BUSES CLOSE TO HOME

After living in Delaine Buses’ operating territory for almost 10 years, I was delighted to have the opportunity at last to write an article on the company. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with Anthony Delaine Smith, viewing the Delaine museum and learning about the challenges facing an operator so close to home. You will find my article on page 30.

I have lived in Bourne since 2016 – Deeping St James prior to that – and a curiosity not far from me was a nonsensical piece of bus-only road in the Elsea Park housing estate. It’s effectively half of a mini roundabout, and even the most skilled bus drivers would never get any bus operated by Delaine through it. You’d be hard pressed to drive around it in the shortest Optare Solo.

Anthony explained that the planning authority’s idea had been for a minibus to ferry residents to the bus stop on the main road out of Bourne to the south – the A15 – which runs parallel to the bus-only road and can be reached by walking over the crossing right next to it. Naturally, no discussion was held with Delaine, and the minibus never materialised, leaving a bizarre bus-restricted corner on the estate.

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