Blackshawhead May 8th meeting about Hour Car and car clubs
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Category Archives: Going places
20’s Plenty For Calderdale Campaign Launches
Activists for 20 mph speed limits for residential roads, without speed bumps or other physical calming, have launched a Calderdale campaign.
Myra James, the 20’s Plenty for Calderdale lead activist, said,
“Experience from areas which have 20mph speed limits shows that this brings 22% fewer casualties and means a 12% reduction in fuel use – which also reduces pollution and climate change gas emissions”
Support campaign to place West Coast main line back in public ownership
Action For Rail together with the TUC Going to Work are campaigning to place the West Coast railway line in public ownership. They are asking people to write to their MP about this.
Action For Rail photo
The state has successfully run the East Coast main line as a public service for the last two years, following the failure of two private franchises. Now the West Coast franchise is in a mess and costing the taxpayer £40m.
Going to Work says:
“The Department for Transport has announced a review into the details of the West Coast franchise and a further general review into the future of franchising. But the Secretary of State has made clear that public ownership will not even be considered as an option.
The government will be extending Virgin’s current franchise up to a year and then holding not one but two further franchise bidding rounds for West Coast, all in order to keep the service in private hands.”
They urge people to write to their MP supporting the West Coast mainline return to public ownership.
Electric car and bike hire schemes launch
Gallery
This gallery contains 8 photos.
People were keenly interested in the launch of two new electric vehicle hire schemes in St George’s Square today. Ride+electric assist bikes for hire Electric bike hire is now available in the Calder Valley, from Hebden Bridge Alternative Technology Centre. … Continue reading
Greenpeace shuts down Shell petrol stations in protest at plans to drill for Arctic oil
This is a Guardian Media Video.
Shell is planning to carry out exploratory oil drilling in the Arctic. The risk of oil spills is considerable and would be very damaging to the environment.
Cycle routes now on Google maps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bFdNFTq8Vw&feature=player_embedded
FixMyTransport website for solving public transport problems
If you have problems with poor public transport, you can use FixMyTransport website to report them to the transport operator.
You can use this site to contact any transport operator in the UK – the FixMyTransport admin people will send your message direct to the transport operator’s Customer Services department. They put your message online, too. That way, others can read your problems, and offer support and advice. And you can share the online report with friends, twitter followers and other passengers with the same problem, to help build a campaign.
FixMyTransport says the process works:
“Take a look at some of our recently fixed problems and find out why our users are saying:
- Amazing – they’ve done it!
- The conclusion of matters had a lot to do with my posting on your website after almost 2 months of inaction.
- My bus service has really improved and I’m not the only one benefiting from this.
- Thanks for your help in resolving this.
- Well done and thanks for your assistance. “
Hebden Bridge & Tod bus services changes from Sunday 24th June 2012.
You can download the new West Yorkshire Metro timetable (PDF file) for Hebden Bridge & Todmorden here.
Here’s WY Metro info that The free bus service has been extended to 29th June for all journeys on Hebden Bridge services A, B, C. D & E and Todmorden services T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 T6, T8 & T9, FlexiBus services 1 & 2 and service 906, because of the recent poor service during the transition from the Tyrer Bus contract.
If you have problems with poor public transport, you can use FixMyTransport website to report it to the transport operator. You can use this site to contact any transport operator in the UK – the website admin people will send your message direct to the transport operator’s Customer Services department. They put your message online, too. That way, others can read your problems, and offer support and advice.
Carbon fibre cars would cut oil consumption,says Amory Lovins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_IYcApQDj_0
Amory Lovins, advocate of Natural Capitalism – an idea which has many critics– talks on this video about the advantages of switching car manufacture from heavy steel to lightweight carbon fibre, radically increasing energy efficiency and making it easier to run cars on electricity instead of fossil fuels.
Meanwhile, for those of us who rely on public transport, we’re going nowhere fast – what with cuts to rural bus services in Somerset and the crap bus service between Hebden Bridge and villages on the tops.
Perhaps we need investment in carbon fibre buses as well as cars.
In the 1990s, the Metro in Houston, Texas used a German-made, carbon fibre bus that ran on a smaller diesel engine. That led to immediate savings, with further savings likely from reduced brake and tyre wear and better mileage. John Franks, Senior Director of Bus Maintenance at the Houston, Texas Metro says, “Lightweight buses pay for themselves.” Yorkshire Metro, are you up to speed?
Green bus manufacturing in Leeds
On our doorstep, the bus manufacturing company Optare is producing Optare Eco Drive buses. These are lighter than conventional buses and run on Lithium batteries.
Optare bus_ photo from Automotive Council website
How to make buses better
Information from Calderdale Council’s Transportation Officer about problems with Tyrers bus services in and around Hebden is, that Tyrers have given notice (again) that they are giving up the contract and Metro will put the service out to tender again within the coming weeks.
This Tyrers contract is part-funded by Calderdale Council, until Metro are able to carry out their review of the Calderdale bus network, which is due to begin later this year.
The Council will press Metro to make sure that a more reliable operator takes over the services. But Metro’s budget for tendered services is drastically reduced and they will find it extremely difficult to accept any bids that come in at a much higher price than the current contract.
How to make buses better is a guide for young people, but I reckon anyone will find it useful. Given the issues with some of the bus services run by Tyrer, it’s useful to know things like:
- Who runs and makes decisions about buses in your area
- How decisions are made on when and where buses run
- What happens when a bus service is cut
- Who decides how much you pay for your bus fare
- What to expect from your local bus service if you have a disability
- How to make a complaint or suggestion about buses
- How to have your say about public transport
The How to Make Buses Better guide links to information from the Campaign for Better Transport on how to get a good bus service and what to do if a bus service is being cut. The Campaign for Better Transport is trying to Save our Buses. Its interactive map shows that West Yorkshire Metro is looking to cut bus funding by 25 per cent. The map may be a bit out of date, I’m not sure.
Other useful links & info:
- West Yorkshire Metro is the transport authority for this area and the organisation to contact about bus fares, services that have been removed, bus routes and timetables.
- Bus Appeals Body is the bus industry and passenger watchdog. “It will look into complaints on things like buses running to time, charging the correct fare and the behaviour of staff. It will investigate on your behalf if you have complained to the bus company first but were not happy with their response (or you didn’t get a response at all).”
- Passenger Focus and Traffic Commissioners (who deal with bus safety and maintenance)
Calderdale Councillors also have a role in making sure the Metro provides decent bus services.