22/06/2026
Please see a direct quote from Charles Sanders below clearly explaining the situation we face.
“As my comments have been removed from the Sheringham travel and safety partnership account I will try on this site to put forward my perspective as the bus operator.
In the 1950 s when the shelter was erected Sheringham was connected by rail to the whole country and pretty much all Norfolk towns. The few alighting at Sheringham for onward travel caught buses to Greshams Bodham Baconsthorpe. People thought nothing of cycling a few miles to a station. Following the Beeching axe in the 60,s buses became more of the norm for travel. Fast forward to today and with the help of some grants originally by the Tory party following Covid and the fare cap scheme bus travel across Norfolk has grown significantly. Sheringham has shared in that growth the numbers in and out of Sheringham have over doubled in the last 3 years to over 450,000 boardings and alightings. Sheringham is short of parking people park at west Cliff in Cromer and bus into town I am sure some know other places they can park and do the same. We do not,thank god, have loads of boarded up shops like other places this should be celebrated. We have a vibrant community and we need to keep it that way.
Just like when you get a flat meet a partner get married and have children the flat no longer meets the needs of your family and you have to make a change even if you love your flat and where you live. Station approach is no longer fit for purpose for the number of bus passengers and pedestrians using station approach. Changes need to be made it’s unfortunate but it’s a fact.
No where else in morfolk is there a piece of pavement that has to cope with the main car park the main station the main bus terminal, our fantastic steam railway and the movements to and from the main town toilet facilities.
Our drivers have to approach station approach with extreme caution at anytime someone could step off the pavement. Drivers have to ask waiting passengers to move back to let others slight. All this time pedestrians are trying to get through to the loos or the station some with buggies and some in wheelchairs or motorised scooters. How many more of those are about these days ? If we have a disabled passenger on board they have to exit down the ramp into a crowd of people with the front wall of the shelter in front of them. This is a very anxious moment for them. Quoting that there has been no reported accidents does not mean one isn’t imminent. Surely we should be preempting this and doing all we can to make Ottendorf Green the safest it can be.
Sometimes change although undesirable has to happen to reflect the changing world we live in.
Buses will return to Station Approach as soon as the pavement width in front of the shelter has been resolved and Norfolk County Council reopen the stop you have my word on that”
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