rules as council chiefs attempt to improve passenger services and cut pollution.

The move revealed last month follows an Evening Times campaign which called on transport chiefs to Get Glasgow Moving and cut down on harmful emissions.

From April next year all firms operating on eight main routes across the city must ensure 90% of journeys are on low-floor buses which meet low emission levels.

And a year later, every bus travelling on Streamline routes must have low-floor vehicles which meet even tougher emission rules.

Companies which do not meet the new standards will be banned from picking up passengers in the controlled areas.

Those who ignore the new standards will be reported to the traffic commissioner and banned from operating on that route.

Council roads bosses admit some of the city's 42 bus firms could face going out of business.

But they insist bus companies who cannot provide low pollution vehicles are no-longer wanted on the city's choking streets.

In March this year traffic commissioner Joan Aitken claimed buses were the solution, not the cause of gridlock Glasgow.

She denied claims the city centre suffered from a glut of buses and instead warned "unpopular decisions" might have to be taken to cut car use.

Ms Aitken, who has the power to suspend or ban rogue operators, also pledged to crack down on bus firms which flout the rules, and she claimed it would be "madness" to take buses out of the city centre as they linked up with rail services.

The transport commissioner also insisted there was a strong argument for "public transport only streets" in the city.