21st March 2025 - TravelWatch SouthWest General meeting

[whole diary]

[grahame]

EDIT (in lead post) - 25th March cancelled. 24th October happening for sure.

To be held somewhere in Taunton. A diary date for a representative of each of the many user and specialist public transport groups across the South West.

Confirmed to be at the Firepool Innovation Centre - where we met last time, and just across from the station.

Also 24th October 2025 - probable date for the Autumn General Meeting - just being "pinged" around the TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) team

[grahame]

Tickets (free) via Eventbrite .. for organisations, groups to send reps and for unattached individuals with a strong interest.  Please ask me if you need a more formal invite.  Worded that way to avoid getting the entire membership of the Stogumber Night Bus Campaign coming along and drowning the meeting - a rep and an understudy is plentry.

Date: Friday, 21st March 10:30 - 15:30

Location: Firepool Digital Innovation Centre

About the Event:

Welcome to TravelWatch SouthWest's Spring General Meeting for 2025. Join us for a gathering of travel enthusiasts, industry experts, and passionate advocates. Share your ideas and connect with like-minded individuals.

Do the proposed arrangements by Government for a "single directing mind that will run our rail infrastructure and passenger services in the public interest" work for the best interests of passenger group aims and amibitions?

Spatial planning and delivery of local aims - will planning processes change work for a better and more sustainable public transport experience?

The full Agenda will be released shortly.

[ChrisB]

This thread now has the wrong subect line and dopes not refer to the March 21 2025 meeting!

[Chris from Nailsea]

I'm sorry for that confusion, ChrisB:  I've now moved your post here and will amend the topic headings for those historic TravelWatch SouthWest meetings.

CfN. 

[grahame]

We are now just under 2 weeks away from TravelWatch SouthWest's Spring general meeting on Friday 21st March. You may have already registered for the in-person event in Taunton or the online option. If you have not already done so, and you are able to attend, please register for tickets at the Eventbrite link here to secure your place.

Agenda:

TravelWatch SouthWest - General Meeting 21st March 2025 Taunton

1030   Welcome

1045   Keynote: Better transport is part of placemaking

1100   Ensuring we Emphasise User experience as Transport Underpins Placemaking?
Network Rail, Strategy Planning Leader, Matt Haywood, 
The Go-Ahead Group , Head of Built Environment and Infrastructure, Nick Small
Great Western Railway, Head of Regional Development, Dan Okey

1150   Integrated National Transport Strategy?
Bus Users UK^▸ (United Kingdom), Director for England, Lydia Horbury
UWE, Graham Parkhurst
Transport Focus, Nina Howe

12:40   Lunch

1320   Just a Minute: Member Groups take the stage for 1 minute

1330   Workshop with Panel: Will the new voice “for” passengers be the new voice “of” passengers/journeys makers and communities?

1440   Summary from the Chair

1500    Close

[grahame]

Booking links for in-person and online now available via:

https://www.travelwatchsouthwest.org.uk/

[grahame]

CANCELLATION - TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) ... This Friday in Taunton. Several speakers have pulled out because of exceptional personal issues, short term "subs" seem to be using up their annual leave before the end of the holiday year and in view of signup numbers in person not being very high the decision was taken to pull the meeting by chair and secratrial team. 

Flagging up as soon as I got the news as "Cancellation" but may turn into a postponement ... to something else but not this week.

[JayMac]

Nothing about cancellation on TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) website. Will they email ticket holders? Many of whom may already have booked and paid for travel.

EventBrite still offering tickets.

[grahame]

Nothing about cancellation on TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) website. Will they email ticket holders? Many of whom may already have booked and paid for travel.

EventBrite still offering tickets.

Just updated https://www.travelwatchsouthwest.org.uk ... and I would be pretty sure that the secretarial team WILL be in touch and dealing with Eventbrite too very shortly.   I broke news here as soon as I heard and was sure of the news.

[ChrisB]

Nothing about cancellation on TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) website. Will they email ticket holders? Many of whom may already have booked and paid for travel.

EventBrite still offering tickets.

And still mentioned (as a TBC admittedly) on the TWSW '.org' website!

Very poorly handled 

Only notification was from Eventbrite with two words "Event Cancelled" - zilch, nader, nothing else.
I'm sorry, but cancellations need to happen at least a week out, preferably two, and made very clear in the booking process not to book your travel before the two weeks prior as you may lose your money if you buy in Advance!

So, I have to come for  a jolly, as I booked during the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) sale & have 1st class seats booked for a total of £74.20. I also have to get out of bed at 0530 on a Saturday - something I don't mind doing if its going to be rewarding enough....BUT.

Damned if I'm going to waste these!!

Now to find somewhere else to go between 1015 & 1700 from TAU^» (Taunton - next trains).

 

[grahame]

And still mentioned (as a TBC admittedly) on the TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) '.org' website!

Yes - I *do* have access to that and am struggling to do an edit

Very poorly handled 

I'm sorry, but cancellations need to happen at least a week out, preferably two,

I am - NOT - about to disclose personal information of others, but I note that I have had to pull out of an event I was scheduled to attend at very short notice indeed.  Not often - just once in 25 years - that resulted in the an assembled group being let down on the day. And where specialists are involved - as I was at the time - zero change of finding a standing.

So, I have to come for  a jolly, as I booked during the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) sale & have 1st class seats booked for a total of £74.20. I also have to get out of bed at 0530 on a Saturday - something I don't mind doing if its going to be rewarding enough....BUT.

Damned if I'm going to waste these!!

Now to find somewhere else to go between 1015 & 1700 from TAU^» (Taunton - next trains).

I have already looked at the West Somerset Railway but their season starts the following day.   I also have (decision in the next hour) to decide whether to carry on with my suggested meet up for Wiltshire and Somerset bus groups at The Plough, just down the road, at 15:30 and I am in discussion with others who were going on to that.

 
[/quote]

[ChrisB]

Of course, emergencies can happen to someone at any time/day, I appreciate that, but the way these days are structured, there are at least 4 speakers & I might find it less believable that all 4 (or even 3) have all had something emergency happen together. This isn't a one-person all-day seminar that you used to run.

My suggestion of a warning in the booking engine stands.

The West Somerset Railway unfortunately is not exactly accessible, Graham.

[JayMac]

Graham, do let us know if you'll be going to The Plough. Finn and I can pop down for pint. Well, I'll have the pint. Finn is teetotal!

[Chris from Nailsea]

I have revised my plans for tomorrow, so I will now be able to attend a hopefully convivial meeting in The Plough, Taunton, from 15:30.

If only for the opportunity to meet Finn, our Coffee Shop forum mascot, again.

CfN.