Queueing for a bus may be a very British custom, but it’s proving chaotic at three new city centre ‘supershelters’, according to a councillor.

The extra-long bus shelters have recently been unveiled on Market Street, Bradford.

The Metro scheme, which formed part of a redevelopment of the pavements by Bradford Council, saw the total number of shelters on the street reduced by four.

But the new-style shelters have not proved popular with everyone, especially one which people claim is facing the wrong way and is offering little protection from traffic or the weather.

Councillor Geoff Reid (Lib Dem, Eccleshill), a member of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority (Metro), said he had been inundated with complaints about them.

He said: “Because the shelters are so long, many people gather at the monitor end of the shelter, not realising that the bus stop is actually at the other end.

“When more than one bus appears at the stop, queuing passengers break ranks and move in different directions.”

One of the shelters opens out on to the road, rather than separating passengers from it, which Metro says will help people get on to their buses when more than one arrives at once.

Unimpressed passenger Elaine Neale, of Idle, said: “The so-called bus shelter has been mounted the wrong way round – open to the elements, not sheltered as it was formerly. Wait till winter comes and as the buses pull up at the stop, all the waiting passengers will be showered with slush.”

And fellow passenger Shirley Harrison, of Eccleshill, said the seats in the shelter got so wet, people could not sit down on them.

Coun Reid agreed this shelter was causing particular concern.

He said: “I have listened to the officer explain the ‘back to front’ shelter. There is justification for it but it took me a long time to get my head round it – and I’m an ITA member. People are worried about the risk of a serious accident when people spill out on to the road.”

Coun Reid said he had written to Metro asking them to equip the shelters with better guidance for passengers.

He said: “Even if it is just for an initial period we need to find a way of cutting down confusion, and occasional chaos.”

A spokesman for Metro said: “As part of the work by Bradford Council to upgrade the area around Market Street, the number of stops was reduced, but with larger shelters provided and the existing real-time display units re-installed.

“Similar shelters have been installed in other parts of West Yorkshire when improvements have been made to pedestrian areas.

“At Market Street, this has meant changing the position of some of the shelters at the remaining stops, to allow the safe, free flow of pedestrians around them as well as to provide shelter for those waiting for bus services.”