My meeting notes ...
TransWilts Use Groups co-ordination meeting. Subject discussed / messages raised
One
MP▸ , One Wiltshire Councillor, 2 Presidents of Chamber of Commerce, one
FSB» area representation for Transport, One Campaign for Better Transport Dynamo, One council expert officer, 2 town councillors, one chair of the major political party in Wiltshire, one former member of Transport Users Consultative Committee, One
CRP▸ Chair, One bus geek, anuber of campaign experts .... we had quite a lot of relevant skills in the room. All public transport users; cyclists, wheelchair user, and many of use drivers too.
* Electrification to Bedwyn or Westbury or Frome or Bath
- Silly to test case based on current train services without amending for electric lines
- Noted that only THIS case from BDW tested; other cases would probably be much better
- Noted that even Bedwyn people (
BCR▸ 2.3 and rising) not happy that it stops there
- Note support from further west and from Bristol
- Unhappy that formal publicaton is slipping until after next spending announcement
* TransWilts service - improvements
- Duncan Hames filled us in on what he's been doing being / meeting
DfT» ,
NR» ,
FGW▸ , etc
- These actions / our prompring has helped stop this falling off the table in the franchise mess
- FGW should get 3 yeat extersion. Request for bid just going out. Now includes TransWilts as costed option
- Trains to be running from 12.2015; stock aquaitition under way (see Cardiff / Taunton
EU» request)
- Path requests etc have gone to NR
* Change of Portflio at Wiltshire Council
- Thanks to Richard Gamble for last four years
- Welcome to Fleur de Rhe Phillipe;
- Apologies from Fleur. Intro note promising
- Past work / reputation a worry, but we're in a different era in both transport requirement and our move from campaign to support
* Bath / Bristol Travel to work area
- BaNES core states "Housing in West Wilts" so travel and transport needed
- Need to work with West of England Partenrship
- 14th June, 3 pm onwards, Guildhall, Bath - meeting witg questions - JR to brief
- 9th July - Adrian Saunders, Transport Select Commitee - JR to liase / GE and
IC▸ to speak to Wiltshire
- Turnback at Batheaston would be difficult to work and needless cost to add in
- Staff and many travellers based onwards to Westbury; service should run to Frome / Warmisnter, Melksham connection
* Swindon and Wiltshire Local Transport Board
- Covers
LEP» area. 2 council portflio holders for each plus others
- 70 schemes consider for putting forward, now down to 10
- 6 road, 4 rail
- Royal Wootton Bassett station, extra Westbury Platform and Wilton station all link in with Transwilts; gratified to see them as they require TransWilts trains to run.
- We also welcome Corsham station
- Concern at roads being almost entirely A350 and the sponge effect of bringing in traffic. From Bath / Clarendon Bridge
- It's appreciated / applauded that links from West Wilts to motorway past chppenham need to be debottlenecked; dual or improving roundabouts???
- If A350 take much more traffic, also need to look at Beanacre.
- Much A36 traffic from Motorway is to Frome If that goes to A350, make strong case for link road to upgrade A361 from A350 to A36- Would also provide better lorry link into West Wilts Trading estate
- A350 in Dorset hard to improve in certain areas
* Zigzag bus
- Consultation until 2nd August
- Group prefers NOT to shrink back service which will just send it downhill; suggests other alternative
- nicer buses to encourage optional ("middle class!") users; regular service
- can be done with (!) fewer vehicles and probably much less subsidy if done across the great cross network at Melksham
- GE to documnet to SF by Wednesday (done - see
http://melksh.am/4111 )
- Note by JR / Wets Wilts has one of the lowest bus riderships in
UK▸ , esp. Paxcroft Mead and Cepen Park
- Low ridership put down to buses starting after houses are occupied and people have bought 2nd car
- We took a trip out to East Melksham to show this happening AGAIN ... lots of houses, no buses or stops yet
*
LSTF▸ - Delivery wil be through constited CRPs; Transwilts advised to formalise as planned
- County budget cuts; looking for help with surveys and counts
- Bearing in mind the current high security, get official letters and sanctions
* Working with First / TransWilts CRP
- Great success on 27th May to Weymouth
- Now a leaflet for summer - GE
* Core Strategy
- 61 questions on Transport! JR has seat at table for
CBT‡; we can take her chair on our topics
- Mid July. Then BaNESone will resume.
- Inspector likes evidence based cases ;-)
* This meeting, next meeting
- Moved from the Laverton to Well House Manor as problem accessing the Laverton
- Issues to be resolved for next meeting as Laverton is public transport practical
- Send an EXTRA reminder out for next meeting (not just now, then a few days before).
- next date (very hard to find a Saturday for all! 19th October 2013).
You are welcome to ask questions / for a set of the minutes that Sion and Phil will be trying to put together - my gooooness what a full meeting!
