Happy to help fulfill Stonehenge dream (From Salisbury Journal)

Happy to help fulfill Stonehenge dream

5:02pm Thursday 2nd February 2012 in Letters

I READ with interest the aspirations to develop Amesbury as the town of Stonehenge.

I am only disappointed that Wilts & Dorset were not approached as we may have accommodated, or even taken part, in some way, shape or form.

Since I first read in the January 19, edition of Salisbury Journal that councillor Larry Evenett was disappointed the Stonehenge Bus Tour did not stop in Amesbury, we immediately set about putting a stop in on the high street.

Our tour drivers are very accommodating people and even though Amesbury is not an official stop, on the occasion people do wish to alight or board there, they have been doing so, which is a demonstration of excellent customer service and tailoring to the needs of the tourists.

The looped route is offering greater value for money, more things to see, no repetition and great views of our celebrated Wiltshire countryside, especially down snaky pass to Old Sarum which would not be achievable by going back via Amesbury.

Tourists now have the option of getting off at Amesbury, looking around and then catching the next service up to Stonehenge.

Our commercial manager is continuing to work closely with Amesbury Town Council to promote the town as a destination, with an excellent example being the effort put into the recent lantern parade.

I would argue with the statement by cllr Roger Fisher that Amesbury has a worse bus service than before.

There is still a bus every 15 minutes between the majority of Amesbury and Salisbury on the X5 and Activ8 routes (not forgetting half-hourly services to Andover and hourly services to Swindon).

For nearly a year now, Amesbury/Durrington/Boscombe Down have benefitted from through buses to Salisbury and Amesbury, with half hourly links to Tesco and Lidl without the need to change.

This has been achieved by three routes (5, 6 and 16) being amalgamated into one (the X5) offering simplicity, continuity and also stability, which are just some of the elements needed to attract more people onto buses.

Last September, we diverted route 4 to offer extra morning capacity around Archers Gate and added more running time to some journeys on the X5 to improve reliability against the ever-increasing traffic congestion causing delays. This is a further demonstration of our commitment to the area, and there is still work to do.

Although the number of passengers boarding buses in Countess Road was very low indeed, the current network of routes connecting Amesbury have continued to attract a steady growth in passenger numbers which is fantastic for reducing congestion and enhancing the green credentials of Amesbury.

ANDREW SHERRINGTON

Operations manager, Wilts & Dorset Salisbury