Chairman’s Report: May 2014

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Keeping the Show on the Road

The Management Committee met on April 10, once again at Cowley House, Oxford.The committee was pleased to note that Pat Campany had assumed responsibility as Membership Secretary, relieving John Ashley of one of his many tasks, but with regret learnt that Tony Newman, having resigned as a director, had also resigned as a member of the Committee. They were pleased to note, however, that he would remain Research Co-ordinator. Royston Fisher had also agreed to remain Treasurer whilst the quest continued for his replacement. The Committee, welcoming the news that Professor Mike Phillips, Pro Vice Chancellor, University of Wales, Trinity St David, had agreed to serve as a Director, extended an invitation to him to join the Committee. Subject to the advice of John Howie, as Company Secretary, it was recommended for the next AGM’s consideration that no more than three directors be appointed and that the directors be requested to give strategic direction to the Committee from time to time by formaldirection. The committee noted that the arrangements for the AGM and Conference in Coventry had run smoothly and that the three presentations had been very well received by those present. The AGM had been advised that the membership would be consulted on draft proposals for the development of the Association.

Wales on Wheels

It was confirmed that the ‘Wales on Wheels’ event, which was to be repeated on May 17, 2014 in Swansea, in collaboration with FirstGroup and the Swansea Bus Museum, was being actively promoted by the City of Swansea and promised to be more extensive than last year. Readers are urged to view the web site! The Swansea Bus Museum would be celebrating the hundred year anniversary of South Wales Transport with the publication of a book and special events. A reception would take place at the Waterfront Museum followed by a Dinner at the Marriott Hotel on Friday, May 16, at which Professor Stuart Cole was to speak. The Swansea Bus Museum would be continuing their celebratory programme on the Sunday [May 18].

The Great Book

As for the ‘Companion’, Martin Higginson reported that sales were proceeding satisfactorily and the committee repeated its appreciation of the patience and industry that had been exercised, in particular, by Martin Higginson, Simon Blainey and Ken Swallow, but also by the Editorial Board generally and their many collaborators, in bringing this major aid to scholarship to completion. The launch, on April 2 at CPT’s offices at Drury House, had run smoothly, with addresses given, on behalf of the book’s sponsors, by Giles Fearnley, representing FirstGroup, and Mark Threapleton, representing Stagecoach; and the Chairman, who had alluded to the need for greater collaboration between the Association and other organizations with related interests. The Committee expressed their appreciation of the hospitality and arrangements made.

The Journal very much back on track

The committee was warmly appreciative of the fact that the Journal was now produced regularly and reliably on a quarterly basis and hoped that it would be possible shortly to expand its content. The request for additional copy was reiterated and committee members undertook to contribute articles, within their fields of competence, if commissioned by the Editor. The view was expressed that such direct commissioning, specifying subject, number of words, and submission date, would probably be more effective than a general invitation to the membership to contribute articles! Roger Atkinson’s new regular column was warmly welcomed. Philip Kirk undertook to contribute, on a regular basis, news of corporate members based on their newsletters/journals. John Ashley, Web Master, had reiterated the need for a regular supply of new material, especially comment.

Whither the route and whence we came

The committee gave preliminary consideration to a draft discussion paper on the Association’s development focussing attention upon our principal purpose. It was considered that, to some extent, the intention of establishing the Association as an umbrella body bringing together a range of organisations as corporate members, had necessarily been qualified by time, as individuals very reasonably obtained membership, and it became increasingly impossible to have a national focus on a particular university. In this context, it was appropriate to explore ways in which the Association might work more effectively with other organisations. The committee, having considered a preliminary paper prepared on archive policy by Tony Newman and Richard Storey commenced a listing of papers to be incorporated into the archive.

Dates for the diary

It was confirmed that this Summer 2014 event would take place in collaboration with London Bus Museum on the weekend August 1-3, and be held at Brooklands, withthe Association’s particular events: a formal dinner, taking place on Friday evening, with an optional vintage bus ride to Guildford Cathedral on the Saturday morning, and a programme of talks in the afternoon, on the theme of Transport on the Eve of the First World War.

It was also confirmed that the Annual Dinner and Conference would take place in Coventry on the weekend October 3/4, John Minnis, of English Heritage, being the Conference’s keynote speaker. The dinner would take place at the Ramada Hotel, on the evening of Friday, October 3, the conference at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum on Saturday, October 4.

Honouring an obligation

As for the Tilling Group History Project, the Committee agreed that all arrangements should now be made to facilitate proceeding to printing as soon as sales of the ‘Companion’ had met the Committee’s requirements.

Kindred Spirits

The Committee received reports on the Transport Heritage Conference held on March 1 at the London Transport Museum Acton Depot. Attendance by representatives of the Association had been worthwhile, it being observed that, in many respects, the Conference had constituted a further positive attempt to effect a higher degree of co-ordination amongst organisations with related interests.

Until next time

As ever, should you suppose that, as far as you are concerned, the bus has taken the wrong turning, please ring the bell! The Committee resolved that their next meeting would be held on Thursday, July 24, 2014, when they would be pleased to consider your comments.

Robert McCloy, chairman and, so it seems, clerk pro tem

Bus gift is one in a million for retiring driver

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Chris Peregrine, South Wales Evening Post, 25 April 2014

Marketing manager for First Cymru Buses Phil Trotter, right, handing over the keys for a 1976 Bristol VRT double decker to Peter Nedin and John Adams for renovation by Swansea Bus Museum.

Marketing manager for First Cymru Buses Phil Trotter, right, handing over the keys for a 1976 Bristol VRT double decker to Peter Nedin and John Adams for renovation by Swansea Bus Museum.

IN his 45 years behind the wheel of Swansea buses, Peter Nedin clocked up well over a million miles without ever having an accident.

And as a retirement present like no other, the 68-year-old has been given a full size open top double deck bus by First Cymru.

He is not taking it home, though. Peter, from St Thomas, volunteers at Swansea Bus Museum, and his former colleagues thought restoring it would make the ideal hobby.

So Peter, and his fellow volunteers at the museum, will now restore the bus — a Bristol VRT open topper — to its former glory before putting it on display for all to see.

“People had often joked that I should be given a bus because I’d worked for the company so long, but I never actually expected it to happen,” said Peter.

“It was such a shock and a great honour to be told the old open topper would be donated to the museum in my name.

“It’s in really good condition for its age and it’s nice to be able to keep this in the area, helping to celebrate its history.

“I had a fantastic career at First, and a great sending off when I left. I’m now enjoying retirement and wondering how I ever really had the time to go to work.

“I have plenty of little jobs to do around the house and have been enjoying days out here and there, alongside my work at the museum.”

First Cymru managing director Justin Davies said: “It was a sad day for us when Peter left the business. He has been a perfect employee, he’s a brilliant driver and was great with all the customers.

“We recognise though that after 45 years of working for us, five of which have been on a part-time basis, he wanted to spend more time doing the things he loves even more — restoring old buses.

“To help him with this we donated one of our oldest vehicles — which we had recently taken out of our fleet — to the museum in his honour. We hope he gets much fun and enjoyment restoring it back to its former glory.”

‘Dalek’ pothole killer that may save British roads

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The Telegraph, 17 April 2014

A new machine called the ‘Dalek’ has revolutionised the way to fix potholes, exterminating them in under two minutes

The new pot hole repair machine being tested in the village of Clifton

The new pothole repair machine being tested in the village of Clifton, Bedfordshire Photo: Geoff Robinson

By Ben Lazarus

Driving over a pothole is always a nuisance. Not only does it jolt you, but it also doesn’t exactly do your car the world of good. And yet, potholes are absolutely everywhere, ensuring our journeys are always filled with bumps and bangs. Soon, however, potholes may be exterminated.

A new invention called the ‘Dalek’ can fill potholes in less than two minutes, rather than the conventional time that it normally takes of an hour.

The ‘Dalek’ is a robotic arm that attaches to the front of a truck and fills potholes with tar and gravel at a rate 30 times faster than the standard methods normally used to fill up such holes.

The vehicle is being trialled in the UK for the first time in Bedfordshire, and if deemed successful will be used across the country.

It is currently used in America, and has been dubbed the ‘Pothole Killer’.

Like the Doctor Who Daleks, the machine has a robotic arm at the front which is controlled by the highway staff in their vehicle using a joystick.

It was reported earlier this month that it would cost £12 billion to fix Britain’s potholes.

Hard shoulder driving begins with ‘an almighty jam’

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The Times, 15 April 2014

Philip Pank, Transport Correspondent

Smart technology that allows the hard shoulder to be turned into a fourth lane, flopped yesterday when a breakdown cause a jam

It was heralded as a solution to the interminable M25 jams in which drivers can be trapped for hours. Smart technology would allow the hard shoulder on one of the busiest stretches of the motorway to be turned into a fourth lane, immediately easing congestion.

Yesterday it was given the green light but almost immediately ran into trouble. The engine of a car cut out and, with the driver unable to pull over, a long tailback began to grow.

Motoring organisations had foreseen the problem, opposing the introduction of “smart” motorway technology on an eight-mile stretch of the M25 in Hertfordshire, on the grounds that drivers who break down would be more at risk without quick access to a safe area. There are emergency refuges for those in difficulty, but they are 2.5km apart.

Paul Watters, the AA’s head of roads policy, said that an “almighty tailback” developed early yesterday, just as ministers were hailing the development as the future of motorway driving.

“We are going to have to contend with it because it is going to happen again, possibly day in, day out. It reduces resilience of the road when something happens and that is the problem.”

He added: “We have concerns about people getting trapped in lane one, people who may have broken down in the dark and may not be spotted and are potentially an enormous hazard.”

David Bizley, technical director of the RAC, said that his organisation was also concerned about safety implications. He said the Highways Agency’s own risk assessment had concluded that motorists who broke down were more likely to become casualties.

Schemes similar to one between Junctions 23 and 25 of the M25 are being built between Junctions 25 and 27 and also between Junctions 5 and 6/7 on the same motorway. The hard shoulder is being turned into a continuous running lane on the M3 between Junctions 2 and 4a and there are plans to do the same between Junctions 3 and 12 on the M4. Other schemes will be introduced on the M1, M62 and other roads.

The Highways Agency said that “smart motorways” were at least as safe as conventional roads. Motorists will be subjected to variable mandatory speed limits at times of particularly heavy traffic or when a lane is blocked. Temporary restrictions are displayed on overhead gantries.

Infrared CCTV cameras relay images of breakdown or potential hazards back to a control room, while sensors buried in the road surface measure the volume of traffic. Grey speed cameras enforce the temporary speed limits. The Highways Agency declined to say whether the speed cameras were also housed in the overhead gantries or were mounted separately on the roadside.

The agency believes that the technology will reduce congestion, ease traffic flows and improve reliability of journey times. Graham Dalton,chief executive, said: “Smart motorways are quicker to build, more intuitive for drivers and more efficient to operate, while maintaining safety.”

New Rural Bus Services Piloted in Wales

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From the BBC News web site, 22 April 2014.

Two councils to pilot new bus services in rural areas

Stagecoach buses
The councils will look at new ways of providing bus services in their area.

Two parts of Wales are to get £100,000 each in a bid to develop better public transport.

The Welsh government cash will be spent on year-long projects in Ceredigion and the Vale of Glamorgan.

The pilots will use council vehicles as well as coordinating existing bus and community services.

The announcement comes just days after Wales’ largest bus operator, Stagecoach, confirmed it was cutting services in five counties.

Cardiff Bus has also blamed a cut in subsidy for reducing its services.

The Welsh government says it wants the pilot projects to help find new ways of delivering public transport.

Vale of Glamorgan council’s remit will include looking at how to encourage more people to use rural bus routes, setting up an online booking system and reducing the costs of services.

New public transport routes to communities around Tregaron will form part of Ceredigion council’s scheme, as well as using its own vehicles to bolster bus services.

The work to identify best practice from local authorities will report to the Bus Policy Advisory Group.

Stagecoach buses
Stagecoach blames a cut in subsidy for the loss of or reduction in its services.

 

Transport Minister Edwina Hart said: “I want to ensure everyone in Wales is able to access jobs and services via reliable public transport.

“We must start looking at new and innovative ways of delivering these services, particularly in rural areas, by means of a sustainable and efficient network.”

Ms Hart announced councils will have £25m in 2014-15 toward socially-necessary bus and community transport services, the same amount as in 2013-14.

Service cuts

Bus operators, including Stagecoach and Cardiff Bus, have blamed the Welsh government slashing its three-year funding package from £213.3m to £189m for the cutbacks they have made.

Stagecoach announced last week that it was cutting 14 bus services, putting 77 jobs at risk.

Last autumn Arriva announced the closure of its Aberystwyth depot as well as a number of route losses blaming cuts in public transport funding and rising fuel costs for the decision.

In February, BBC Wales revealed nearly 100 subsidised bus routes have been scrapped by councils in Wales in the past three years, with further cuts expected as authorities make savings.

The Welsh government has said the new reimbursement rate for bus operators was set following an independent review to ensure operators were “no better and no worse off” by taking part.

 

Cwmbran veterans’ Green Goddess fire engine parts stolen

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BBC News web site, 16 April 2014.

The hunt is on to find rare parts of an historical Green Goddess fire engine which were stolen by thieves.

The Green Goddess Cwmbran Veterans believe the culprits targeted the vehicle for metal to sell for scrap but it will cost them £1,000 to restore.

Thieves cut through a fence at the Territorial Army Centre in Cwmbran to carry out the theft last week.

Military and Gwent Police are investigating.

Army veteran Mike Saunders and friends bought the former Bedford truck three years ago. They have used the vehicle to help them to raise £15,000 for the Help For Heroes military charity.

The vehicle’s 61 year old engine and original bells and sirens still work but its hoses will remain dry unless a replacement pump intake can be found.

Thieves cut through the fence to steal the parts from the vehicle

Green Goddess fire engines were built during the Cold War in the 1950s and were designed to roll into action in the aftermath of a nuclear attack by the Soviet Union.

They were manned by civilian volunteers from the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS).

In 1968 the AFS was disbanded and the Green Goddess fleet was put into storage and some were later sold off.

“First of all we have got to locate the bits and then we’ve got to raise money to pay for them,” said Mr Saunders.

“We are talking over £1,000 worth of parts being taken.

“It’s sad. We’ve worked hard for the last three years. We can’t do what we’d like to do with the machine.”

 

Swansea Bus Museum to Lose Home?

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From the South Wales Evening Post, 26 March 2014.

Brakes put on Swansea Bus Museum’s plans to move

 
  • A South Wales Transport AEC Renown single decker bus turns into High Street from Alexandra Road in 1950.
  • Swansea Bus Museum was hoping to move its premises to Clarence Street, but the council is proposing to demolish the building.
  • The old and the new in Oxford Street, mid-1950s. The buildings behind this United Welsh double decker bus represent post-war Swansea rising from the ashes of wartime bombardment.
  • A South Wales Transport AEC Renown single decker bus turns into High Street from Alexandra Road in 1950.
  • Swansea Bus Museum was hoping to move its premises to Clarence Street, but the council is proposing to demolish the building.

MEMBERS of Swansea’s historic bus museum say they are upset after being told they cannot relocate to a former bus garage in the city.

The Swansea Bus Museum said the unit they are currently leasing is costly and too big.

So they sent an email to Swansea Council asking to purchase the old bus garage on Clarence Street, but this was rejected by the council.

Alan West, chairman of the museum, said: “The old bus garage is of great historical value to us and we thought it would be the perfect place to move the museum to.

“At the moment the current unit we lease in the SA1 Business Park is costing us a lot in rent and rates.

“We only have three years left on the lease, so are looking for somewhere smaller and cheaper to move to.

“The place where we are now is far too big for us. So when we found the old bus garage we thought it would be perfect.”

However the museum group was told by Swansea Council that the building, close to the former Vetch football ground, is structurally unsafe and needs to be demolished. Mr West said: “That bus garage has been there since the 1950s and was custom made for United Bus Wales.

“It is a piece of heritage and we would be so upset if it was demolished. It was in use right up until last year when the electrics were condemned, but I think the building itself is sound.

“We are really interested in taking it on and think it would be a perfect place for the museum.

“The location is great and there is lots of parking nearby. As it is very near to the Quadrant I think it would be the perfect place because there would be plenty of footfall.”

A Swansea Council spokesman said: “We couldn’t agree for the Swansea Bus Museum to relocate to Clarence Street, because the building there is structurally unsafe and needs to be demolished.

“The plan is to put a temporary car park on site once the building has been demolished, pending redevelopment in the long term.”

Swansea Bus Museum is run by the South Wales Transport Preservation Trust and restores, preserves and displays buses from former public transport companies of South and West Wales.

At the museum there is currently a large fleet of buses including a 1959 Bridgemaster double decker.

The bus is one of only four surviving vehicles and the museum is looking to restore it so it looks back to its best in time for the 100 years celebration of South Wales Transport later this year.

South Wales Transport began shortly before the outbreak of the First World War and, at its height, it was responsible for 92 million passenger journeys a year. This year South Wales Transport is taking steps to celebrate the history of buses in order to mark its centenary.

Iconic bus companies from South Wales will be recalled in a new book, to be launched as part of the Roads and Road Transport Associations’s event Wales on Wheels, at the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea, on Saturday, May 17.

The weekend of events will mark Swansea Bus Museum’s centenary year, and Return Ticket — the Story of South Wales Transport, by former Evening Post News Editor Jonathan Isaacs, will detail the troubles and triumphs of ‘The Transport’, as it was affectionately known.

 

 

Brecon Beacons Bus Service Axed

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From the BBC News web site, 31 March 2014.

Brecon Beacons Sunday and Bank Holiday bus to be axed

Brecon Beacons

A bus service used by thousands of visitors to the Brecon Beacons is being axed as part of budget savings of £650,000 over the next two years.

Brecon Beacons National Park Authority faces a budget cut of 8.9% from the Welsh government from April.

It follows a public consultation over the bus, which brings passengers from Cardiff, Newport and Swansea on Sundays and summer Bank Holidays.

But a bike bus service will still run on Sundays and summer Bank Holidays.

The authority had said it needs to make savings of more than 13% over the next two years, which prompted a review of its services.

It has 130 staff and has responsibility for planning issues and managing the national park, which attracts 4.15m visitors a year.

‘Disappointed’

Earlier this year the authority also decided to cut seven posts as part of its savings plan.

The authority said it had decided to stop the service as a result of falling income from partners and concessionary fares, and a significant rise in tendered prices for the coming year.

Beacons bike bus The bike bus will still run during the summer

It added that the Cardiff to Brecon bike bus using a 24 bike trailer will continue to run from 25 May to 28 September on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

The service will interchange with the Hereford 39A service in Brecon and then shuttle between Brecon and Abergavenny twice during the day.

Martin Buckle, Vice Chair of the National Park Authority’s Planning Committee said: “We understand how very disappointed many of our regular passengers will be at the withdrawal of the service.

“We hope they will still be able to travel to the National Park by making use of the Monday to Saturday bus services, and we will continue to work hard to promote these.

“The bike bus has been very popular with cyclists wanting to explore the National Park and to ride the Taff Trail back to Cardiff, and we are very pleased that we have been able to negotiate this new arrangement to allow the bike bus to run.”

The Beacons Bus bought passengers into the area on Sundays and bank holidays between May and September.

Axing the service – which was used by 5,552 people last year – will save the authority £26,000.

 

Older People: Making sense of the costs and benefits of travel – April 1, London, FREE

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Chartered Institute of Logisitics and Transport

FREE EVENT – full details here.

Date: Tuesday April 1st 2014
Time: 10:00 (for 10:30) – 16:45
Venue: Transport for London, 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ

A CILT Accessibility and Inclusion Forum Event

Many of the UK’s large and growing population of older people are making a significant contribution to the country’s economy but the size of the ageing population also creates both economic and social challenges – not least to the transport industries.

The purpose of this seminar is to take an in-depth and balanced look at the reality of enabling older people to remain independently mobile – in both urban and rural communities.

Topics for discussion will include the key part that free bus travel places in enabling many older people to support working age families, and undertake voluntary work among other activities.

Speakers include:

  • Louise Ellman MP, Chair, Transport Select Committee
  • Peter Rayner, Vice President, National Pensioners Convention, and Chair of the CILT Accessibility and Inclusion Forum
  • Ann Frye, Ann Frye Ltd and Vice Chair of the CILT Accessibility and Inclusion Forum
  • Karl Demian, Assistant Director of Strategy & Impact, Royal Volunteer Service
  • Professor Roger Mackett, University College London
  • Rodd Bond, Dundalk Institute of Technology
  • Alice Woudhuysen, Age UK
  • Phil Southall, Operations Director, Oxford Bus Company
  • Philip Oxley, Oxley Research
  • Pauline Reeves, Deputy Director, Sustainable Accessible Travel, DfT

Speakers will also focus on what needs to be done to create environments within which older people can live without support and at how to make sense of the costs of mobility – who pays and who benefits. The perspective of the bus operator will play an important part in this discussion.

The seminar will bring together speakers with a wealth of experience and expertise both academic and practical and will focus on the issues that face the UK in the coming years and how best to address the needs of or ageing populations in a way that makes economic sense for all of us.

Booking: 

To book, contact Membership Services 01536 74010401536 740104 or email membership@ciltuk.org.uk quoting Event Code: AIF0305.

Further information:

For the day’s agenda please click here.

Refreshments and a light buffet lunch will be provided.