An Architectural Gem?

The number 40 bus that passes the end of my road ends up at Preston Bus Station, built in 1969 and now considered by some to be an icon of 1960s architecture worthy of preservation in the face of the council's redevelopment plans. There is a vocal campaign to save it with, naturally, its own website

I suspect, however, that it's not so much the bus station itself that attracts attention but rather the car park above with its multiple rows of curved concrete beams. I've no idea what motorists feel about the parking arrangements but the bus station is pretty dire. Now over 40 years old and with the threat of redevelopment leading to a backlog of maintenance the bus station wasn't exactly passenger-friendly to begin with. Pedestrian access to the buses was officially only possible via subways, and when in the 1980s an underground supermarket was built so that one subway ran through the store it was allowed to be closed off when the store was closed! In practice, many people used to walk illegally across the bus apron - a procedure which has now been formalised by the provision of a pedestrian crossing.
So, what's the bus station like from a bus passenger's point of view? Well, judge for yourself:

The "official" entrance. (Reminds me of the crossing point between East and West Berlin at Freidrichstrasse station circa 1984!) (Eastern side!)

Officialdom's preferred mode of access by the public.

Bus Station?, or Abbatoir?!

Welcome to Preston!

Lancashire does have some nice bus stations, provided in recent years by the County Council, so which would the bus users of Preston prefer: This one, or this one, in nearby Chorley

(Even if the passenger information system isn't working).