FOSBR AGM / 29.1.2021 / by Zoom

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Adding this to the diary ... email link for FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways) members will be sent by email prior to the meeting - posting here as a "plug" for FoSBR^» (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways - site) who are, I am delighted, one of the groups embracing rather than skipping the online activities which we are somewhat limited to at the moment.   Lots of lovely stuff at https://fosbr.org.uk too.

Edit to correct year in subject line from 2020 to 2021

[Reginald25]

Possibly 20Jan 2021?

[grahame]

Possibly 20Jan 2021?

Or even 29 Jan 2021 

Editing subject line in this post and the first post in the thread (which gets used in titles) too.

[Red Squirrel]

Easy mistake to make! 

[Red Squirrel]

More on the FoSBR^» (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways - site) AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) at https://fosbr.org.uk/fosbr-agm-2021/

The link will be sent out on or around the 19th Jan to members with registered email addresses.

The meeting is open to non-members - contact FoSBR at https://fosbr.org.uk/get-involved/contact-us/ to register. You can if you wish join FoSBR at https://fosbr.org.uk/get-involved/join-us/

[Lee]

To be frank, it has been well over a decade now since FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways)'s last big campaigning achievement - The frequency increases on the Severn Beach Line - and they sorely miss the analytical nous of nationally renowned FOSBR campaigners of that era such as Cat Hobbs and Joe Patrick, particularly when you read some of the uttter cobblers against the case for a new station at Aztec West they have been putting out recently, for example.

Indeed, as much as they bemoan in that link the fact that the prospects for new stations on the Welsh section of the Bristol-Cardiff line seem so much brighter than those for new stations on the English section, FOSBR have had a plan for future rail for as long as I can remember, and must surely share some responsibility that their campaigning hasnt moved that cause further forward.

So I guess what I'm asking is this - Is FOSBR still fit for campaigning purpose as we move into what will undoubtedly be very trying times ahead for rail, or is it time to look afresh at the merits or otherwise of a new vehicle to take the area's rail campaigning forward?

[grahame]

It is good to be frank, Lee, because that's how we learn and move forward and learn. Your post helps us learn what you think about some of FoSBR^» (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways - site)'s effectiveness and quality of output. It does not look complementary, not encouraging, not kind, but at least (I think) you are honest in expressing your view - either that or you are trolling / posting to provoke a reaction.

Public transport campaigning does not achieve a smooth flow of results - it provided the very occasional significant leap forwards, smaller steps from time to time, and an offputtingly common serious of things that stop progress being made, reverse it, kick things into the long grass, have other ideas and view come in as spoilers, etc.  And none of us - FoSBR, MRUG^» (Melksham Rail User Group - site), Coffee Shop, receive any financial remuneration what so ever for what we do and so, perhaps, incur no responsibility for how far forward we move over a period of time. The responsibility for a public transport network that, perhaps, does not move forward as (arguably) it should lays with those we elect to public office, and the various experts they choose to employ.  Even there many (or most) individuals are utterly frustrated by the complex machine they find themselves in and it's a systemic issue where they could do so much more if only "the system" allowed it.

You name some excellent campaigners no longer active in the area, and I could name more from Bristol and our wider area. In doing so as you do, you appear to be telling the current team that they are not filling the role vacated by these people.  I'm going to differ from that view - we are all different and do things in different ways.  There are some very effective things being done; agreed, more could always be done - and that is always the case - to have aspirations.

Neither you nor I live in Bristol / WECA^» (West of England Combined Authority - about), though I travel there quite often in normal times, and am a user of there public transport network; arguably, North and West Wilts should be included as they are part of the same travel-to-work / economic area.  I payed my 2021 subscription to FoSBR a couple of days ago, look forward to their AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) and that (and their committee) is  the best place for them to consider how they're moving forward.

We stand a far better chance of achieving a transport system, and indeed a wider environment, fit for the future if we work together, discuss differences, come to appropriate conclusions than if we're onto each other's cases. I appreciate the irony that I'm onto your case, Lee, in writing this - regrettable, but we need to move on.

[Red Squirrel]

Just to be clear, Lee, my post - which you describe as 'utter cobblers' - simply states some facts:

• A station at Aztec West would have a good catchment;
• Building it would be expensive due to its location;
• FoSBR^» (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways - site) is not campaigning for a station there.

Personally I think that a station there would be a good idea, but it isn't part of FoSBR's Rail Plan.

To be frank, it has been well over a decade now since FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways)'s last big campaigning achievement

Much of what we do in FoSBR is unglamorous - responding to consultations and calls for evidence, for example, and working with TfGB. We are particularly sad to have lost Tina Biggs this year - she has contributed hugely in terms of ideas and just hard work.

FoSBR (with others!) campaigned for the recently-completed four-tracking of Filton Bank. We feel that we played a part in that success.

I joined FoSBR because I believe, as grahame says, that we can achieve much more if we work together. It is frustrating; some people want to go faster and some slower than you, and some just have completely different priorities. We recognise the need to refocus as we enter the post-COVID world.

So I guess what I'm asking is this - Is FOSBR still fit for campaigning purpose as we move into what will undoubtedly be very trying times ahead for rail, or is it time to look afresh at the merits or otherwise of a new vehicle to take the area's rail campaigning forward?

FoSBR is not complacent about the challenges we face. To my mind, it makes more sense to work with what we've got.

[Red Squirrel]

The FoSBR^» (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways - site) AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) will be held on FRIDAY 29th JANUARY 2021, starting at 7.30 pm and ending at 9.30 pm. 

You can find information about the meeting on our website at https://fosbr.org.uk/fosbr-agm-2021/.  Our main speakers will be : 

• Nicholas Falk (Executive Director of The URBED Trust) who will talk about integrating rail transport with development planning and how transport planning can lead a Green Recovery.
• Andrew Braddock (Bath & Bristol Trams Group) will present his group’s work promoting light rail initiatives for Bath and Bristol, and how they interchange/integrate with the rail network.
• Gavin Smith (Transport for Greater Bristol) will outline the comprehensive set of proposals TfGB are developing.

Zoom meeting:

It will be a ZOOM meeting, which will be recorded.  The link to the meeting is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82292308278.    Meeting ID: 822 9230 8278

To ensure that we can start on time, please sign in to the meeting from 7.15 pm - it will give you time to sort out any glitches that you might encounter while trying to dial in.  If you have never used Zoom before and need some help, reply to membership@fosbr.org.uk and you will be passed to our technical support team to guide you through the set-up process in advance of the meeting.  If you have used Zoom on your device before, you should just be able to click on the above link.

Meeting papers: there is some paperwork for this meeting (attached), as follows:

    Agenda for the AGM   
    Minutes of previous AGM (held on 14 February 2020)
    Roundup of FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways) activity for 2020
    Treasurer's Report for 2020


Election of Officers: the following posts are up for election at the meeting

    Chair  (currently held by Rob Dixon)
    Secretary  (vacant post at present)
    Treasurer/Membership Secretary  (currently held by Tony Lloyd)
    Press Officer   (currently held by Carol Durrant)
    Campaign Secretary  (vacant post at present)

If you wish to be nominated for any of these posts, please can you email your nomination to chairman@fosbr.org.uk by 6pm on Thursday 28th January (the day before the AGM ).   

Proposed Resolution: it is considered that the train service frequency, for which FoSBR is currently campaigning, should be increased from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes.  The proposed resolution, which will be debated and voted on at the meeting, will be:   

"Although MetroWest is bringing much-needed and long-awaited train frequency improvements, FoSBR seeks a 15-minute frequency train service to all Bristol stations for a true metro-style service".

An on-line AGM is a new experience for FOSBR but there is no reason why it can't be as rewarding as our normal (real world) AGMs.  We have three speakers with some really interesting and thought- provoking ideas for the future of travel in our area; there will also be short presentations from local rail groups in our area - and of course plenty of time for discussion.  Please join us for the AGM and we look forward to seeing you online!   

[grahame]

An excellent meeting ... thank you Rob, Carol, Tim and team. Good to hear from Nick and Andrew - very much looking forward and outward at what has been done elsewhere and where "we" should be headed in Bristol, and from Gavin, Bernard, Nigel, Keith, Ollie, Olga (and I may have missed out one or two) on the last year an more immediate plans.

I will confess to a twinge of jealousy as talk turned to a 30 minute service on "The Beach" from the end of this year and a proposal to move the campaign forward to "turn up and go" which will look for every 15 minutes as the next stage - from a town of 25,000 where there are gaps from 15:39 to 18:03.    But that's in no way "putting Bristol down" - rather casting them and their success thus far, and plans, as an example even though they know there is so much more that they could do.

I am a member of FoSBR^» (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways - site) ... my home town of Melksham is within the WECA^» (West of England Combined Authority - about) travel-to-work and travel-to-leisure area, and the new local strategy consultation confirms that by placing our part of Wiltshire into a housing zone than looks westward out of the county.  But our area / plans / campaigns needed work alongside not within FoSBR - hence other groups such as the Melksham Rail User Group and West Wilts Rail user Group which look in that direction, and hence my use of "we" in quotes in the first paragraph.  I do appreciate the forward looks and approach - look forward to half hourly Avonmouth to Westbury and connections into and out of Melksham - a more conservative objective - at least once an hour.

[ellendune]

I am a member of FoSBR^» (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways - site) ... my home town of Melksham is within the WECA^» (West of England Combined Authority - about) travel-to-work and travel-to-leisure area, and the new local strategy consultation confirms that by placing our part of Wiltshire into a housing zone than looks westward out of the county.  But our area / plans / campaigns needed work alongside not within FoSBR - hence other groups such as the Melksham Rail User Group and West Wilts Rail user Group which look in that direction, and hence my use of "we" in quotes in the first paragraph.  I do appreciate the forward looks and approach - look forward to half hourly Avonmouth to Westbury and connections into and out of Melksham - a more conservative objective - at least once an hour.

Swindon is a town that 'looks' in several directions. By this I mean that different people see it as looking different ways.  Many commute to it from the Cotswolds and other surrounding towns in Wiltshire and Berkshire Oxfordshire, Bath, Bristol and beyond.  Many commute from Swindon to Oxford, Reading, Bristol, Bath, Gloucester and London.  So different people look different ways from the town. Poor public transport to the Marlborough and further south and to Wantage has made it more of a car town than other places.  In the 1960's its railway was short-sightedly demoted to an occasional stop on an intercity route from London to Bristol and South Wales with local stations all closed.  It still has very few local services (only the Trans Wilts really and perhaps the Gloucester line though the local stations on that line are all at the Gloucester end of the line) which means that it must rely on intercity services for 'local' journeys.  I know someone who commutes from Backwell and could easily commute by train, but the cost is so much more than the car, he does not. 

Swindon bus station is a most inhospitable place to wait, especially in the evening and local bus services become infrequent very soon after the evening peak. Rail commuters who find themselves needing to travel from the station to the suburbs at those times are therefore not well catered for. So they drive so the services are not used (catch 22).

[Red Squirrel]

For anyone with time on their hands(!), FoSBR^» (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways - site) have put up the AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) video (in five parts) on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJWnP7u8gUk&list=PLx90ELCt1fM2Ao6RXmtCcfwRnewIg4_OZ

The second and third parts are probably the most interesting:

Nicholas Falk on Planning for Green Recovery is here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNyP2f2P9M4&list=PLx90ELCt1fM2Ao6RXmtCcfwRnewIg4_OZ&index=2

and Andrew Braddock and Gavin Smith on The Case for Trams is here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhZEGDVpPc0&list=PLx90ELCt1fM2Ao6RXmtCcfwRnewIg4_OZ&index=3