Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,981
Howard the document for consultation states the 15 b will be withdrawn .This is the route to Canterbury which goes via Lydden
some River residents use Lydden surgery
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
I think Stagecoach were hoping this consultation would slip through hardly noticed, well done to Nigel and Charlie for not sitting back on this one. As I said before many villages will be limited to a school bus a day and nothing else. Looks like Sue was taken to be a Parish Councillor by her comment "we discussed it at the Parish Council".
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/deal/news/deluge-of-protest-at-bizarre-127638/Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,981
I told the reporter it would be discussed at the Parish Councilthat evening which was Tuesday .13 Th I told Charlie and I had a short sentence back.The reporter knew who I was.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,572
Quite a lot a stake here
Good old Stagecoach at it again
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Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,981
Stagecoach higher archy are not good with public relations.Years ago Keith and I were on a committee where we had regular meetings with managers Now it seems very little information is shared.Im supposed to chair a meeting where the problems of bus travel are discussed.Never met in two years .I think the drivers are kept in the dark re routing until the last minute.Probably people making the decisions have never driven a bus in their life.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
I don't think we should take too much notice of the cut off date, there was no consultation at all on the changes to the 68 route but we still hauled Stagecoach in after pressure from ex KCC Councillor Gordon Cowan and others and got a better service as a result.
I doubt the villages have enough clout to save their ones but the 15B which is important to users of Lydden Health Centre could be given an hourly service. A lot depends on what sort of pressure Charlie and Nigel bring to bear.
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,981
Yes I will keep up the pressure.Our petitions are doing well.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
It is nigh impossible to make a serious reply to the consultation because of the vagueness.
"minor adjustments to the 61 timetable with some poorly used journeys being withdrawn".
"route 62 will have a revised timetable".
"there will be minor changes to the 63 timetable".
"Dover town routes general -poorly used journeys will be withdrawn, there will be a reduction in frequency on most Dover local routes on a Saturday afternoons to reflect the lower patronage at those times"
They must have their provisional timetables so why do they not publish them?
Finally as I read it Buckland Hospital will have no service at all.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,572
Further to all the above,,,,,,,,,,, Sue is correct there was a public transport liaison committee on which we both served and could raise directly with senior stagecoach managers.
As soon as collor got in control of DDC he disbanded the committee, which has led to the lack of real consultation, or feeds into stagecoach.
the 60a is heavily used at 0630 in the morning but in the consultation is very unclear and if the town bus to whitfield is withdrawn will affect a bus full including stagecoach drivers getting to work.
the consultation is one of a sham but hopefully when its taken its course we will see some kind of proposed timetables.
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Guest 1395- Registered: 5 Nov 2014
- Posts: 463
Stagecoach are only doing what is required of them - to inform the local authorities and ask for comments. 'Consultation' is a bit of a misnomer! The short time scale is because they want to implement changes in late September and they have to be registered 8 weeks before.
Lew Finnis
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Lew Finnis wrote:Stagecoach are only doing what is required of them - to inform the local authorities and ask for comments. 'Consultation' is a bit of a misnomer! The short time scale is because they want to implement changes in late September and they have to be registered 8 weeks before.
They must have the draft/finalised timetables by now so why do they not simply publish them so we know where we stand? The drivers will have something to say on the Saturday afternoon services being cut as it must mean them sitting around for spells without being paid.
Guest 1395- Registered: 5 Nov 2014
- Posts: 463
They won't publish timetables until they are registered, as they may well make changes. Once registered, they should appear on Traveline in the fullness of time. They won't have drivers sitting around doing nothing - the schedules will be re-jigged to use fewer buses
Lew Finnis
Guest 1395- Registered: 5 Nov 2014
- Posts: 463
And just to prove me wrong, the Consultation Document has been re-done, with provisional timetables starting 3rd September! I have fired off an e-mail pointing out the nonsense of new 90 passing Tescos but not serving the store stop - they seem to expect shoppers to use the Honeywood Parkway stops instead.
Lew Finnis
Reginald Barrington- Location: Dover
- Registered: 17 Dec 2014
- Posts: 3,206
Arte et Marte
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,981
They state the revised services are due to congestion on the roads Obviously never been on a bus going over Hillside to be met by a HGV.It appears all River Bus services into Dover will go via St Radigunds No provision for River Children who need to get to Canterbury for education
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Going to be a long day for the kids if they have to get into town in order to get the bus to Canterbury.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Letter to the press - Stagecoach bus timetables consultation.
Dear Editor,
Mr Elphicke’s comments on the axing of some village bus services reached even higher heights of hypocrisy than usual. He, and his KCC Councillor colleague Nigel Collor, wring their hands at the ‘appalling, inexcusable and unjustifiable’ reductions, yet make no mention of the reasons why the cuts are being imposed by Stagecoach.
The cuts in services are caused by the direct actions of Conservative policies in Westminster. Every year they have cut the budgets of KCC. KCC have to pass these cuts on in the form of reductions in services.
The subsidy to loss-making rural bus services this year has been reduced by 13%. Mr Elphicke is right about one thing. The 2 week consultation period is a joke. Call me a cynic but it was never intended to be serious. My guess is the new timetables are already printed.
The Labour Party, led by Mr Corbyn, has been saying for years that austerity politics do not work, and cuts have consequences. Mr Elphicke wants strong borders but cuts the Border Force; Mr Elphicke wants us to feel safe and secure but cuts the Police Force; Mr Elphiche wants rural bus services to continue but cuts the subsidy.
The public are starting to see through this facade of puffery. If Mr Elphicke had an ounce of honesty he would admit that it is time to rethink his ‘cuts have no effects’ party line.
Privatisation has not worked so it is time to take back into public ownership services like public transport. The public want it and Labour will do it.
The choice is clear. If you want good public services chose a Party that values and funds them - Labour.
Simon Bannister
Labour Councillor for Buckland
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Reginald Barrington- Location: Dover
- Registered: 17 Dec 2014
- Posts: 3,206
Our Charlie has more responsibility in Westminster than I thought!
"The choice is clear. If you want good public services chose a Party that values and funds them - Labour."
I guess the public doesn't, considering they just chose conservatives, did Simon miss the election?
Arte et Marte
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,572
To get back to the consultation, quite correctly labour is questioning the de-regulated bus service that' was to be such a great service, but we find to be the complete opposite.
Of course few cllrs/officers/MP's would use the service, so to make sure cutbacks wouldn't bother them.
Stagecoach is accountable to it's shareholders, so that will come before public service.
Like many others I warned we would often face the might of companies such as Stagecoach ,who have little interest in the publics interest.
Of course Nationalisation with B.R and Stagecoach had a number of faults, so a need for a different new way for provided a much needed transport system run in the interests of its passengers is required.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
[QUOTE="Reginald Barrington"]Our Charlie has more responsibility in Westminster than I thought!
/QUOTE]
The way I read it is that Charlie votes for cuts in various services as he is instructed to then acts all shocked when the effects are seen.