“It’s just unbearable”: Kent Road locals demand bus route rethink

Residents of Kent Road say a re-routed bus service causing noise, vibrations and frequent kerb mounting has made their lives “unbearable”.

Dissatisfaction over the number 18 bus being re-routed through Kent Road in Southsea was first reported in June last year.

The Stagecoach service connects the south and north of the city, running from Clarence Pier to Paulsgrove.

Ashton Keiditch, lead petitioner and a Kent Road resident, raised concerns in June, arguing the new route is “dangerous and completely unsuitable”.

He said the narrow residential street, which has on-street parking, is used by around 90 buses a day between about 4.30am and 12.30pm.

Mr Keiditch said that, with buses travelling in both directions, this equates to around one bus every 15 minutes – amounting to 18 hours a day of “continued annoyance”.

“It’s just unbearable,” he added.

He said the noise, vibrations and smell of diesel had affected residents’ sleep and enjoyment of their homes.

This is compounded by the fact that many of the properties are in a conservation area, limiting residents’ ability to install double glazing to reduce the noise.

He added that his single-glazed windows act like a “drum” whenever a bus passes.

He also raised safety concerns, saying vehicles, including the buses themselves, frequently mount the kerb when two vehicles approach each other because of the width of the road.

He argued this puts pedestrians at risk, including pupils from Portsmouth High School who use the pavement as a thoroughfare.

A Portsmouth High School spokesperson said: “The safety and wellbeing of our pupils is always taken extremely seriously. As with all local routes used by pupils, we regularly remind students to take care when travelling to and from school and will keep the situation under review.”

Keiditch stated some neighbours are “at their wits end” with two households already gone and a small family considering leaving.

He, and other locals, have suggested the bus bypass Kent Road via Osborne Road or Elm Grove.

A spokesperson from Portsmouth City Council said the extension of the route was a part of its bus improvement plan which has seen bus usage grow by 41 per cent in the past two years.

They added that Kent Road provides the “most direct and reliable link between St Jude’s Church via Southsea shops and the seafront at Clarence Pier via Southsea Terrace”.

“This reduces passenger travel time and the round-trip distance by approximately 0.6 miles per journey.

“Alternatives such as Osborne Road are already heavily served with bus services, while using Elm Grove would reduce access to Southsea shops.”

The council said feedback from residents, monitoring and on-site observations had highlighted road safety concerns on Kent Road.

It said the issues were linked to “limited passing space” and involved all types of vehicles, not just buses, with the authority considering the most appropriate approach as part of an “evidence-based review”.

The authority said it remained committed to monitoring Kent Road and making “evidence-based decisions” that balance road safety, active travel, public transport accessibility and residential amenity.