Update on future of suspended bus stops

Two years on from a serious crash on the A24 which caused bus stops to be suspended from Findon through to Crawley the future of the stops is still in the balance.
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Commuters faced hours of delays on the dual carriageway after a van collided with a bus which had stopped to pick up passengers near Washington in January 2016. A man was airlifted to hospital and nine others were injured.

As a result West Sussex County Council suspended all stops along the A24 and A264 where there were no lay-bys and buses were forced to stop in the inside lane.

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Whilst some residents praised the decision others felt trapped.

This week the council gave an update on whether the stops will be reopened.

A spokesman said: “We have carried out public consultation on this and looked at the feedback received.

“We are currently considering what options might be available to bring the suspended stops back into use. Significant highway works would be required to reinstate them as safely as possible and the cost would be high, particularly bearing in mind the climate of financial constraint, so we have to take the time to reach the right decisions.”

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Firefighters, paramedics and the Air Ambulance attended the crash which blocked the road northbound for several hours on a busy Friday morning.

Calls were made by several residents for pull-ins to be created or for the stops to be removed altogether.

Originally five stops along the A24 were suspended however, a few months later the council shut off several more.

Residents in Dial Post and Ashington said they had been left ‘trapped’ and ‘isolated’ with the closure of the stops.

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A council spokesman added: “Meanwhile, we would urge any resident who is suffering major hardship due to the bus stop suspensions to contact the county council - they can email [email protected] or telephone 01243 642105.”

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