WHEN does a bus stop stop being a stop and start becoming a bus stand?

It's a mystery residents of Topsham Road, Exeter, are having to grapple with thanks to some yellow paint.

In recent weeks, one bus stop, near County Hall, has had the fading lettering of STOP painted over with bright new shiny yellow paint.

It now says STAND, and the word bus remains as faded as it was before.

Bemused resident Tony Turner, when asked if the bus now stands there, said: "No, it just stops. We wondered what on earth they were doing when they painted it. I can't see any point to it at all.

"I can just about see the point for the new BUS STAND painted on the opposite side of the road because the bus does stop there for five to 10 minutes sometimes if it is early.

"But it never stands on this stop. It is just a normal stop and people get on and off the bus there."

A spokeswoman for the Devon County Council said wording on some stops, or stands, was being changed in line with Government guidelines.

She said the council was currently undertaking a programme of raising kerbs at bus stops throughout the city to help people in wheelchairs to use the low-floor buses.

She said: "The bus stop protection means that no vehicles are allowed to stop or park in the designated area. The painted wording on the highway for this is either Bus Stop or Bus Stand.

"Bus Stop is used when a bus stops only to pick up and set down passengers. Bus Stand is used where the bus may have to wait (a few minutes) to depart at its correct time in keeping with the timetable.

"This is in line with the official Department for Transport wording. There is no change to the bus stop operation and buses will continue to serve the stop as normal."

It is not clear how much it is costing to change the wording. Last year, the Echo revealed how the county council had no funds for painting yellow lines because of budget constraints.