A response from the driver of the Shearings Holidays coach from last week’s The Whisperer:
Due to an incident the police had closed the road pictured, but when I arrived at Maidstone there was no signs to say so – a community police officer had to tell me it was closed.
I had three options: Stand there with people who wanted to get home for at least 1.5 hours, reverse back through the lights and turn left, or do the manoeuvre shown in the picture.
Option one: No, the people on the vehicle had been on various tours and just wanted to get home.
Option two: Definitely not. To reverse back through the lights and turn left would have resulted in both the vehicle and the light being taken out.
Option three: It was the right option to do a 5-point turn. Admittedly it was tight but I had my co-driver watching the rear.
Neither the vehicle nor anyone or property was damage. Please don't judge me by what you see in that picture. I'm a professional driver regardless of what others say.
I'm also very disappointed in the way that a reputable magazine like routeone would publish this picture before getting all the facts. It’s unfair not only to myself, but also to Shearings Holidays.
William Atkinson, Coach Driver, Shearings Holidays
