Less Expression

First's North Somerset Excel network, previously the Express Yourself network will be undergoing changes from the end of April 2019, which (whilst being referred to in their press release as improvements) will see the loss of: - one direct bus per hour between Weston-super-Mare and Bristol (Currently 4, becomes 3) - one bus per hour…

This isn’t good enough

I know i've moaned about Weston Community Transport before, but they're not getting any better. I thought it might be a reasonable time to illustrate the ways in which this community transport operator is failing where a professional operator would not be able to do so: Step entrance vehicle. In an age where low-floor, accessible…

False Economy

Lets disspell a couple of myths: Community Transport is not saving bus services. Community Transport is not saving the public purse any money. On the first point: Community Transport is being used as a plaster to patch up a crack in a dam. Community Transport does nothing to promote new public transport usage to new…

Small solutions

One aspect of transport planning which i find unintelligible is the reluctance to attempt small solutions to a problem instead of the proverbial sledgehammer to crack a nut which seems most favoured by the British public sector. An example recently began construction nearby on the A39 at Marksbury (Google StreetView link / B&NES rationale). Due…

Fat Sparrows

One of my pet hates is the gravitas with which clueless commentators upon our industry are given. Sometimes self proclaimed campaigners, sometimes community groups, sometimes structured organisations; give them the opportunity to get a nonsensical press release to the local newsrag and the local media finds it irresistible. Compare this to the disinterest they will…

Winners and Losers in North Somerset

A bit of numbercrunching can find some interesting results. First were gifted £240,000 by North Somerset Council in early 2017 for interurban network improvements which are to start at the end of April. Surely a significant uplift in funding such as this would only produce winners...? X1, X1A, X2: Bristol - Backwell - Congresbury -…

How the neighbours do it

Previous reading regarding this post can be found in "The Impossible Dream", in which i made some predictions regarding North Somerset tendering. 50% of my predictions were correct, although i underestimated how keen First would be to push back against the seemingly unstoppable expansion of Crosville in Weston-super-Mare. There has since been a significant retrench…

The Impossible Dream

The Elected Members of North Somerset Council have recently voted themselves out of the reformation of Avon County Council currently being glamourised in various guises, most notably the Metro Mayor. I assume he (or she) will have had an immaculate manicure prior to taking office. But i digress. North Somerset's councillors seem to be blissfully…