Change of operator on some local bus routes from 1st September

First buses have announced the following changes

“We will be making some changes to our services on the above date, timetables will be available on-line from Thursday 14th August”.

Service 10

  • We are pleased to be operating the evening service once again with some minor changes to times.
  • Additional journeys will also operate;
  • 2045 Rougier Street to Stamford Bridge (Monday – Saturday)
  • 2120 Stamford bridge to Merchantgate (Monday – Saturday)
  • 0730 Stamford Bridge to York (Sundays)

Service 12

  • Changes to the early Saturday morning timetable.
  • A revised service will operate in the evenings between 1900 to 2100 providing journeys between Stonebow and Woodthorpe. These will operate to Woodthorpe as normal route to Moor Lane, then via Acomb Park Old Moor Lane (layby), terminating at Woodthorpe Shops.  The last First Bus from Woodthorpe to York will leave at 2125.
  • Journeys after 2100 to Woodthorpe will be undertaken by service 14 which will be undertaken by another operator under contract to City of York Council.
  • The 1818 from Monks Cross will be retimed to operate at 1810, and an additional journey from Monks Cross at 1835 and will operate through to Woodthorpe.

Service 14

  • Because of a tendering process, we will no longer be the operator of the 14-evening service, due to this being awarded to another operator.
  • We will however operate some additional service 12 journeys between 1900 to 2100 providing journeys between Stonebow and Woodthorpe. These will operate to Woodthorpe as normal route to Moor Lane, then via Acomb Park Old Moor Lane (layby), terminating at Woodthorpe Shops.  The last First Bus from Woodthorpe to York will leave at 2125.
  • Journeys after 2100 to Woodthorpe, and 1215 to York will be undertaken by service 14 which will be undertaken by another operator under contract to City of York Council.

Service 26

  • Because of a tendering process, we will no longer be the operator of the 26 Friday and Saturday evening service. Due to this being awarded to another operator.

Click for service 10/10A timetable

Click for service 12 timetable

  • NB. These are subsidised services which have been put out to competitive tender by the York Council. Unfortunately the Council has not formally announced the results of the tender process nor has it issued a media statement indicating which operators (and to what timetable) will operate each service from September.

“Mares tail” arrives in west York

Thanks to Osbaldwick Councillor Mark Waters – a professional horticulturalist – we have identified one of the weeds that is damaging road and footpath surfaces on the west of the City

Horsetail (Equisetum arvense), often called mare’s tail, is an invasive, deep-rooted perennial weed that will spread quickly to form a dense carpet of foliage, crowding out less vigorous plants in beds and borders.

The RHS says that horsetail “is persistent, and several applications of a strong weed killer  – possibly over a number of years – may be necessary to completely eradicate the problem”

Horsetail has appeared in several areas in west York. These include the Council garage areas on Kingsway West and on little Green Lane.  It is already doing considerable damage to the  recently bitmaced forecourt access road at Green Lane.

We will now be formally submitting an official complaint about lack of action on weed growth in several areas. For example, weeds reported in early May on the Beaconsfield Street back lane have still not been cut back. It is a similar picture at many traffic islands

Fly tipping incident on Council owned land

Rubbish has been dumped on a Council garage area on Little Green Lane in Acomb

Some time ago we reported full BIFFA bins that were being stored on the Little Green Lane garage area. They were eventually removed.

Unfortunately another full bin has reappeared.

It has been joined by a large amount of fly tipping. Some of the rubbish is clearly domestic.

We have asked local Councillors to look into the problem.

Some residents believe that the waste has originated with the York Council itself or one of its contractors. An explanation is needed.

Check your hedge!

Council says weed killer being sprayed this week

Some bushes have been cut back from the entrance to the Thanet Road cycle path but tree roots are destroying the surface. The white lines need to be refreshed and the signs on Bellhouse Way also need to be refurbished. (Photos above Thanet Road Cycle track)
Boundary hedge owners are asked to check that, following the recent warm/damp weather, thorn branches are not blocking public paths. The Council says that their contractors have started to spray weed killer on paths but are impeded by the rain. Unfortunately there are now many instances of footpaths and gutters being blocked with weeds. (Photos from top left above, Wordsworth Crescent, Wharfe Drive and Foxwood Lane)

All issues have been reported via the Councils “do it on line” service (click)

Crime levels stable in York

Police security marking event tomorrow (Tuesday)

Overall crime levels in York have remained reasonably stable over the last 12 months.

Usually at this time of year – summer holidays – anti social behaviour issues and vandalism show a peak.

It will be a month before the picture becomes entirely clear but early indications are positive.

In the year up to the end of June, anti social behaviour was the most reported crime across the City. This was followed by violence and criminal damage (vandalism) as the next most reported crimes.

It was a similar picture in Westfield

More information is available on the Police UK web site click

Meanwhile on Tuesday the 13th August 2019 the York City Neighbourhood Policing Team will be holding a cycle registration and marking event in partnership with York BID and Street Rangers. The event will take place in the garden area next to Black Horse Passage on Stonebow, York between 1200PM and 1500PM.

“The service is completely free and your cycle will be recorded on the Immobilise database which is a national property register. Once recorded you will have access to your own account on Immobilise.com allowing you to added / remove property and upload photographs of your recorded property.  We will also be using a Dot Peen machine to mark cycles with your post code to add another layer of security”.
“Please come and speak with officers at the event for further information or visit www.immobilise.com”

“Get a grip” call to local Councillors as footpath weed problem spreads

Residents have called on local Councillors to intervene to ensure that weeds growing on local paths and gutters are cleared. Today’s weather, damp and warm, is likely to see the problem get worse over the weekend.

Weeds are obstructing footpaths, gullies and garage areas in the Westfield Ward

In the little Green Lane garage area grass is now growing through the recently resurfaced forecourt. It is a similar situation in Windsor Garth

The weather also means that hedges will be growing more quickly. We’ve reported this bramble bush which is obstructing the public footpath near the entrance to Hob Moor school
Although the Council says that they have removed litter from the Tithe Close snicket, this doesn’t seem to be the case.
Similar situation on The Reeves snicket
The only thing that the Council seems to be doing quickly this summer is knocking down parts of west York. This is all that is now left of the Windsor House elderly persons home. There is some mud on local roads which needs to be monitored.
Still no sign of the replacement for the children’s games area at Hob Moor. Contractors using the old all weather games area for storage are at least polite!