Plans outlined for improvements to Spalding town bus service
Residents could be getting a new half hourly town bus service if plans get the green light.
Passengers have welcomed the news that Lincolnshire County Council is looking to extend the Spalding town service by offering a bus every 30 minutes.
The current service runs at 45 minute intervals — but the council has outlined plans to invest in this route to bring it in line with other parts of the county.
Regular passenger David Jones, a member of Spalding Town Forum, has been calling for more people to use the services and has welcomed the potential changes.
He said: “A 30-minute service, if offered, would be more user-friendly than the 45-minute service that we currently have. However, I would be reluctant to campaign for it until more people decide to use the bus service as offered now - not enough people seem to value the opportunity to go into town without having to worry about finding a parking space; I wish more people would see the parked cars - especially the traders' vans on market days - as a form of clutter that disfigures the town centre. Using the buses reduces that.
“However, if more money is being offered by LCC, I think, as a member of the public has mentioned to me, that it should be spent on restoring the anti-clockwise IT2 service; if it is a straightforward journey, say, from Clay Lake to the Sheep Market, it is a much less congenial trip to get back home.
“Anything to encourage more people to use the local buses will be welcome. For example, easy to board, helpful drivers who will always wait till a passenger has reached his/her seat before moving off, 'hail and ride' service - which could be much better advertised; I have twice recently caught the IT2 outside the Friends' Meeting House in Westlode Street where there is no official stop - and it works!”
The county council received £11.87million from this Government to deliver bus service improvements with more money expected to be announced later this summer to fund improvements over the following three years.
A council report on the spending plans stated: “As previous funding package was profiled over a two-year period to ensure service stability could be achieved, scope exists through this year’s funding to further enhance and develop those other bus routes we didn’t have the funds to develop previously whilst maintaining the services we have already enhanced through until March 2027.
“The town services in Louth and Spalding currently sit at a frequency of 45 minutes, with the revenue funding available to LCC, it will be possible to bring these areas in line with others in the county and enhance them through to a 30-minute frequency.”
The council is also looking to offer a Saturday service for the Lincoln to Sleaford route and estimate that the cost of this improvement along with the Louth and Spalding plans will cost a total of £1.1-£1.4million.
The document also outlines that 14 of the larger CallConnect buses — used to provide the on-demand responsive service — will need replacing and this is estimated to cost approximately £1.2- £1.4million.
It could also be spending a further £1.53million on replacing 150 bus shelters.
The final decisions on the plans will be made by Coun Richard Davies, executive councillor for highways.
