Re John Harris’s article (Where have all the buses gone? Their neglect is an English national failure, 6 August), not only do we need to know where all the buses have gone, we need to know why so many bus stations have disappeared. The closure of the bus station and its proposed demolition in Lewes, the largest town in the South Downs national park, is a case in point. The bus station has served the towns and villages in East and West Sussex admirably since the 1950s.
The building has been allowed to deteriorate. It had an excellent cafe where you could buy a decent coffee and cake. It provided an interchange for buses and an invaluable rest area for the drivers, not forgetting the surrounding green planting done by local volunteers. It was very well used.
And what is planned for the site? A block of 35 homes, three houses and 32 flats, totally out of keeping with the historic surroundings and with no affordable housing.
Where will the buses go? Proposed is an on-street set of bus stops straddling either side of a busy A road, with limited shelter and seating, no refreshment facilities for drivers or passengers and an increased exposure to pollution. It would involve the removal of numerous mature trees.
If a national park adopts this complacent and inconsistent attitude towards public transport and our environment, what hope is there for anyone else? Shame on the South Downs national park and the county council for even considering this.
Sylvia Argyle
Lewes, East Sussex
• John Harris’s article certainly struck a chord here. We have recently lost the only bus that connected us with both Luton and Welwyn Garden City. The route was well used by college students, non-drivers wanting to get to the two hospitals and those of us oldies who just fancied a leisurely morning’s shopping at the only John Lewis for miles.
I wrote to our MP, pointing out the ramifications of the demise of this vital service both on our lives and on the many retail outlets who would suffer a loss in footfall as a result. I was told that there weren’t enough drivers any more. Many of the drivers came from Poland. I wonder where, and why, they have all gone?
Carol Hedges
Harpenden, Hertfordshire
• Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
