Transport Report – July 2017 — evening bus services to be cut
The evening bus services operated by Thamesdown, Service Nos 70A and 72A, funded by Wiltshire Council and Swindon BC and not run as a commercial service, will be withdrawn from Monday 14th August 2017. We have heard of a number of concerns from local residents and comments on Chiseldon Parish Facebook page. Our two Borough councillors, with the help of Chiseldon and Wroughton parish councils, are hoping to set up a meeting with the Cabinet member for transport of SBC, as any change in bus services need to be registered. This meeting will include the three bus companies Stagecoach West, Thamesdown and Salisbury Reds, with reps from both Chiseldon and Wroughton parish councils. One of the ideas that been looked at by Salisbury Reds, X5, is 18.30 bus – the last bus in the evening to Chiseldon, if these cuts take place, would run round Chiseldon village and come out by the Farm Shop, as the X5 used to do and call in at the GWH, coming out of Swindon. The withdrawal of the evening buses will affect young people going to college for evening classes, that take place from 6.30pm to 9.30pm and we will be putting those views to the meeting. Your parish council is very aware of people’s concerns on this subject and we will keep people updated via the Parish website and the Chiseldon Facebook page.
We have at last had some success in getting the missing bus stops put in between Chiseldon and Wroughton and I would like to thank our two Borough councillors for their insistence to get these stops in as the service 81 changed back in November 2016. We do have new stops outside the Burderop Barns development now. Will residents please be aware that we do need more people to use this service 81 between Chiseldon and Wroughton, as the bus company is keeping records of passenger numbers. With more people using debit cards and having less cash, Thamesdown buses have gone contactless, allowing you to pay with your debit card.
The number of carriages on the GWR HST trains will be reduced for a contract to take place to change the toilets at the end of coaches, as a dual facility for disabled persons and this is going ahead, as by now the new trains should be operating. You may find that some of the trains are only five carriages long. There is a new Saturday afternoon train to London Paddington from Pewsey at 14.14. This is a useful train if you are going up to see a show or stay overnight in London. There is to be more engineering working in the Swindon area from Saturday 8th July to Sunday 16th July, where buses replace trains on a number of services.
We are now running into the summer festival season, what about going by train to the Cornbury Festival in Oxfordshire from 7-9 July, connection at Charlbury Station and Reading Festival 25-27 August at Reading Station and the Great British Beer Festival at London Olympia 8-12 August from Kensington Olympia Station.
Information that has come from the speed watch camera partnership, we would like to point out that Marlborough Road from Coate Water roundabout all the way up to Old Town is now a 30mph, changed from 40mph. With the new restrictions coming in, if you are caught doing 51mph in a 30mph zone you can collect 12 points on your licence and pick up a find of 175% of your weekly wage. The Borough council are putting in more reminder signs, but this street is very wide and has been 40mph for a long time.
Cllr David Hill Transport Representative – Chiseldon Parish Council