A bus company boss has bemoaned the attitude of “inconsiderate” drivers whose parking continually wreaks havoc with timetables.
The comments from Border Bus CEO Andrew Pursey come after a tipper van was photographed parked in Beccles on hatchings designed to prevent disruption to buses.
Border Bus posted on Twitter yesterday (June 5) that the 'selfish' parking had caused delays of more than 10 minutes to its 146 service heading towards Southwold.
The company apologised to passengers left waiting for the bus, before adding that the van driver had used 'threatening and abusive language' towards the bus driver when challenged.
Mr Pursey emphasised that disruption Border Bus' services running through Beccles had long been a problem.
"I met with local councillors about three years ago regarding Beccles, in particular the road right outside the Co-op store," said Mr Pursey. "Our drivers have to take a wide berth and you need all the available room.
"We had an issue where it was ambiguous as to whether people could park there. In the end it was agreed to put some hatchings down to make it clear it was 'no parking' zone.
"For a while it worked and we had very few problems, but it seems now that people think they are only popping into the shop for a couple of minutes and not doing any harm."
Yesterday's disruption is the latest in a long line of incidents which have seen motorists disrupt bus timetables - and even bring towns to a standstill.
In March, Beccles was left gridlocked for a quarter of an hour after a driver parked on the same hatchings outside the Co-op store on the corner of New Market and Market Street.
With many selfish drivers not taking kindly to criticism, Mr Pursey said the best policy was to "name and shame" on social media.
"Our driver was so polite when the driver of the truck appeared and he got a load of abuse for his troubles," added Mr Pursey.
"Not only do these delays keep people waiting at later stops, they also eat into the time our drivers have for breaks.
"If our drivers get any problems they are encouraged to take a photo and then at least it can never be disputed. Maybe if these people see themselves on social media, they will think twice about their parking."
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