Further Stagecoach Changes

As of 22^nd September this year, the 6X Stagecoach bus will no longer stop at Canterbury West station.

The bus connecting Canterbury with Whitstable and Herne Bay formerly had three stops between St. Dunstan’s Church and the Bus Station, all of which will no longer be accessible by the 6X bus. Due to a new route, the bus will instead loop around along London Road, and steer clear completely of the train station and Westgate.

In light of a traffic trial conducted throughout last year, it was originally proposed for busses and cars to resume their former route from St. Dunstan’s through Westgate in early April. However, in the form of a more permanent solution to the congestion problem at the gate, as well as to curb damage to the historic monument, the busses are again diverted to an alternate route.

While the new course set for the bus will still end at the Bus Station, it raises an issue especially for students living on campus. Formerly, students needing a direct and affordable ride from the university to the train station extensively used the bus connection; as of 22^nd September, this journey will end at St. Dunstan’s. The rest of the way, no matter the weather or season, will have to be traversed on foot.

The upcoming change has been met with protest from the student body vying for a return of the Westgate bus station, but after the test which ran throughout 2012, the new route seems to be the permanent solution the City Council has been searching for. However, while the 6X bus no longer continues down St. Dunstan’s Road after the church, the number 26 bus will continue to take this route, passing by the stop of the train station every half hour.