Don't waste money on little bus lanes, fix the potholes!

Over recent weeks we have seen numerous stories of funding cuts to various groups some of whom provide essential life sustaining services.

At the same time, through this paper and TV we have seen ESCC officials crying into their beer, well maybe coffee, over the level of funding cuts they have to cope with. Given this level of cuts they seem to have bizarrely decided to start work on the Bexhill Road bus-lane scheme.

The question of whether or not two or three short lengths of bus lane will provide any benefit whatsoever has previously been debated on the letters pages, my comments included.

From memory I believe a cost quoted at one point was £500,000. To decide to abandon this particular activity would provide a significant contribution towards the ESCC difficult savings target.

One of the main tactics adopted to achieve the cuts has been to decide not to carry out a series of essential activities, such as pothole filling and other road repairs, keeping grass cut, in some cases to restore visibility on road junctions, etc. To persist with the bus lane seems all the more peculiar.

After all, either with or without the bus lane the bus services will continue to run more or less on time.

As they seem determined to spend this money, perhaps it could be diverted to something that will produce a more worthwhile effect.

About four years ago I went on a Bike Safe course run by the police and fire service. It is intended to help reduce the risk of motorcycle collisions.

One of the driving factors for the course is that the estimated cost of dealing with a motorcycle fatality is around the £2 million mark covering the costs of emergency services as well as many other agencies that would need to be involved.

Presumably pedal cyclist fatalities are slightly cheaper as the vehicle driver is less likely to be injured.

I would urge ESCC to abandon the Bexhill Road bus lane until more prosperous times and divert the money towards making repairs to some of the artery roads in the town, such as the top end of Filsham Road.

They should keep in mind the potential cost in the event that a cyclist or motorcyclist is bounced into the path of other vehicles by one of the many potholes and split in the roads all over town.