RESIDENTS remain seriously worried about a bus lane planned for Croft Road, despite a Swindon Council exercise to calm their fears.

The council organised a public consultation after it received a 500-signiture petition against the proposal.

The scheme is meant to accommodate increased traffic coming into Swindon when the 3,000-home Front Garden development is complete.

It aims to encourage more people to use public transport to reduce the adverse impact on the environment.

Park and ride buses to Wroughton, as well as local ones, would use the Croft Road bus route which would includes new traffic lights and pedestrian crossings at the junctions of Pleydell Road and Springfield Road. New bus services for the Front Garden would use Piper's Way.

Old Town residents had a look at the plans displayed at Lethbridge Primary School on Saturday and took part in a discussion led by an independent facilitator. But they were not convinced the plans were the right solution to an already congested road.

Their main concerns are:

Crossing safety in Croft Road, particularly for the elderly and parents with young children;

Residents having difficulty coming out of driveways;

Drivers not being able to park outside their homes;

People not being aware of the proposal.

Peter Jones, 72, of Croft Road, said: "Croft Road is not wide enough. A bus lane would reduce the highway by a third for car drivers. Bus lanes are only used 12 hours a day and the rest of the time they are empty."

Deryck Baker, 64, of Croft Road, said: "The exhibition has made the plans clear, particularly the timescale, but they have not been justified."

The council's planning committee will consider the application on January 24, 2004.

Bhavani Vadde