RICHMOND Road residents in East Twickenham are furious about a bus stop which could appear outside their houses, by Sandycoombe Road. Plans for the safety zone implemented around Orleans Park School and St Mary's School, have involved Richmond upon Thames Council deciding where to place the Richmond bound bus stop - temporarily opposite St Mary's School. Despite opposition from certain residents, Cllr Mark Kreling, cabinet member for transport, has agreed that the temporary bus stop will be placed permanently outside Leeson House - further towards Twickenham.

Due to the gap this will create between bus stops, Transport for London (TfL) are now proposing a new east-bound stop by Sandycoombe Road. Richmond Road resident, Caroline Payne, objects strongly and says: "It will mean mothers are no longer able to drop off their very young children at the Steiner kindergarten at number 219. "It will cause further problems as the parents try to find somewhere else to stop - possibly on the bus stop anyway, as there is very little other space which will mean buses cannot pull in, cars won't be able to overtake etc."

Cllr Kreling says he supports the residents' objections to this new bus stop. "We are opposing TfL's plan and we also don't feel that they should tie it to the school safety zone." He believes that the distance between stops would have been over the limit set by Mayor Ken Livingstone, regardless of his decision to move the Richmond-bound stop outside Leeson House.

"But in any case, we agree that a new stop is not necessary," added Cllr Kreling - who is currently awaiting a decision from TfL, as bus stops are not in the council's remit unless part of a school safety zone.

Mrs Payne is not satisfied by this response and feels hard done by. She believes an us or them' situation exists between residents on her stretch of Richmond Road and those within the safety zone who did not want the bus stop, now destined for Leeson House, placed outside their properties instead.

She complains: "It was only by fluke, and only two days before the transport consultative meeting, that we residents near Sandycoombe Road found out about the council's proposal to change the bus stop positions around Orleans and St Mary's and the direct effect this would have on us."