Deliveroo causes traffic in Watford high street, claims bus driver

Bala Raj, who was driving the 320 bus through High Street, Watford, on Friday (March 4) says that traffic was held up for roughly 15 minutes by a Deliveroo driver parked outside the Nando's Met Quarter branch.

He notes that disruptions around that stretch of the high street are common on Friday and Saturday evenings as people order food deliveries and drivers park in the area, but added his frustration that it affects bus services.

In this particular incident, the bus driver asked the Deliveroo driver to move as he was parked in a position that blocked the bus.

The bus driver has complained about regular delays on Friday and Saturday evenings

He said: “I had an argument with him and he refused to move, I had to call the police and he still waited for the food to be finished and by the time it was, he moved.”

The bus driver explained that traffic was “blocked all the way” and the Deliveroo driver became verbally abusive as he refused to move.

“He said I’m a lunatic, he said there’s space to move and that he’s not moving the car,” claimed the frustrated bus driver.

Mr Raj believes that something needs to be done about the disruptions, suggesting there should be a ‘no parking’ sign near the stretch of shops and restaurants or signage for delivery vehicles to be mindful of the public transport.

He has complained to both Deliveroo and Arriva, who has passed it on to Watford Borough Council.

Ian Stotesbury, Portfolio Holder for Transport and Sustainability, said: “No parking or stopping, even for loading and collections, is allowed on High Street and King Street apart from in defined parking bays, and this is clearly marked with yellow lines and signs.

"It’s important that buses are not delayed by delivery drivers, who should park legally when making deliveries or collections.

"Watford Borough Council is doing all it can to reduce congestion and make it safer for pedestrians in this area, including installing a bus gateway to ensure that only public transport vehicles can pass through from King Street to the High Street, with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras being used to enforce these restrictions.

"Parking enforcement officers do regularly patrol these areas and will issue tickets to anyone they observe contravening these restrictions."

Deliveroo was also approached for comment.