Harborough MP Neil O’Brien has welcomed a change to a local bus route which will make Market Harborough town centre more accessible for residents living in a retirement complex on the outskirts of the town.
The residents of Elizabeth Place contacted Neil about a bus stop which is located outside their building on Rockingham Road. Despite previous assurances that the residents would be connected to the town centre via a regular bus service, the bus stop was only served by a bus once a week. This meant that residents had to walk a long way down Rockingham Road and up Ashly Way to catch a bus into town. However, a recent change to the 33B route, served by Stagecoach, has meant that the bus stop is now served by an hourly service, Monday to Saturday.
Commenting, Neil said:
“This is good news. It was a ridiculous situation that the residents of Elizabeth Place had to walk such a long way to catch a bus into town when there is a perfectly good bus stop right outside their front door. This was made even worse when it was raining, and in the end, many residents just decided to stay at home rather than attempt the journey.
“They had previously been promised that a bus service would serve the complex but were left disappointed when they were told that this would not happen. I contacted the council about this, to ask about rerouting the 33B service to come down Rockingham Road. I am delighted to say that they agreed to this change, which now means the residents of Elisabeth Place have a regular bus service they can hop on without having to hike to a bus stop much further away.
“It’s just a small detour, but it means a great deal to the residents of Elizabeth Place.”
