90% of Foxwood residents say bus service is unreliable

Survey results. Click to enlarge

On the day when most passengers will be getting their first taste of the new number 4 and 12 bus service timetables, the results of a survey of passenger views on the old services are published.

They reveal disenchantment with a service that only 12 months ago was one of the most widely praised in the region.

90% say that the buses were unreliable.

82% criticised the lack of space for buggies and wheelchairs, while 2/3 also felt that there was inadequate room for passengers.

The fares were not considered to be reasonable for a service which was erratic.

Only 30% said that the bus got them to their destination quickly.

We will be keeping a close eye on the new number 4 service which is being run more frequently but using single deck vehicles. We fear that there may be capacity issues at peak times.

The York Council has been asked to invest in real time “next bus” information displays at busy sub-urban stops.

York Minster reveals more details of Orb project

Opening Saturday 27 October

An exclusive preview of what is going on behind the doors at York Minster. http://tinyurl.com/Orb-8th-Oct-12

Everyone at York Minster is busy working behind the scenes to build The Orb. When finished, you will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see, at very close range, some of the world’s most important art in stained glass, and to discover an unsung hero of British Art – England’s lost Vermeer or Rembrandt.

The Orb is an elliptical treasure house, showcasing five panels of stained glass from our Great East Window, expertly restored and repaired as part of York Minster Revealed, one of the largest conservation and restoration projects in the UK and generously supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The panels will change as the project progresses, so there’s an excuse to visit again and again with our annual ticket. Alongside The Orb are interactive galleries, which reveal the astonishing craftsmanship and epic stories behind York Minster’s East End.

This brand new exhibition and the interactive galleries open on 27 October. You can also take the opportunity to visit The Orb at night – at Illuminating York Minster.

Bonding warehouse project under scrutiny

Bonding warehouse September 2012

The Council Leader is going to be asked some probing questions on Thursday about his project to set up a small business centre in the flood prone Bonding Warehouse. http://tinyurl.com/Bonding-warehouse-Oct-12

The Council Leader has already spent £25,000 from his “Delivery and Innovation” slush fund on the project despite the building being inaccessible for several days because of flood waters.

Hs own Labour group have ridiculed the scheme in a public “twitter” exchange.

Now Liberal Democrat Councillor Carol Runciman has tabled the following question for Thursday’s Council meeting

“Does the Council Leader agree with Councillor Semlyen, Chair of the Economic & City Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee, that the recent floods prove it would be wrong to invest £3.6 million of public money in the Bonding Warehouse?”

Councillors set to turn down pay rises

It looks like Councillors will at their meeting on Thursday turn down pay rises which could have been as much as 27%. http://democracy.york.gov.uk/documents/s75776/IRP%20report.pdf

They are right in the current economic climate to do so.

However they should now get on with implementing a system of performance measures which will allow electors to compare the work put in by their representatives when the next elections take place in 2015 see http://tinyurl.com/York-Councillors

Salt bin enquiry meeting set for Monday, 15th October, 2012 5.00 pm Guildhall

The decision not to fill 40% of York’s “self help” salt bins this winter will be under scrutiny at a meeting being held on 15th October.

Residents can register to speak at the meeting full details of which can be found here http://tinyurl.com/Salt-bin-appeal

The controversial decision – taken by a rookie Labour Councillor – has been “called in” for review by LibDem Councillors.

They argue that the decision should be changed because:

• The plans would see overall salt bin provision in York fall from around 369 full bins to around 199. In a bad winter this cut will have a significant and detrimental impact.

• The report states that a thorough review of salt bin locations will be undertaken for the winter of 2013/14. It therefore seems irrational to withdraw the bin provision before this review has taken place and without thoroughly consulting residents or local councillors. The mistakes made over the removal of 1-in-4 of York’s dog and litter bins seem to be being repeated.

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Get Online Week 2012 (15-21 October)

City of York Council in partnership with York College, Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) and York Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) is running a week-long series of workshops to encourage residents to ‘get online’ this autumn.

The week offers residents an extra opportunity to discover the wealth of information, services and resources that can be found online through a full programme of events held during the week.

On Monday 15 October, beginners can take their first steps to getting online with a drop-in session at York Explore when they can try out computers, learn about computer safety and chat to tutors about what to do next.

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Government Minister backs call for publication of York bus reliability figures.

Liberal Democrat Transport Minister Norman Baker has backed calls for the York Council and local bus operators to publish details of the reliability being achieved on bus services.

In a letter to Steve Galloway the Minister says, “Surveys have shown that punctuality and reliability are the primary concerns of actual and potential bus users. … It is essential for passengers that the bus turns up, is reasonably on time and arrives at its destination when expected…..We expect Local Authorities to be accountable locally in part through publishing data sets which can be benchmarked”

Letter page 1 clcik to enlarge

Letter page 2 click to enlarge

The response comes following concerns that the York Council is so far refusing to publish the details that it holds on local bus service reliability.

Nor do most local bus operators publish service punctuality data on their web sites as a matter of routine.

We are absolutely clear that passengers should be given the information that the council holds on its contracted services and that it should release, each month, the “mystery traveller” information that it gathers on reliability.

Bus operators also should release the information which they gather from their GPS monitoring systems.

Bus service reliability in York click to enlarge

Bus service waiting time in York click to enlarge

The data already collected by the DfT (see left) actually suggests that – up to March 2012 – bus reliability in York was gradually improving. What has happened since then is a mystery to passengers.

Exceptional circumstances such as the recent floods will, of course, affect services; but that is no reason for secrecy.

Meanwhile a report which was to have included a bus improvement study for the City was quietly removed from the agenda of a Council “decision” meeting which was scheduled for 27th September.

With expenditure of over £200,000 of taxpayers money already committed to introducing a quality bus contract system into the City, passengers will now be wondering when they will see any improvements in return for their investment?

The issue of bus reliability is likely to be raised at the York Council meeting next Thursday by LibDem transport spokesperson Ann Reid.

In the meantime we understand that some passengers are hoping to set up a new bus service watchdog group in the City. More details will be provided when we get them.

NB. First are introducing new bus timetables from Sunday. See http://tinyurl.com/Bus-changes-York-7th-Oct-12