Compass Bus has joined the ‘20’s Pointless’ campaign against the imposition of a 20mph limit on most residential streets in its home town of Worthing.
The independent operator runs five routes in the West Sussex coastal town. Managing Director Chris Chatfield said: “I’m all for 20mph limits around schools, but not on every residential road. It will not create a perfect utopia where everybody is safe and there are no accidents.
He told CBW: “We are very much supporting the 20’s Pointless campaign. It will be detrimental to both ourselves and our passengers because it will slow buses down considerably. As a result, our services and existing timetables will have to be reviewed. This will probably result in sections of route being withdrawn or frequencies reduced.
“A 20mph limit would increase our journey times by an average of four minutes, meaning we’d have to introduce 70-minute services, which nobody wants. Most of our routes will be affected. We have seen elsewhere that claims that driving at 20mph reduces emissions are not true and in places like Portsmouth, accident numbers have gone up slightly. We’re looking at places like Brighton & Hove and seeing how 20mph zones have impacted on taxi and bus services. To be honest we don’t want that here.”
Chris has also criticised the potential cost, arguing the money spent on the consultation alone could pay to reinstate Sunday bus services for several years. This is reportedly due to cost a staggering £50,000. Councillors voted in favour of the consultation process last month, but the scheme must gain public support to progress.
In a very public gesture of support, an advert for the campaign has been attached to an ADL E200.
“The bus goes backwards and forwards across the town all day, so people will see it constantly. I hope it will have a big impact,” Chris added.
