I ENJOYED reading the humorous letter from Mike Rogers in last week's Mercury but I must take issue on one point - not all bus passengers ignore an ACL bus and wait for the next First bus.

I ENJOYED reading the humorous letter from Mike Rogers in last week's Mercury but I must take issue on one point - not all bus passengers ignore an ACL bus and wait for the next First bus.

Recently I was at Birnbeck Pier when an orange bus passed by a third full, followed a few minutes later by a double decker, also en-route to Sand Bay with only two passengers.

I agree it is ridiculous for ACL to run each bus only a few minutes before First but you cannot blame First bus for this situation because they were there first (sorry for the pun).

If this goes on unchecked I fear that First will withdraw their bus from the Sand Bay route as it will be uneconomical and furthermore will they decide to cancel any proposed running of the open decked buses on the Sand Bay route, which after all is a tourist attraction?

Why cannot each company run a bus with half hour intervals?

On the subject of transport I have studied the plans for the proposed new road layout by the Grand Pier and can see no purpose - in fact there will be the same amount of traffic, but less road. In addition we will have even more problems while the work is carried out. Why not take the bull by the horns and make Carlton Street/Walliscote Grove Road one way to the seafront - after all it is hardly suitable for two way now with all the illegal parking outside the Town Hall?

Also make Oxford Street one way away from the seafront to balance the system. Even better, why not create a park and ride at Weston airfield to reduce traffic coming into town, then there would be less jams - it works when T4 is on the beach.

I am sure First Bus would co-operate here, or is the future orange?

GEOFF MALHAM

Clarence Grove Road

Weston