I have hardly been to Sainsburys in Hazel Grove at all this year
It used to be very convenient to stop by there on the way home, do a bit of shopping then catch another bus right outside which takes me practically to my door
One reason I stopped doing it is the absolutely outrageous fact that if I do I will have to pay a bus fare IN CASH for one leg of the journey. All because of the vagaries of local authority boundaries & the rules governing free bus travel. Iniquitous!
Of course if I really wanted to visit that particular branch of Sainsburys I would happily hand over the £1+ involved
These rules make life much more difficult for others. If you drew a circle with a radius of 10 miles centred on our patch you would cover more than 6 different counties/local authority areas. Four different government administrative regions. Heaven knows how many health authorities, water companies, ITV regions .... And if the proposed amalgamation of police forces had gone through a couple of years ago we would have had the Merseyside police patrolling within 2 miles of us
Heaven help anyone over 60 who needs to do most of their travelling in one county but who happens to live just 10 yards over the border of another
Still, at least that bus pass problem will be solved next April, though I am sure there will be plenty new ones to worry about
And people wonder why not all the English are excited by the idea of regional governments of their own
