Did you know that there are over 200 buses running up and down The Street and Ash Lane in Rustington daily?

Are you aware that noise, vibration and air pollution from traffic has been proven to negatively impact your physical and mental health?

We are calling for a formal review of the cumulative environmental impacts of bus operations along The Street and Ash Lane corridor

In April 2025, Stagecoach Group made changes to bus services between Littlehampton and Worthing, replacing the former 700 service with routes 11 and 701. These changes were introduced in part to improve reliability and reduce delays associated with congestion at rail level crossings.

As a consequence, there are 10 more trips across the whole span of day than in 2020. James O'Neill Commercial Director of Stagecoach South confirmed that 99 buses are scheduled daily in each direction on this route. He also stated that 'It's very possible more buses will be added to services in future if numbers continue to grow, especially Service 9 which runs through the growing community of Angmering.' (18 Jan 2026).

In addition to the 99 Stagecoach buses (9, 11, 701) there are also five Compass buses in each direction (12) - over 200 buses daily. All these buses funnel through Rustington, converging at stops in The Street, which also function as timing points. This results in repeated stopping, engine idling, and vehicle movement close to homes and businesses.

Over the past year the Operations Manager at the Worthing bus garage has been very helpful in encouraging drivers to limit idling to a maximum of two minutes however, that is 2 minutes of noise, vibration and exhaust. Two hundred buses at just one minute each is 3 hours 20 minutes a day.

See the blog page Stagecoach South: Timing Stops and Passengers for more detail.

An example of the timetable taken from bustimes.org for one hour on 17/04/2026 shows that the buses are timetabled within minutes of each other and sometimes at the same time.

To	Scheduled
701	Lancing 10959 - SN18 KOA	12:33
701	Lancing 27669 - GX10 KZY	12:48
11	Worthing 27671 - GX60 PBZ	12:54
9	Shoreham-by-Sea 36727 - SF62 CTX	12:55
701	Lancing 27664 - GX10 KZS	13:03
701	Lancing 10947 - SN18 KNL	13:18
11	Worthing 10962 - SN18 KOE	13:24
12	East Preston 4112 - GX13 FSN	13:24

We recognise that the bus network plays an essential role for the community however, there must be a way of maintaining a reliable bus service and safeguarding the health and wellbeing of residents and businesses along parts of the route.

We request that ADC, WSCC Highways Team and Stagecoach South:

1. Reviews whether The Street / Ash Lane is a suitable corridor for the current combined level of bus services
2. Assesses the cumulative environmental impact of both through-running and timing-stop operations, including clustering of up to four routes
3. Considers whether alternative timing stop arrangements or route coordination could reduce concentrated disturbance
4. Reviews whether alternative routing or redistribution of services could reduce residential exposure without compromising network connectivity
5. Clarifies what mechanisms are available under the Enhanced Partnership or Traffic Regulation Order powers to address cumulative impacts of this nature

Environmental Impacts: Noise, Air Pollution and Cumulative Exposure

Who is responsible?

Responsibility for managing the environmental effects of transport is shared across different authorities.

Arun District Council, through its Environmental Health function, has advised that noise and vibration from general road traffic are not typically treated as a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. As such, there are limited direct enforcement powers available to address traffic noise through nuisance or anti-social behaviour legislation.

West Sussex County Council, as the Highway Authority, is responsible for considering appropriate measures to manage the impacts of traffic, including noise. Nationally, this includes reviewing DEFRA strategic noise mapping and identified Noise Important Areas (NIAs), which are generally focused on major roads. The Street in Rustington is not designated as a NIA, which reflects the scope of national mapping rather than the absence of a local noise problem.

In relation to air quality, Arun District Council has indicated that pollution levels across the district are generally within legal limits. However, this assessment is based on wider monitoring and not specific roadside locations. New monitoring equipment has recently been installed near the Rustington bus stops, but validated results are not expected until 2027. Stagecoach Group has also confirmed that it does not carry out air quality monitoring on the highway, as this falls within the remit of local authorities.

Taken together, these positions highlight that while responsibilities are defined, there is currently limited site-specific data available to assess the combined environmental effects of high-frequency bus activity at this location - there is a gap in assessment of local street-level cumulative impacts.

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Understanding Cumulative Health Impacts

WSCC and The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies environmental noise as a significant health risk, linked to sleep disturbance, stress responses, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Similarly, air pollution is associated with respiratory illness, cardiovascular conditions, and adverse impacts on vulnerable groups, including children. For some pollutants, there is no clearly safe level of exposure.

In a transport corridor such as Rustington, these effects do not occur in isolation. Instead, they arise from repeated and cumulative exposure to:

• frequent vehicle movements

• acceleration and braking

• engine idling at stops

• clustering of multiple buses within short time periods

These factors can create a pattern of near-continuous disturbance, particularly at locations used as timing points where buses stop and idle.

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Local context: Rustington

In Rustington, over 200 daily bus movements pass through The Street and Ash Lane, with multiple routes converging at shared timing stops. This results in repeated stopping, queuing, and engine idling within a relatively confined area.
The bus stops are located close to homes, shops, cafés, residential properties, and two pre-schools. The cumulative impact of exhaust, noise and vibration is felt in homes, by pedestrians, by business owners,bus users and people sitting at cafes and bars.

From an air quality perspective, emissions from repeated acceleration, braking, and idling  contribute to localised pollutant concentrations at street level. Indicative emissions modelling suggests that even short periods of idling, when repeated across a high number of daily bus movements, can result in a measurable contribution to local emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) and carbon dioxide (CO₂).

From a noise perspective, the same operational pattern of frequent arrivals, departures, and vehicle clustering results in uncomfortable levels of near-continuous noise and vibration disturbance throughout the day.

The closely spaced buildings and high pedestrian activity can reduce dispersion of emissions and increase noise levels, creating conditions similar to a “street canyon” environment.

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Conclusion

This is not a claim that legal air quality or noise thresholds are being exceeded. Rather, it highlights a reasonable and evidence-based concern that the cumulative unpleasant environmental effects of the high-frequency bus operations in Rustington have not been fully assessed at a local level.

Given the combination of:

• high service frequency

• repeated stopping and idling

• proximity to homes, businesses, and early years settings

• and the absence of detailed local monitoring data

it is appropriate to consider whether further assessment or mitigation measures are warranted to ensure that transport benefits are balanced with the protection of public health and residential amenity.

For more information regarding the health implications of exposure to air pollution please see the blog page: Air Pollution and Engine Idling

For more information regarding the health implications of exposure to long term noise and vibration pollution please see the blog page: Noise and Vibration

What Can You Do? 

If you believe that the volume of buses or the associated noise, vibration, and pollution in Rustington is affecting you adversely, you can submit a complaint to WSCC.

For more information please see the blog page: What Can You Do?

Air Pollution and Engine Idling

I first raised my complaint with Stagecoach South on Saturday, 3 May 2025. At the time, I was unaware that the routes had been changed the previous month, and my concern related to both the number of buses and the amount of time they were idling at the stop.
Over the past year, Stagecoach has corresponded with me by email, and the Operations Manager at the Worthing bus garage has been very helpful in encouraging drivers to limit idling to a maximum of two minutes. I appreciate that some drivers now switch off their engines when they reach the stop. However, when I asked whether this could be applied consistently across all drivers, I was informed that 'Worthing only have a limited amount of buses with stop-start technology, and this technology cannot be retro fitted. This technology also only pauses the engine rather than switching it off. To switch the engine off, would mean a longer delay when the bus cycles through it's start programme. This would have a huge impact on reliability if we were to adopt a switch off policy for every bus stop, as well as being detrimental to the health of the vehicles.'

Transport andTravel Research Ltd dispute that the switch off policy damages the vehicle engine it concludes that 'the largest emissions savings are realised by immediate switch off of engines when the bus comes to a halt. There is little evidence to suggest that turning off the engine will either damage modern engines or cause reliability issues to modern engines' and also that 'No evidence has been found to suggest that additional emissions are caused by restarting a modern diesel engine.'

However, the World Health Organisation confirms that air pollution is detrimental to the health of the public:

Almost every organ in the body can be impacted by air pollution. The specific disease outcomes most strongly linked with exposure to air pollution include stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and pneumonia.

Health problems in children and adults can occur because of both short- and long-term exposure to air pollutants. For some pollutants, there are no thresholds below which adverse effects do not occur. 

Electric Buses

Stagecoach South confirmed that they are committed to EVs going forward. This is unlikely to come anytime soon as the Commercial Drector of Stagecoach South stated that 'the challenge is not the vehicle but grid connectivity at our depot sites - both of which are historic premeses. At the minute I can't give a timescale for electric buses on the Littlehampton network.'

What Can You Do? 

If you believe that the volume of buses or the associated noise, vibration, and pollution in Rustington is affecting you adversely, you can submit a complaint to WSCC.

For more information please see the blog page: What Can You Do?

Noise and Vibration

The Urban Transport Group (UTG) notes that stationary bus idling is a significant concern not just for emissions but for its broader impact on the urban realm and quality of life. When buses remain stationary with their engines running, the resulting noise and vibrations propagate into the surrounding environment, primarily affecting residents and local infrastructure. 

There is well documented scientific and public health evidence that long-term exposure to environmental noise and vibration can have measurable adverse health effects. These include sleep disturbance, increased stress responses, high blood pressure, and an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease.

Public health guidance published on GOV.UK and by UK environmental health bodies recognises environmental noise as a significant factor affecting health and wellbeing as does the World Health Organization (WHO), in its Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region (2018), identifies environmental noise as a major environmental health risk in Europe, second only to air pollution. The WHO highlights that chronic exposure to transport noise can trigger sustained physiological stress responses, particularly where exposure is frequent.

These effects are associated with:

• sleep disturbance

• hypertension

• cardiovascular disease

• cognitive impairment

• increased annoyance and reduced wellbeing

WHO modelling estimates that environmental noise contributes to approximately 16,000 premature deaths and 1.6 million healthy life years lost annually across Western Europe.

Bus engines can produce low-frequency sound (including around 50–100 Hz), and this can be felt in homes closes to the bus stop causing minor rattling in windows or lightweight structures.
Chronic exposure to these environmental stressors contributes to physiological stress with hypertension and increased heart rates in both nearby residents and the bus drivers.

In the context of Rustington, these findings are particularly relevant where bus services operate at high frequency through residential streets and where multiple routes converge at a timing point. Unlike intermittent private vehicle traffic, repeated bus movements, particularly involving acceleration, braking, engine idling, and stationary waiting, can create a more continuous pattern of noise and vibration exposure in a confined area.

The County Council is required to investigate the results of noise mapping undertaken previously by DEFRA in 2017, including identified Noise Important Areas (NIAs), which are mapped along A roads. The Street and Ash Lane in Rustington are not within a Noise Important Area.

This does not mean that impacts are absent; rather, it highlights the importance of considering bus frequency, clustering at timing points, and road geometry when assessing the overall environmental burden on residents. 

This is a study into reducing the burden of disease conducted byThe UK Health Security Agency:
Noise pollution: mapping the health impacts of transportation noise in England

If you are further interested in this subject there is a very informative article by the BBC titled:Noise: The Invisible Killer - How our noisy world is seriously damaging our health

Published 16 March 2025

Buses overtaking each other down The Street, Rustington

What Can You Do? 

If you believe that the volume of buses or the associated noise, vibration, and pollution in Rustington is affecting you adversely, you can submit a complaint to WSCC.

For more information please see the blog page: What Can You Do?

WSCC Transport Planning

The West Sussex Transport Plan (2022–2036), published by West Sussex County Council, sets out the strategy for future investment in highways and transport infrastructure across the county.

The Plan highlights the Council’s commitment to reducing environmental impacts and includes an objective to “avoid where possible and minimise air, noise and light pollution from use of the transport network to reduce impacts on public health and wellbeing.”

The Council works in partnership with bus operators, including Stagecoach Group, through an Enhanced Partnership arrangement. This framework underpins the delivery of the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), which sets out a shared ambition to improve bus services across the county.

The BSIP vision (Section 1.3) states that the Council and local bus operators aim to ensure that residents and visitors benefit from continuously improving, high-quality bus services, alongside a reduction in carbon emissions. It also identifies wider benefits, including improved reliability, better access to employment, enhanced transport sustainability, and improved air quality.

However, the BSIP also indicates that there are currently no agreed limits on bus service frequency on any route, corridor, or street. In practice, this means that operators such as Stagecoach determine service frequency largely on a commercial basis, within the governance framework of the Enhanced Partnership.

This operational reality is reflected in correspondence from the Council dated 3 March, which states that Stagecoach operates services at frequencies appropriate to passenger demand. It further notes that any queries regarding changes to routes or service levels should be directed to Stagecoach, as the organisation responsible for those operational decisions.

In practice, the implications of this arrangement are most evident in relation to cumulative impact rather than individual journeys. Key considerations include:

• Service frequency: very high daily volumes (e.g. 200+ bus movements per day)
• Proximity to residential properties: buses operating close to homes, pre schools and businesses
• Road geometry and design constraints: streets that were not originally designed for repeated heavy vehicle flows

A further consideration is highway suitability, including whether:

• the road is designed to accommodate repeated heavy vehicle loading over time
• the corridor is functioning as a de facto bus route without having been designed or planned for that level of service intensity

Taken together, these factors raise legitimate questions about whether cumulative operational impacts are being fully considered within the current framework.

What Can You Do? 

If you believe that the volume of buses or the associated noise, vibration, and pollution in Rustington is affecting you adversely, you can submit a complaint to WSCC.

For more information please see the blog page: What Can You Do?

Rustington Conservation Area

The Street, Rustington, is a designated conservation area, valued for its historic character, quieter streets, and sense of place. The volume of traffic, over 200 buses passing through raises several concerns about how well that character can be preserved.

One of the most noticeable impacts is on the area’s atmosphere. Conservation areas are typically defined by a calmer, more traditional environment, but frequent bus movements bring continuous noise and vibration from engine idling, braking, and acceleration. This can disrupt the sense of tranquillity for residents and visitors, particularly along the narrower streets where sound carries more easily.

Air quality is another issue. Even with newer, cleaner vehicles, a high frequency of buses contributes to emissions and particulate matter. Over time, this can affect both public health and the physical environment, including the gradual soiling of historic buildings and street features that conservation status is meant to protect.

There is also the visual and physical impact to consider. Repeated use of the same routes can accelerate wear on older road surfaces pavements, and kerbs - as can be seen at the bus stops.This damage creates unevenness that can amplify vibration levels when vehicles are idling and in motion.

While many residents fear structural damager, organizations the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) indicate that traffic-induced vibrations are highly unlikely to cause major structural damage. However, they can cause cosmetic damage (e.g., plaster cracks, windows vibrating) and exacerbate the deterioration of heritage buildings over time particularly where properties are close to the road. 

Traffic flow and safety can be affected as well. A high number of buses can lead to traffic congestion at the bus stops where roads are relatively narrow. This reduces the overall enjoyment of the Rustington as a village.

Finally, there is a broader concern about the cumulative effect on the character of the conservation area. The purpose of such designation is to preserve or enhance local heritage and distinctiveness. When traffic volumes, particularly heavy vehicles, reach a certain level, they risk undermining that goal by shifting the area’s feel from residential and historic to busy and transport-focused.

Balancing public transport needs with conservation priorities is important, but the scale of bus traffic in Rustington suggests a need to review whether current levels are appropriate for a protected area of this kind.

Arun District Council Conservation Areas Management Plan on Traffic management/street improvements & the Public realm has a long term aim to use liaison meetings with WSCC to develop a series of exemplar traffic schemes. The highlights a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) weakness as:

• Large amounts of traffic running through the narrow roads, of the village centres 

What Can You Do? 

If you believe that the volume of buses or the associated noise, vibration, and pollution in Rustington is affecting you adversely, you can submit a complaint to WSCC.

For more information please see the blog page: What Can You Do?

Stagecoach South: Timing Stops and Passengers

Rustington Shops currently serves as a key timing point for the 701, 11, and 9 Stagecoach services. Customer Services informed me on the 25th May 2025 that, due to regulatory requirements, drivers must 'adhere strictly to scheduled departure times and are not permitted to leave timing points early. As a result, buses may remain at the stop longer than is necessary for passenger boarding.'

In practice, the frequent timetable can result in multiple buses at the stop at the same time. This leads to buses queuing, idling, and manoeuvring around each other within limited space at the stop as traffic is forced to queue behind them.

I suggested that only one Stagecoach service should use Rustington Shops as a timing point, with other routes timing at preceding stops. This would reduce clustering, limit unnecessary idling, and ease congestion without compromising timetable reliability.


In response, the Commercial Director stated (4 August 2025) that key stops are used as timing points because they are easily identifiable to customers, serve as interchange locations, and typically experience the highest passenger footfall. He emphasised that Rustington Shops is a busy stop and therefore appropriate as a timing point for all passing services.

However, when I requested supporting data on passenger numbers boarding and alighting specifically at Rustington Shops, I was advised that this information is not collected at that level of detail. While an estimate of 600 boardings per day across Rustington was provided, with a similar number of alightings - set against approximately 99 Stagecoach buses per day, this equates to an average of around 6 passengers per bus, though this does not account for variation by route or time of day it does explain why buses are arriving and departing with few passengers.

Rustington, West Sussex, has a population of around 14,000–14,300 (2021 Census estimates). In Littlehampton, only a few practical bus routes can connect residents to key destinations like shops, stations, and schools. Stagecoach South confirm that buses do funnel through Rustington because there are no reasonable routes further south and to use Worthing Road further north would mean disconnecting residents from the north of Littlehampton and Worthing Road/North Lane from their nearest local shops. Even given this, more than 200 buses seems high for the reported passenger activity.

This raises legitimate questions about the efficiency of the current arrangement and whether the designation of this stop as a timing point for multiple routes and the number of buses remains appropriate.

Although Rustington Shops has reportedly functioned as a timing point since at least the 1960s, the scale of bus services have changed significantly since then. Despite having the commercial flexibility to adjust timetables and add buses, Stagecoach has not, to date, indicated a willingness to consider a practical revision that could reduce congestion, emissions, and local disruption.

Given these factors and the cumulative effects of noise, vibration and diesel exhaust, a review of the current use of Rustington Shops as a multi-route timing point is both reasonable and necessary.

What Can You Do?

The April 2025 expansion of Stagecoach bus services appears to have overlooked the combined environmental and public-health impacts of sending over 200 buses daily through The Street and Ash Lane. The issue isn’t opposition to buses, but concern that increases of this scale should include proper assessment of noise, vibration, air quality, and effects on residents. The aim is for local authorities and Stagecoach to work together to balance a reliable bus service with protecting the wellbeing of the community.

What Can You Do?

If you believe that the volume of buses or the associated noise, vibration, and pollution in Rustington is affecting you adversely, you can submit a complaint to WSCC by emailing: wscchighways@westsussex.gov.uk

You may also wish to contact the following:

• Joy.Dennis@westsussex.gov.uk - Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport
• alison.griffiths.mp@parliament.uk - Member of Parliament for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton
• customer.services@stagecoachbus.com

Sample Complaint Letter 

Subject: Request for review of cumulative bus traffic impacts on The Street / Ash Lane corridor

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to formally raise concerns regarding the level and frequency of bus movements along The Street and Ash Lane, and to request that the County Council undertakes a review of the suitability and impacts of this corridor under its transport and environmental responsibilities.

The West Sussex Transport Plan (2022–2036), published by West Sussex County Council, identifies a clear objective to avoid where possible and minimise air, noise and light pollution from use of the transport network, in order to reduce impacts on public health and wellbeing. I consider that the current level and pattern of bus activity is inconsistent with this objective when assessed cumulatively.

In particular, the corridor is subject not only to a high overall frequency of bus movements, but also to operational clustering at the timing stop, where multiple routes converge. At peak periods, up to four separate routes utilise the same stopping point in close succession, resulting in repeated stationary engine noise, braking and acceleration events, and prolonged periods of disturbance in a confined residential setting.

This gives rise to the following impacts:

• Significant cumulative noise from both moving and stationary buses
• Repeated disturbance associated with buses idling or waiting at the timing stop
• Increased vibration and environmental stress due to frequent heavy vehicle movements
• Potential safety concerns arising from bus clustering in a narrow corridor
• Possible localised air quality impacts associated with repeated acceleration and idling

While I recognise that bus operators such as Stagecoach Group operate services on a commercial basis within the Enhanced Partnership framework, the cumulative impact of multiple routes converging at a single residential location remains a matter for consideration by the highway authority.

I would therefore request that the Council:

1. Reviews whether The Street / Ash Lane is a suitable corridor for the current combined level of bus services
2. Assesses the cumulative environmental impact of both through-running and timing-stop operations, including clustering of up to four routes
3. Considers whether alternative timing stop arrangements or route coordination could reduce concentrated disturbance
4. Reviews whether alternative routing or redistribution of services could reduce residential exposure without compromising network connectivity
5. Clarifies what mechanisms are available under the Enhanced Partnership or Traffic Regulation Order powers to address cumulative impacts of this nature

Given the Council’s statutory responsibilities for highway management and its stated commitment to improving environmental outcomes, I would welcome a formal response outlining what assessment, if any, has been undertaken in relation to this corridor and whether a review will be initiated.

Yours faithfully,
[Your name]