23 September (Part 2) - Bourne again
Today could have been better. It started with an early morning appointment at
Queen Elizabeth Hospital so I had to pay for the rail fare, something only
South East London Freedom Pass holders have to do.
After waiting for very nearly an hour I was told I would need to see a
consultant. First available appointment, 2nd March 2016.
It had been suggested by a regular Bonkers contributor that I
revisit Crayford as massive inconvenience is still
being caused by the closure of Bourne Road so I hitched a lift to Crook Log
and took a 96 bus from there to the site of the road works.
Yesterday evening was spent in the company of a bus driver and I happened to say
that I find 99 bus drivers out of 100 to be very considerate to passengers, far
more so than ten to fifteen years ago when too many took delight in driving past stops
while looking the other way. It was almost inevitable that fate had been tempted
and I would soon encounter the odd man out. And I have.
The
bus stop nearest to the Bourne Road chaos was disrupted by temporary traffic lights
(Photo 1) and as the bus approached they turned red and as the bus slowed to a standstill I rang the bell.
The driver ignored me.
I went forward and asked why the door wasn’t being opened when the bus was stopped close to the kerb
at a bus stop. The driver said I had rung the bell a bit late.
This was true, but the bus was obviously stopping and the bell was intended to
draw the driver’s attention to a request to open the door once he had come to a standstill.
The bus was still stopped at the bus stop after I had taken the photographs and returned towards my seat.
So in case you meet this surly individual on your travels, here's a reminder of
what he looks like. Click Photo 2 for a really good look.
The troubles didn’t end there. I took the following four photos of the
continuing rearrangements at the Bourne Road/London Road junction in Crayford.
As I left the scene a Conway man approached me and asked me to delete the photos. I asked why I should and he said I had taken one which included him. To be honest I didn’t know, it was quite difficult enough to find a spot where there was both a good view and little chance of being run down by bad tempered 96 bus drivers before worrying about who might be appearing it.
I
showed him the only image that included anyone but refused his demands. I rather
wish I had deleted it now to keep him happy. The camera has two memory cards and
records everything twice as a back up facility. Actually it would transmit the
image to my mobile phone if I could be bothered to set it up completely, but
that has always seemed like a complication too far.
Back to the road works. I’ve lost count of how many weeks they have been going
on. More than three months according to my correspondent.
Bexley council’s
website is as informative as ever but reveals that the scheme was approved last
April and is due for completion next week.
I cannot see how the end result is going to improve matters. It’s just another jam inducing T junction
as it was before. Another 96 bus ride will have to be put on October’s agenda.