Hamilton bus stop causes parking chaos as pupils return to school

Aug 20 2009 by Shirley Bartynek, Hamilton Advertiser

ROAD workers were this week forced to re-line what appeared be Hamilton’s longest bus stop after it was wrongly marked.

The newly-marked bus stop in Kemp Street, which ran from near the junction with Dixon Street to the junction at South Park Road, brought chaos to the area on Monday morning.

Parents attempting to drop off their children at St John’s Primary School were forced to park “miles away” because of new parking restrictions and the new bus stop.

One angry parent said: “There have always been problems surrounding the St John’s parking and drop-off areas.

“However, when I went to drop my daughter off at school on Monday for the start of term it was a nightmare.

“When I arrived at Kemp Street, there was nowhere to park as a new bus stop has been introduced on that road.

“It has to be the longest bus stop in Hamilton. It had taken away many car parking spaces and parking is restricted.

“That means when parents are taking their children to St John’s or Hamilton Grammar schools they are having to park a fair distance away.”

Another parent complained that there was already limited parking facilities and this latest move had only added to the problem.

He said: “There are already parking restrictions in place on Dixon Street and Kemp Street, with signs indicating no stopping from 8am until 6pm. I was at the school with plenty of time to spare but it took me a further 15 minutes to find a space.

“There was no way I could leave my daughter to walk across four roads by herself in the pouring rain.”

South Lanarkshire Council this week admitted that that the bus stop had been wrongly marked.

A spokesman for the authority said: “A length of road in Kemp Street had been identified as being a suitable location for a bus stop and pick-up/drop-off point for St John’s Primary School.

“Unfortunately, the contractor marked out the area incorrectly and the bus stop took up the whole area. The contractor was made aware of the mistake and the situation has been rectified.”