Oh my goodness - Radio Wiltshire had me featuring as a campaigner yesterday morning ... and colloquially it's
against bus cuts. But actually I'm campaigning
for a better alternative / system to what we have at the moment.
There could be (and indeed there was in the headline / tone) doom and gloom. From the County person responsible (Phillip Whitehead) on the need to save money. From the passengers saying what hardships to their bus would bring. And from a bus operator saying how seriously it would effect his business. There are acknowldged problems that savings in subsidy must be made, yet people must get to the shops, the doctors, college, work - and this in a county where the population density is relatively low.
To campaign against is negative. To campaign for a better approach that saves necessary services, makes better use of resources, and provides an environment in which bus use can grow is something for us all to get involved with, take pride in, and work together on.
For the
current passenger there's a service which provides for their need to travel - it may be modified to combine needs, may be a little less convenient, but it's secure.
For the
potential passenger it provides a way of leaving the car at home, or of not having (a second) car at all. It provides a way of getting to education and work that couldn't otherwise be reached. For visitors from further afield, it provides a way of seeing the county and reaching attractions without having to drive on the left,or join a tour group. And as people get older and can't drive, it provides a way of being able to stay independent in their home, of getting out and being encouraged to exercise.
For the
bus operator it provides a more stable and more cost effective solution for the future. I noted a local bus operator quoted on local TV this morning that the cuts would put his business at risk, when what's needed is co-operative and long-term development
For the
Council tax payer an optimised network solution reduces the need for / level of subsidy required.
For the
Councillor and for
the MP it provides an innovative solution that doesn't cost a fortune with meaninigful contribution in the hands of the local people in areas where services run .. and that's a vote winner for them.
Can't be bad ... what's stopping us?
See
Option 24/7 (written 2016-01-17)
Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles
Z407 - Option 24/7 - the way forward for Wiltshire buses [4619] Buses - not about the buses, but about the people who use the buses - (2016-01-10)
[4621] The power of scripting - (2016-01-12)
[4625] Where does Wiltshire bus subsidy money come from? - (2016-01-19)
[4630] The story behind the bus cuts, and what they could mean - (2016-01-24)
[4631] What would the Wiltshire Council bus cuts mean for Melksham? - (2016-01-25)
[4636] Rail user groups worried about what is happening on the buses - (2016-01-31)
[4648] Why is bus funding a much hotter topic than a new set of traffic lights? - (2016-02-16)
[4654] Getting to the Royal United Hospital - the Hopper and the alternatives - (2016-02-24)
[4657] Rumours of bus changes by First in Wiltshire - what we know and suspect - (2016-03-01)
[4658] The end of competition on a bus route - the effects from then end of the 234 - (2016-03-02)
[4660] What is happening on the 231 bus? What are you going to do about it? - (2016-03-04)
[4667] Wiltshire Supported Bus consultation - final few days - (2016-03-30)
[4669] Buses - how did we get into the situation we are in? - (2016-04-02)
[4690] Buses in Wiltshire - potential changes and where we stand at the moment - (2016-05-30)
[4691] Real life PHP application using our course training MVC example - (2016-06-05)
[4692] How are bus support payments currently calculated? - (2016-06-07)
[4693] Wiltshire supported bus service consultation, early 2016 - interim results published - (2016-06-09)
[4694] Supported Bus Services in Wiltshire - analysis of written-in comments - (2016-06-11)
[4703] What do people use the bus for in Wiltshire - survey interim results. - (2016-07-11)
Z511 - Public Transport - Road [119] PHP course. Come by train. - (2004-11-15)
[187] a popular bus number - (2005-01-23)
[459] Kiss and Ride - (2005-10-09)
[474] Vintage Bus Day - (2005-10-23)
[764] Journey planning - Xephos v Transport Direct - (2006-06-16)
[818] Heard, yes. Considered, no. The case for the train. - (2006-07-30)
[1085] Lawrence Webb's Melksham Taxi service - (2007-02-18)
[1125] Train service - petititon reply - (2007-03-31)
[1254] Comparing bus stops - (2007-07-01)
[1315] Two years of campaigning for a train service - (2007-08-22)
[1428] Travel Across Wiltshire - the game - (2007-11-11)
[1511] Buses from Well House Manor, Melksham, to Bath - (2008-01-18)
[1560] HST Power Car TravelWatch SouthWest - (2008-03-01)
[1567] Melksham - Swindon. Train v Bus v Car - (2008-03-07)
[1668] Talk on TransWilts train service to Green Party - (2008-06-07)
[1723] Bath - Melksham - Devizes. Bus route changes, new timetable - (2008-07-26)
[1777] The Rise and Rise of First Bus Fares - (2008-08-29)
[2075] Supporting Parkinsons and Trains - (2009-03-11)
[2083] Do you support a decent train service? Please sign up! - (2009-03-15)
[2268] Westbury Bypass Refused - looking forward - (2009-07-04)
[2328] Melksham - no trains, no southbound buses through the town - (2009-08-08)
[2372] Public Transport from (and to) Melksham on Sundays - (2009-08-23)
[2431] Moving busstop! - (2009-09-30)
[2515] Why we have two buses an hour - but not a half hourly service - (2009-11-28)
[2522] Integrated public Transport - what could be done for Melksham - (2009-12-01)
[2533] Five guests, three groups, one car - (2009-12-11)
[2662] Is Melksham public transport actually used? - (2010-03-05)
[2672] Dear Planners, please provide viable alternatives - (2010-03-11)
[2771] Melksham to Calne by public transport - (2010-05-20)
[2789] Melksham to London (Heathrow, and Central London) - (2010-06-02)
[2791] Bath to Melksham buses - times - (2010-06-03)
[2857] Park and Ride at Batheaston - will it solve Wiltshires Ills? - (2010-07-06)
[2903] Bath to Devizes bus via Melksham - changing again in September - (2010-08-04)
[2919] London to Calne, Corsham, Melksham, Bradford-on-Avon, Chippenham by public Transport - (2010-08-13)
[2933] Bath - Melksham - Devizes buses from September - (2010-08-23)
[2958] What do these road markings mean? Could Confusion Kill? - (2010-09-17)
[2982] Travel, Transport and Tourism - A vision for Melksham, 2026 - (2010-10-03)
[2983] Strong arm tactics in the bus industry? Poor result for the customer! - (2010-10-03)
[3126] Car Parking in Melksham - thoughts on the proposed scheme, and wider thoughts too - (2011-01-09)
[3194] Buses - what they cost and their future direction in the SW and in Wiltshire - (2011-03-06)
[3290] Changes (and no changes) at Melksham bus stops - (2011-05-15)
[3301] Using public transport - USA style - (2011-05-25)
[3404] Buses on the Cambridge Guided Busway - (2011-08-24)
[3471] Vintage Bus Running Day in Warminster. An example of good bus practise. - (2011-10-09)
[3486] How important is public transport to people in the Melksham area? - (2011-10-19)
[3487] Public transport - road and rail - (2011-10-19)
[3504] Coaches from Trowbridge and Melksham to London - (2011-11-01)
[3523] When competition is not a good idea - Melksham Bus Absurdity - (2011-11-16)
[3564] I wish I was not a special case - (2011-12-29)
[3579] Transport in Cambridgeshire - seen by an outside observer. What can Wiltshire learn? - (2012-01-15)
[3580] Melksham Area - buses, trains, cycles, and roads. Meeting, 17.1.2012 - (2012-01-15)
[3631] Getting around Dublin by public transport - some observations - (2012-03-01)
[3699] Bristol 50? Bristol 25? - (2012-04-17)
[3849] New bus times - Melksham to Bath - (2012-08-25)
[3850] Bus times - Chippenham Station to Melksham, with London connections - (2012-08-25)
[3866] Celebrate! Buses from Meksham to Bath - (2012-09-18)
[3877] Public Transport Services - from and to Melksham - (2012-10-01)
[3879] Mixed mode travel - Information systems - (2012-10-03)
[3893] Public Transport across Wiltshire - a new map - (2012-10-13)
[3904] Want to help us improve transport in Wiltshire? Here is how! - (2012-10-26)
[3929] Melksham Bus Issues - to be raised at First Bus Customer Panel - (2012-11-21)
[3937] Agenda for Wiltshire Link Travel groups meeting, Saturday 1st December 2012 - (2012-11-27)
[3938] A long overdue meeting - a steeping stone towards coordinate transport user inputs - (2012-12-02)
[3951] Christmas Bus Schedule for Melksham - First Bus - (2012-12-14)
[4022] A request for all of Melksham transport groups to work integrated - (2013-03-01)
[4023] Melksham to Chippenham (Station) bus services - times and routes - (2013-03-01)
[4032] Easier public transport from Melksham to Bristol Airport - (2013-03-06)
[4108] The painful cost of local travel to Melksham - (2013-06-01)
[4111] Zigzag bus - forward for the future, or decaying service? - (2013-06-09)
[4113] Wiltshire and Melksham Transport - what is going on? - (2013-06-09)
[4123] New timetables from 28th July - bus routes 271 and 272 - (2013-06-24)
[4124] Chippenham - Melksham - Trowbridge bus changes next month - (2013-06-26)
[4143] Bus times - Melksham to Bath from 28th July 2013 - (2013-07-25)
[4149] Bus changes to Bath - good idea, but I despair at information available - (2013-08-08)
[4150] Melksham Regular Public Transport Map - as at August 2013 - (2013-08-09)
[4152] Why are bus fares so high? - (2013-08-18)
[4171] Mapping road accidents in Melksham and elsewhere too - (2013-09-12)
[4179] Changing transport and destinations - looking forward to a good future - (2013-09-19)
[4181] Grumbling about trains? Buses can be far worse! - (2013-09-29)
[4186] Melksham to Bath and Zigzag buses - at a turning point? - (2013-10-06)
[4190] A radical proposal - a cheap and effective way to provide home to city commuter transport - (2013-10-11)
[4191] Getting people to and from Melksham Station - not 20 but 700 times a day - (2013-10-12)
[4192] A positive progress behind the scenes - (2013-10-14)
[4194] TransWilts Link - meeting notes from 19th October - (2013-10-20)
[4228] Mallory Place, The Spa, Wellington Drive, Melksham - a Christmas present for you - (2013-12-26)
[4240] Melksham Rail Link - (2014-01-27)
[4247] You wait a long time - then buses come in threes. It's timetabled that way! - (2014-03-09)
[4257] Over a pound a kilometre - my bus in Weston-super-mare - (2014-04-06)
[4263] Chippenham - Melksham - Trowbridge, public transport over Easter (2014) - (2014-04-12)
[4286] Reaction in Radstock to new First bus prices - (2014-07-12)
[4290] National Express replaced by train and by Megabus from Chippenham to London - (2014-07-16)
[4425] A Welsh valley - what the transport looks like in 2015 - (2015-02-14)
[4500] The TransWilts Community Intergrated Transport Corridor - (2015-05-29)
[4546] Is the RUH hopper a limited, duplicate service running unnecessarily and at high cost? - (2015-10-18)
[4547] RUH Hopper - experience and thoughts forward - (2015-10-20)
[4592] A comparison of the public transport alternatives to the Royal United Hospital, Bath - from Melksham. - (2015-12-06)
[4615] Questions for First (West of England) - (2016-01-05)
[4629] Making travel time useful time on public transport - (2016-01-22)
[4639] Working out the costs of running a bus service through the day - (2016-02-06)
[4664] Mallory Place bus stop - services to Bath - (2016-03-25)
[4670] The end, or the start? - (2016-04-05)
[4683] Saudi Arabia or Weymouth? - (2016-05-22)
Some other Articles
Associative objects - one object within another.Caching results in an object for efficiency - avoiding re-calculationSingleton design pattern - examples and usesCampaigning for a sensible bus solution and not against anyone!Rambling from WestburyFrosty morning, beauty of WiltshirePerl 6 - a Practical Extraction and Reporting example!