BUS drivers have described as ‘absolute madness’ plans to allow single deckers to travel faster on the Mountain Road.
A group of five drivers, who are all Unite union shop representatives and have half a century of experience on the buses behind them, say the proposal to trial a new maximum speed limit of 50mph on certain routes is an ‘exercise in saving money’.
And they question what the tipping point is between saving money and endangering the public.
The five drivers who have submitted their views to the consultation on the revised speed limit are William Chestnut and Carlton Mealin, who are shop stewards at Ramsey depot, Andrew Hurd and Brian Glover, shop stewards at Douglas, and David Harris, shop steward at Port Erin depot.
They write: ‘It is our collective view as professional bus drivers and concerned taxpayers that this is an exercise in saving money for a network and timetable that is struggling in certain areas.
‘The increase to 50mph will ease the pressure on the bus network and timetable – that said, a pragmatic view must be taken as to what is the tipping point between saving money and endangering the public.’
Public safety had to be the over-riding priority, they insist. Quoting highways director Richard Pearson who told iomtoday last week that buses were ‘creating a rolling road block situation’, they point out: ‘Increasing the maximum speed limit for buses would in our view simply make the rolling road block a faster moving hazard, with less thinking, braking and stopping distance.’
Mr Chestnut, a Bus Vannin driver for five years, told iomtoday that there would always be a ‘minority of lunatics’ that would try to overtake a bus at whatever speed it was going.
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The drivers raised particular concern about trialing the new 50mph speed limit with single deckers on the Mountain Road. They state: ‘We consider this absolute madness. If one accepts this will involve predominately the Citaro buses which are designed to have 28 standing, increasing the speed limit on arguably the island’s most dangerous stretch of road is quite frankly insane.’
Six routes have been chosen for the 12 month trial to raise the maximum speed limit for the buses from the present 40mph to 50mph, subject to any general speed restrictions in force.
They are: Ballasalla to Spring Valley Roundabout, Foxdale to Silverdale Glen, Castletown to Ballabeg (from the bypass to Ballabeg), Onchan to Ramsey (via the coast road, excluding Laxey), Greeba to Peel (excluding St John’s and Ballacraine) and Mountain Road (restricted to single deck vehicles only).
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