WINTER weather will be less bother to Baildon bus travellers due to the timely arrival of a new shelter after a two year campaign.

Retired community psychiatric nurse June Sherwin first highlighted the need for a modern shelter to be installed on Jenny Lane near the junction with Heygate Close back in 2012.

She enlisted the help of ward councillor Debbie Davies in appealing to West Yorkshire Combined Authority for protection from the elements.

And last week the domed plastic shelter complete with seats arrived and was installed just as the bad weather was beginning.

"To stand out there waiting for the bus with all the wind, rain, sleet and snow racing down from Baildon Moor onto you was just so miserable," said Ms Sherwin, 75.

"There's a number 656 bus every hour which is really useful and takes you down to Baildon train station or into Shipley and Bradford centre.

"I just thought a shelter would be a good idea and a way of encouraging more people to take the bus.

"Debbie Davies took on the idea and kept writing to the bus company and I'm very pleased with how it's all turned out," Ms Sherwin said.

This is the second bus shelter victory for Cllr Davies following a similar success in Cliffe Avenue, Baildon earlier this year.

"I have to say WYCA have been great - it's taken two years, but it was worth persevering," Cllr Davies said.

"Something as simple as a bus shelter can make the difference to whether some older people will leave their houses if the weather is bad.

"In terms of numbers of passengers, there will obviously be more people at other stops, however they will be younger and fitter and better able to cope with the weather than those elderly people who mostly use this stop," Cllr Davies said.

"Decisions like this should not always about using simple numbers to work out a community's real needs.

"And I'm delighted that WYCA have recognised that by providing this new shelter."

Cllr James Lewis, chairman of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee, said: “At stops with high numbers of waiting passengers, we will always try and install a shelter if possible.

"Over 4,000 of West Yorkshire’s 14,000 stops have modern, well-lit, glass shelters with timetables, and a quarter of those include monitors showing real-time bus information.”

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