Surgery move favours car use (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Surgery move favours car use

2:20pm Friday 6th November 2009 in

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SIR — In your report (Hampshire Chronicle, October 29) it is stated that Friarsgate Practice says getting to the new surgery “could not be easier, as the building is situated on many existing bus routes”. That claim is outrageous.

On a weekday, Dean Lane corner is served by roundly 80 buses inbound to Winchester from places north and west of Winchester. Two-thirds of those 80 come only from Harestock, less than a mile away.

But the bus station and The Broadway, very close to the old location of the Friarsgate Surgery, receives over 500 buses a day from suburbs, villages and towns all around Winchester.

The surgery’s move from downtown to Weeke favours the use of private motor cars by patients and staff.

For the great majority of Winchester people it makes access by bus far less easy than before.

By pushing daily activity out to the suburbs it undermines the vitality of the city centre, as well as adding to the number of car journeys.

Those are steps in completely the wrong direction.

John Edwards, Bereweeke Close, Weeke.