St Margaret’s Bus Station in Leicester isn’t as I remember it…
Ever thought of going into advertising?
30 November 2021
ABOVE: St Margaret’s Bus Station, September 2021
A Monday morning in late September and I’ve just stepped out of Leicester station. It’s noticeably colder than it was in London. I want to catch the Trent Barton ‘Skylink Derby’ service (Trent Barton doesn’t do ‘normal’ service numbers) to Derby, as part of a trip by bus on to Sheffield.
It’s 9.40am and St Margaret’s Bus Station is about 3/4 of a mile away. The next bus is at 10am. Can I make it?
Turns out that the answer is no. I’ve only been to Leicester a couple of times and do not know my way around. After a few wrong turns and a much-lengthier stroll through the City than planned, it’s 10.20 when I reach Vaughan Way, on the northern side of the Ring Road and close to the bus station.
Still, I’m now almost in sight of St Margaret’s Bus Station and it’s 20 minutes to the next service. What else could possibly go wrong?
Well, it turns out that St Margaret’s Bus Station is not quite as I remember it. In fact it’s not quite as anyone will have remembered it, as it’s been demolished… It’s a building site, and my 10.40 bus will definitely not be departing from there. So where will it be?
Time to check some “Where to board your bus” information. There are some temporary stops in Gravel Street, next to the building site, but nothing obviously indicating the Skylink service. (Remember the word “obvious” – I will come back to that in a moment.)
I wander around and end up in nearby Abbey Street, where there is a bus shelter with a “Where to board…” poster. This tells me to go to Stop SG in St Margaret’s Bus Station.
Stop SG is currently just underneath the fourth Box Crib on the left, where it’s been for the last six months. My passage there is in any case blocked by a large concrete slab, guarded by two men in hi-viz jackets wearing hard hats. It’s 10.32, and I doubt that my bus will actually be departing from there.
I decide to look at the one website which really should have the definitive information, as it belongs to the Skylink operator, Trent Barton. Unbelievably, this too tells me to go to stop SG in St Margaret’s.
Finally, I look at Traveline – normally my first port of call (not sure why it wasn’t this time as it rarely lets me down). This confirms that I need to go to stop BP in Gravel Street.
Remember me talking about there being no ‘obvious’ stop in Gravel Street for the Skylink service? Well the flag for stop BP is actually affixed to a building. Look closely and it does mention Skylink. I finally find the stop at 10.40, just as the bus is due, and a moment later, it comes around the corner. Seemingly against all the odds, I’m off on my travels again!
There’s a wonderful line in 'The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy', by Douglas Adams, where Arthur Dent, the hero of the story, tells of his quest to find information in the local planning office. The plans he is looking for have been “on display, in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet, stuck in a disused lavatory, with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard'”. He then asks the Council officer if he has “ever thought of going into advertising?”
ABOVE: Flag for bus stop BP, Gravel Street
I’m reminded of that joke because I find it quite staggering that whoever is responsible for publicity in the City Centre bus stops (and there are Arriva logos all over – just saying) can allow publicity to be displayed across the City Centre that is six months out-of-date, especially in the light of such a a major change.
As well as discouraging potential new passengers, like me, this is will also have impacted existing passengers. How can there not be current information everywhere – such as on the hoardings outside the building site?
And it’s unforgivable for an operator’s website to be showing an incorrect departure point, so long after the change, especially as no other pick-up points in Leicester are shown. The wonderful thing about internet information is that it can be updated quickly and easily, from an office or a home computer, almost at the touch of a button. Has no-one thought to amend this? Does no-one ever check the pages?
But after all that, it was a lovely ride up to Derby!