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‘Let’s get some pride in town!’ say Poole Men
6:21am Friday 9th May 2008
Comments (11)A POOLE conservation group has added its voice to the growing wave of despair at the "filthy" and "grimy" state of Poole's bus station.
With the start of the tourist season imminent, the Society of Poole Men has approached the Borough of Poole over the unwelcoming condition of the town's transport gateway.
The group backed the Daily Echo's lead story on Saturday and is urging an overdue makeover of the Kingland Road terminal.
Ian Andrews, president of the society, said the station was in dire need of a clean-up and visitors' current first impressions would be of a "two-bit town".
He said: "We take a pride in Poole and there is no pride in anyone who travels by bus having to face up to a grimy bus station.
"I know a lot of other towns whose stations are much better as those towns take pride in the first impression they give visitors."
Arriving in the gloom of the bus station immediately puts visitors in a "downbeat mood", added Mr Andrews.
A letter from the society highlighted grubby paths, walls and pillars, broken rubbish bins and neglected facilities, such as the public payphones.
Three bodies hold a stake in the station - the council, Wilts and Dorset and private company Grosvenor, which owns the Dolphin Centre.
Steve Tite, principal manager for transport services at the council, admitted the shared responsibility for the station sometimes left a grey area in respect of cleaning duties.
He said: "Historically, it is up to whoever owns the land and that is where the problem lies.
"We are looking to get together with Wilts and Dorset and rationalise things."
Mr Tite said a steam clean of the station was due to take place, with rubbish bins also being replaced.
A £240,000 improvement scheme - including repainting, new lights, seats and bins, and better signage - is due to begin later this year, once the tourist season ends.
Plans to completely re-build the station form part of the council's Town Centre North Action Plan, but this would not happen until 2012 at the earliest.
Your Say YourBournemouth Echo
John, Poole says...
8:46am Fri 9 May 08
A £240,000 improvement scheme - including repainting, new lights, seats and bins, and better signage - is due to begin later this year, once the tourist season ends.
What brilliant timing!
Poole Council should
hold down its head in shame.It no longer has the time to take its time over this disgraceful welcome to visitors.
In the meantime, it will be better for us all to travel hopefully, than to arrive at Poole Bus Station!!
Alan Gilbert, Bearwood says...
9:56am Fri 9 May 08
Yes the Poole bus station could do with a lick of paint but it will look grimy again within a very short time, buses run on diesel, diesel engines produce particulates which will make the building grimy very quickly.
As far as rubbish and bins etc. well I go through Poole Bus Station on a regular basis, courtesy of my bus pass, and every time I'm waiting, there are people going round picking up detritus, bagging it and emptying the rubbish bins.
Let's not lose sight of the fact that this detritus doesn't appear by magic, it is left by people, predominantly smokers stubbing out cigarette ends.
bassmankang, poole says...
11:03am Fri 9 May 08
Alan Gilbert wrote:Yes, I agree with his point regarding dirty diesel engines, however, he seems to have used the discussion to have a go at smokers....what about the gum chewers, lollypop lickers, sweetie eaters, blatent litter louts etc etc........maybe if appropriate ashtrays were provided then cigarette butts would be a significanly lesser problem!
I wonder what planet some people have beamed down from. Yes the Poole bus station could do with a lick of paint but it will look grimy again within a very short time, buses run on diesel, diesel engines produce particulates which will make the building grimy very quickly. As far as rubbish and bins etc. well I go through Poole Bus Station on a regular basis, courtesy of my bus pass, and every time I'm waiting, there are people going round picking up detritus, bagging it and emptying the rubbish bins. Let's not lose sight of the fact that this detritus doesn't appear by magic, it is left by people, predominantly smokers stubbing out cigarette ends.
Badger, Poole says...
11:21am Fri 9 May 08
bassmankang wrote:I take it that you are a smoker Bassmankang ? Are you feeling picked on by non smokers and the establishment? You really shouldn't take these comments personally...Alan's comments were not meant as an attack on smokers but merely a statment of fact.
Alan Gilbert wrote: I wonder what planet some people have beamed down from. Yes the Poole bus station could do with a lick of paint but it will look grimy again within a very short time, buses run on diesel, diesel engines produce particulates which will make the building grimy very quickly. As far as rubbish and bins etc. well I go through Poole Bus Station on a regular basis, courtesy of my bus pass, and every time I'm waiting, there are people going round picking up detritus, bagging it and emptying the rubbish bins. Let's not lose sight of the fact that this detritus doesn't appear by magic, it is left by people, predominantly smokers stubbing out cigarette ends.Yes, I agree with his point regarding dirty diesel engines, however, he seems to have used the discussion to have a go at smokers....what about the gum chewers, lollypop lickers, sweetie eaters, blatent litter louts etc etc........maybe if appropriate ashtrays were provided then cigarette butts would be a significanly lesser problem!
Regardless of how many 'appropriate' ash trays and bins there are smokers will always throw their rubbish on the floor and think nothing of it! How about all smokers stubb out their cigarettes and take the butts home with them? Then we would'nt have to supply 'appropriate' bins etc...
Stop assuming that everyone is having a 'go' at you and admit to the facts...Smokers are litter louts!
katpuss22, Poole says...
1:58pm Fri 9 May 08
We've been chucked out of pubs, restaurants etc etc yet we are still not safe from attack.
Stop tying all smokers with the same brush and judging us before you know the facts!
Why is nothing ever said about the countless amounts of beer cans that I see all around the bus station. These people obviously have alcohol problems and need to be helped.
Get a grip!!!
godzilla, hamworthy says...
2:48pm Fri 9 May 08
Christopher, Wallisdown & Winton West says...
4:04pm Fri 9 May 08
Seriously it is an eye sore, specially for those arriving at Poole via the Bus Station, (the Train Station not being any better). More control over the public who use, where they throw their litter. So much is need to bring it back to any form of glory, it is going to take time, not words.
Phil, Poole says...
10:46am Sat 10 May 08
On the other hand, you can't deny the fact that there are a lot of cigarette ends littering the streets. So if it's not smokers leaving them everywhere, who is it?! Are they dropped by tobacco-addicted pigeons or something?
south74, poole says...
2:53pm Sun 11 May 08
Lewcee, Upton,Poole says...
7:58pm Wed 14 May 08
LOOKING SHABBY: Poole bus station and, inset, the Daily Echo front page from Saturday
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Ed, Bournemouth says...
8:19am Fri 9 May 08
But hasn't it always been like this? How come it is only now after it is featured in the Echo are people looking to "rationalise" things.