Scruffier Town Centre?
Some months after Northampton's new miniature bus station came into action, we are getting reports of a dustier and dirtier town centre, with more fumes from heavy transport traffic, more road congestion, and a gridlock when anything at all out of the ordinary happens. Shoppers have more difficulty getting to and from the new bus station, streets around the station have semi-permanent railings and sandbags reminiscent of a refugee area, and all in all it is not looking good.
Street cleaners are having to deal with more rubbish; window-cleaners are having to deal with filthier town-centre shop windows; and here on the market we have had an increase in the numbers of rough sleepers, with people sleeping on the stalls, and often using them as an overnight toilet. So although the small new bus station may have meant a slightly busier market, it has also brought problems which should not exist in a civilised community.
I have also heard that some businesses in the Grosvenor Centre have been feeling the pinch since the old bus station closed, and people are no longer channelled into their well-established shopping areas. Certainly from personal observation, Friday in some of the big stores looks like Tuesday or Thursday used to do.
And now NBC are having a 'consultation', at the Guildhall from August 1st to September 5th, asking us to tell them what to do with the site of the old Greyfriars bus station. Well, as the current miniature bus station does not appear to be fit for purpose, I suggest we tell them we would like a new comfortable full-size bus station on the Greyfriars site, and the present little bus station can then be used for long-distance coaches. That should sort out our local public transport problems for many years to come. The links to NBC's consultation are here: http://www.northampton.gov.uk/news/article/1917/the-biggest-opportunity-in-generations-to-transform-our-town-centre and here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/greyfriars
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