Bus gate probe ‘whitewash’

gates to keep the Green Party happy, who often back them on crucial council votes.

She told the nine-strong Cabinet: “You have shown by reporting these biased findings that you have complete disregard for the businesses in this town and the 75% of town centre users who don’t use the buses.

“The buses travelling around the town in the day are empty and spew out noise and pollution worse than any modern car, so the green argument looks thin.

“The references to green issues are just a red herring to appease the Green Party.”

She added: “The number of cars coming in has fallen massively, which equals less shoppers.

“You seem to ignore the drop in Saturday footfall, our busiest shopping day.

“You have completely whitewashed the complaints of thousands of protesters against this scheme and ignored the opinions and petition signatures to further your own stubborn money-making agenda.”

Once again, Clr Peter McBride, Cabinet member for the economy, disagreed.

He said: “There’s little or no evidence that enforcing illegal movement of vehicles is affecting trade.

“It’s not an attack on car owners and certainly not on retailers.

“Bus gates are to make the town centre a sustainable and pleasant place to move around.”