Public transport is important to allow many people in the Vale of Clwyd to access vital services and reduce isolation for some of the most vulnerable in our community.
Earlier this year, Arriva announced that they would no longer serve a number of locations in North Wales, and would reduce the level of service to others. Regrettably, Arriva buses no longer stop at Tweedmill Shopping Outlet and the company has refused to reintroduce services to Dyserth High Street, despite engineering works to make the passage of buses easier. In addition, the bus stop in Llandegla has been removed from the Arriva schedule (although a temporary, part-time solution has been put in place until the end of May 2024). Frustratingly, the frequency of services to Glan Clwyd Hospital has also been reduced.
Naturally, I am concerned that service cuts being implemented by Arriva Buses Wales will leave elderly and vulnerable residents stranded.
Tweedmill Shopping Outlet in St Asaph is a popular shopping and dining venue. A significant number of its customers are elderly and depend on local bus services to get there. It was therefore very sad that Arriva made the decision to no longer serve Tweedwill, via its Services 51, from 14th January.
As I understand it, Arriva is still able to stop in either direction on the A525 but not at the bus stop on the Tweedmill site itself. There are real concerns over the safety of people trying to access the Tweedmill site from these stops. They pose an increased danger to bus users, who have to transverse a road and walk some distance. A number of people who used to arrive by bus either use a wheelchair or walker. As a result, many who enjoyed visiting the outlet will now find it difficult to do so.
I am also concerned that the Number 13 - Llandudno to Prestatyn service, which takes in Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, has been downgraded to an hourly service, from one that ran every 40 minutes. Many people depend on this service to get to appointments and visit relatives in the hospital. The situation is compounded by the fact that the car parking provision at the hospital is woeful, and the Welsh Government's anti-motorist approach means that this is not being addressed.
Arriva have detailed that these cuts are necessary because buses are taking longer to operate across the area as a result of the unpopular default 20mph speed limit, which was introduced by the Labour Welsh Government in September last year.
The 20mph speed limit is also hampering any chance of improvements to the Arriva bus service in Dyserth. In October last year, I wrote to Arriva to ask whether it would consider reinstating the High Street link, now that congestion reduction works have been carried out. However, in their response, the reasons they cited for not doing so included "delays incurred by the 20mph speed limit" and the assumed non-profitable nature of any High Street diversion.
Arriva have been open in sharing concerns with Transport for Wales and the Welsh Labour Government on this matter. Indeed, I myself have campaigned on the issue. You can read more here: https://www.jamesdavies.org.uk/campaigns/labour-welsh-governments-unworkable-20mph-speed-limit
I have raised my concerns about local bus service cuts with the Secretary of State for Wales in the House of Commons: Oral Questions: Wales Office - 31/01/24 (youtube.com)
I have written to Arriva to raise my concerns over local bus services, and you can find this letter at the bottom of this page. I have also received a response from Arriva which is included below and I am continuing to make enquiries into this matter.
Additionally, I have met the Traffic Commissioner for Wales and Denbighshire County Council to further discuss these service cuts. I will continue to make representations on this matter.
If you have any additional concerns over bus service cuts then please do get in touch with me at james.davies.mp@parliament.uk.
