The Council supports improvements to public transport to provide a better service for local residents. This includes roadside facilities such as conveniently placed bus stops that are of benefit to all bus users.
For information on suspending bus stops due to road works, please visit our application for temporary bus stop suspension web page.
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- Why has a bus stop been located outside my property?
- How do you consider traffic issues?
- What gives you the right to put a bus stop here?
- Why was I not invited to the site meeting or asked for my views?
- Why do you need a stop at all? Why not just carry on with hail and ride as before there's never been a problem?
- Passengers will drop litter and I do not want rubbish on my land.
- People waiting at the bus stop may graffiti/damage my property.
- Vegetation or foliage from my property is obscuring a bus stop, what should I do?
- Why has a bus stop been taken out of use or moved?
- Who should I contact if I have a query about bus stops or bus shelters?
Why has a bus stop been put outside my house?
Sites for bus stops are chosen after taking into account a number of factors, including road safety, convenience and safety for bus passengers.
How do you consider traffic issues?
Road safety assessments are complex and visual. It is therefore difficult to adequately reflect all the factors taken into account. However, the traffic safety issues considered include: volume and type of traffic at all times of the day; speed limit; road width; closeness to traffic signals and road junctions; nature of property frontages; parking; stopping distances and sight lines.
The county council's traffic management officers are locally based and the bus operator is familiar with road conditions at all times of the day. Comments are also received from local councillors and Surrey Police. The location is therefore considered on road conditions throughout the day in the proposed bus stop site area not just at the time of the visit.
What gives you the right to put a bus stop here?
As all the work is intended to be carried out within the existing public highway and does not require access onto any adjoining private land, Surrey County Council as the highway authority has full legal powers to install bus stops. This can be done without giving prior notification or obtaining any consent. However, the council's policy is that it is good practice to notify residents immediately adjacent to a proposed bus stop that work is planned and to give an approximate date for commencement.
Why was I not invited to the site meeting or asked for my views?
When siting bus stops it is not practical to involve residents before a decision is made as it involves walking along sections of roads discussing possible locations. To assist on the site meetings, local councillors are invited to represent views of local residents and provide local knowledge of the area.
After a bus stop site has been agreed, residents directly affected are notified before installation takes place. This allows the opportunity for comment to be made before the bus stop is in place. We do not write to every nearby household.
Why do you need a stop at all? Why not just carry on with hail and ride?
Under a 'hail and ride' type service there is no identified place for passengers to wait which could be confusing to newer passengers and may be more difficult for some disabled people. There is also the possibility that people waiting may be missed if they don't signal clearly and they may not be waiting in a safe place.
When service use increases on a hail and ride route the bus may have to stop several times in a short distance to pick up and set down. This has a detrimental affect on bus punctuality and reliability. For these reasons bus stops are preferred on many services.
Passengers will drop litter and I do not want rubbish on my land.
The council can request that the local borough council attach a bin to the bus stop if this is identified as an issue. Alternatively residents may monitor the situation and if there proves to be a litter problem, request a litter bin.
People waiting at the bus stop may graffiti/damage my property. Are you going to pay for the repairs?
It is most often the case that anticipated problems associated with bus stops do not materialise. However, if problems of anti-social behaviour do arise they should be treated as any other incident or damage to property as a criminal matter and reported to the police.
Vegetation or foliage from my property is obscuring a bus stop, what should I do?
We ask that you keep the flag of the bus stop pole clear of vegetation. The bus stop flag is not only an official road sign but it also indicates the presence of the stop to bus drivers and intending passengers. We also ask that the timetable case is kept clear as this contains important information for bus users. The Local Bus Team requires access to these frames to ensure that all publicity is kept up-to-date and to carry out routine maintenance and repairs.
Why has a bus stop been taken out of use or moved?
On some occasions, bus stops may need to be temporarily closed, or buses diverted, when road works or building development works occur. When we are notified of road or building works that are or will be taking place, we use best endeavours to place information at a bus stop to indicate that it is closed or a diversion will be in force. Where possible, we try to locate a temporary alternative stopping point, as close to the stop that is out of use, as health and safety implications for road users, pedestrians and bus passengers allow. The nature of the traffic management measures being used at the site (such as cones, fences, or traffic signals) will also be taken into account.
Due to the often short notice that bus stop suspensions are needed, it is not generally possible to select an alternative location by convening a site meeting or following the process as would occur for a permanent bus stop location. Pragmatic decisions made by experienced bus stop inspectors on locating temporary stops, take into consideration health and safety issues and which endeavour to minimise the potential inconvenience to bus passengers. Further advice can be offered by the council's road safety specialists if required.
Who should I contact if I have a query about bus stops or bus shelters?
- Bus shelters - Contact your local district or borough council.
- Bus stops - Contact Surrey County Council.