TRANSPORT and access problems continue to haunt the people of Alton with road closures and changes to the bus timetables sorely testing patience.

Market Street traders are in despair over news that, having endured almost six weeks of poor access due to the closure of the High Street while Thames Water carried out work to repair a damaged surface water sewer, the road will be closed for two more weeks to allow for continuation of that work.

In correspondence with town MP Damian Hinds, Alton Matters (a group of local town centre businesses set up to tackle the problem of attracting new businesses into Alton and improving visitor and customer footfall) has pointed out that while lack of communication has been a big issue, businesses are struggling due to lack of footfall caused by apparently un-coordinated and far-reaching roadworks which are damaging trade.

Particular mention is made of the Market Street traders who have suffered greatly from lack of passing trade.

In a statement, Thames Water said: “Our works in the High Street have now finished and we’re now beginning our last piece of repair work in Market Street, which we expect to take two weeks. We’re sorry for any disruption but this is essential work to protect properties from flooding. We’ve done our best to keep people informed and anyone concerned about loss of business is welcome to speak to us directly.”

In the meantime, residents have been trying to make sense of the new bus timetable, introduced last weekend by Stagecoach Bus South but hampered greatly by the fact that information at the bus stops has not been changed, leaving some folk stranded as they waited in vain for buses that no longer serve those particular stops.

In essence, the new bus timetable has seen the withdrawal of the 23 service, to be replaced by changes to the 13, 38 and 65 services. In a statement, Stagecoach commercial manager Adam Hawksworth explained that while the revised timetable would see a reduction in the frequency of buses serving Alton’s housing estates, it would facilitate extended coverage and support the retention of the 65 Alton/Bentley/Farnham/Guildford service.

The revised 65 route may need to be tweaked. According to Alton Line Users’ Association vice-president Chris Campbell, it has left people living at the Holybourne end of town with no bus connection to either the health centre or the railway station. He is suggesting the new route should take in Nursery Road and the Alton House Hotel, rather than coming straight down Church Street before turning into the High Street.

While, according to Stagecoach, new timetables are now available from the library, the town hall and Sainsbury’s, regular bus traveller Peter Desmond-Thomas says he has not able to obtain a copy on the buses themselves.

Furthermore, like Mr Campbell, he has had occasion to “rescue” passengers standing at the wrong bus stop, pointing out that four days after the changes occurred the ‘C’ stop on Alton High Street was still flagging up the 23 service (withdrawn) but not the 65, which now stops there, nor was there a copy of the revised timetable on display.

It was, said Mr Desmond-Thomas, a situation which had proved equally confusing for the bus drivers.

A response from Stagecoach stated that “the routes through Alton are operated by four different depots” and there seemed to have been a failure to communicate these changes to the operations managers involved – a situation that Stagecoach is seeking to rectify.