Long diversion. Poor information. Can I claim Delay Repay?

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Today I travelled to Bristol for a ride or two on the new (well, new to the Severn Beach Line) rolling stock. The introduction of the Class 16Xs wasn't the most auspicious, with delays throughout the day as well as cancellations and terminating services short.

It's not those issues that I'm unhappy about though. It was the journey home from Bristol to my part of Somerset.

No mention in Bristol that my chosen route home was closed for engineering works. The first I knew of it was arriving at the start of the possession seeing the route blocked off and a dozen or so orange clad workers. The alternative route I took was a huge dogleg that added at least an hour to my journey and ruined my plan to photograph a certain railway viaduct under the setting sun.

The information given along the alternative route was very poor and at times I had no idea where I was going. This route was also subject to 20mph Temporary Speed Restrictions in places, presumably to let work bed in, having also been subject to recent engineering works. It was also single track in places. Human operated signals in a couple of places too.

I understand the need for these works, but a quicker diversionary route and better information should really have been provided.

So, should I write to the parties responsible for the engineering works? They are, I believe, Bath & North East Somerset Council and Mendip District Council. It is they who have closed the A37 at Pensford from 7pm each night for the next two weeks for resurfacing.

Because of poor diversion signage I ended up going round Chew Valley Lake, past Nempnett Thrubwell (the best place name in Somerset), toward Priddy and finally through Wookey to Wells to get be back on my planned route to Langport.

There really should have been signage at the Bath Road/Wells Road junction in Bristol, and again through Knowle, to say the A37 was closed at Pensford. Had I been informed at those points I could have rerouted to A38 or M5. Instead I ended up down some narrow country lanes (which, judging by traffic, others were on by mistake too, due to poor diversion signage), along recently resurfaced roads with 20mph advisories due to loose chickens, and through other roadworks controlled by Stop/Go boards.

And I missed my sunset photo op of Pensford viaduct.

So not just the railways that can be poor at information during disruption.

What? You didn't think I'd returned to ranting about the railways in the first few paragraphs did you?!?!
 

[ellendune]

So, should I write to the parties responsible for the engineering works? They are, I believe, Bath & North East Somerset Council and Mendip District Council. It is they who have closed the A37 at Pensford from 7pm each night for the next two weeks for resurfacing.

Bathe and North East Somerset Council perhaps, but not Mendip as they are not a highway authority.  The highway authority in that neck of the woods is Somerset County Council. 

[JayMac]

Good point. Got my unitary, district and county council responsibilities mixed up.

Just like the railways eh? Sometimes you don't know who to moan to, or where the buck stops. 

[LiskeardRich]

The councils response will draw your attention to the fact that all road closures are advertised well in advance.

I've just put the route I assume you mention into google maps and it shows the A37 closed south of Pensford.

[JayMac]

Yes, perhaps I should have checked the road was open online before setting off, but who realistically does that for every journey?

My beef was about the poor information on the ground.

[ChrisB]

Yes, perhaps I should have checked the road was open online before setting off, but who realistically does that for every journey?

Unfortunately, ditto for the railways too.....

[bradshaw]

I find this site very useful.

https://dorset.roadworks.org

Although I took it from the Dorset CC website it covers most of the West. It has live traffic, shown as Red, Yellow, Green and Blue for the diversionary routes. In addition you can get information further ahead.

[ChrisB]

roadworks.org is a national site, and one can sign up for emails that list every scheduled roadwork around an address for various numbers of miles - very useful I find it.

[chrisr_75]

Yes, perhaps I should have checked the road was open online before setting off, but who realistically does that for every journey?

My beef was about the poor information on the ground.

After a couple of recentish planned overnight closures on the M4 at Bristol between M32 & M5 interchanges and subsequent diversion through the suburbs which for some reason Highways England (or whatever they call themselves this week) did not publicise further to the East (it was not possible to leave the motorway before committing to the diversion), nor on their website. I would've taken an alternative route from my origin if I had known. I complained to them about this after the second consecutive week of overnight closures, which cost me around 15 mins extra journey time. Lo and behold a response from the site manager of the contractor appeared in my inbox, within 48 hours as I recall, and as if by magic the matrix signs and some road-side signs, placed a good distance to the east, appeared, indicating the closure the next time I passed along.

So, if you contact them (council or Highways England) with your comments, something positive might well happen. Unlike on the railways when it takes weeks and months to reach a conclusion with customer 'services'...

[chrisr_75]

roadworks.org is a national site, and one can sign up for emails that list every scheduled roadwork around an address for various numbers of miles - very useful I find it.

The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) used to provide a very valuable public service with their travel site which included comprehensive national & local roads information. It was particularly useful as you could see local views and also look at an entire motorway or trunk road in a single hit, no other website does this as far as I know. Binned in the name of cost saving in February this year 

[Timmer]

The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) used to provide a very valuable public service with their travel site which included comprehensive national & local roads information. It was particularly useful as you could see local views and also look at an entire motorway or trunk road in a single hit, no other website does this as far as I know. Binned in the name of cost saving in February this year 

Well we can't actually have something on there that is actually useful that us license payers pay for can we?

[ChrisB]

Not when other providers already do it.....unfortunately. Not in the BNBCs remit to stray outside their licence.

Google Maps pick up the Roadworks.org feed - so plot your route before leaving & you'll be in the know.

[chrisr_75]

The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) used to provide a very valuable public service with their travel site which included comprehensive national & local roads information. It was particularly useful as you could see local views and also look at an entire motorway or trunk road in a single hit, no other website does this as far as I know. Binned in the name of cost saving in February this year 

Well we can't actually have something on there that is actually useful that us license payers pay for can we?

Of course not!

That's what really lit my wick with that one - they still manage to find money for the tabloid garbage (BBC3 etc) and politically biased 'news' and current affairs to fill our TV^▸ (Thames Valley) screens and ears (admittedly they DO occasionally produce some excellent stuff as well), yet they bin one of the most useful travel resources the residents of this congested little island had available to them, despite literally countless complaints...  

Rant over  

[chrisr_75]

Not when other providers already do it.....unfortunately. Not in the BNBCs remit to stray outside their licence.

Google Maps pick up the Roadworks.org feed - so plot your route before leaving & you'll be in the know.

.

I know other sites do offer the information, however the way the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) presented it was far superior to any other source I've found so far, for my purposes at least and I still believe national travel information really is a core item for a public service broadcaster.

I now tend to check Google Maps for traffic flow and Traffic England (and Wales because no-one apparently travels continuously along the M4...  ) for roadworks or for additional details not provided by Google/Waze.

[LiskeardRich]

Yes, perhaps I should have checked the road was open online before setting off, but who realistically does that for every journey?

My beef was about the poor information on the ground.

I do through habit. I go to work at 3am, and more often than not there is a night closure somewhere on the A38 so I alway check then, now I end up through practice doing it anytime!