The charm and psychological break on a sunny day by walking along the river or in a park lends itself to untainted and unspoilt landscapes and development must be in-keeping with such.
Bedford is well positioned on the edge of 3 regions and must command the transport to nurture a diversity of nodic access and radial commutes not just London fixations.
1. Bedford-Northampton: the debate on the Save Our Trains Campaign rumbles on but what Midland Main Line needs is a plan and means and ways to nurture it. Secretary of State for Transport seems to have run out of money and hence a hard sell on bi-modes rather than a comprehensive electrification. So some lobbying of the Treasury is needed to secure our place in the queue whilst at the same time councils and other bodies of influence would do well to work together to nurture diversity. Bedford-Northampton if rebuilt would remove 2 Thameslinks off the rails per hour to Northampton, freeing up access paths otherwise blocked at Bedford by trains idling. We lack capacity and need to reconfigure the tracks for more platform space, more baying, and to ensure trains from East and West come and link with Bedford Midland (passenger-wise) and Midland Main Line (freight-wise). Bedford-Northampton would give local people more work-commute and less cost options both ways and lend more footfall and spend to both town centres - both of which are ailing - minus the traffic, congestion, land use parking demand and cost management. Free for all with inadequate capacity sends a wrong signal for polluted air pedestrians have to breathe and hazards of rat runs pedestrians and cyclists have to endure currently. It may only be peak time but are we making the most of what the bypass lends to?
ERTA is tabling a committee and welcomes councillors to get involved or set their own up and invite us to have a say, rather than ignore or marginalise us when getting these things sorted is critical for the well being of the town we all take an interest in.
2. No. 7 Bus. Today I waited from ten to 13.00 until 13.30 - one bus had broken down and driver or manager never turned up to tell us. Moreover the Optare Buses are 20 years old, are clapped out and need bigger buses and replacing. Lots of people use the No. 7 during daytime and peak time and we need more seating as many are elderly, women with buggies or a wheelchair and walla 3 seats are gone and another 8 including the pick up at St Paul's and everyone else has to sit at the back or stand. Likewise substituting the X5 coach with double deckers is a regular occurrence and the coaches need the inside windows to be cleaned as they get smeared with breathe patches meaning people cannot see out much. Grant Palmer Buses are a mixed bag experience. Nil RTI screen at the town stop opposite the St Michael's Road/Kimbolton Road shelter, means unlike for example Morrisons coming into town, people do not know when they are coming. Punctuality is patchy, cleanliness could be better. It needs someone getting out of the office, usuing them and identifiying these sorts of issues making for a more joined up, comprehensive and accessible bus experience across the whole town, not just pockets. Could for example the Grant Palmer Tesco Shopper service not return via Longholme Way, serve the Aspects Centre en route to town centre either via the Embankment giving it a service or Castle Road, giving them more options? We need to also consider the return of buses to Tavistock Street, a stop outside the Tavistock Arms Carvery/Sainsbury's would be useful and the potted bushes outside Sainbury's which double up as litter and drunken urine pots, could be replaced with cycle racks and maybe just one proper tree planted? Likewise the path from Chandos Street to the Roff Avenue Zebra Crossing should be made up to a proper consistent pathway for pedestrians and cyclists. It is a popular thoroughfare but a mud track only in places, paths go east-west, but not joined up north-south. For about 20 yards of tarmac, it could boost the area.
Please work with us for small but incremental improvements. There's always more, but are we improving what we have and making it more inclusive, accessible and comprehensive for a town-wide choice more to just car-legs and travel. CPZ and a one way system for St Michael's Road would ease the parking issues and stand-off crisis especially day and evenings. We need stimulous to elected representatives to do something, beit opposition or just consulting people meaningfully. If we can do CPZ on a case by case basis for Pemberley and Oaklands roads, we surely could do St Michael's whether surrounding streets or cheque-book influence disagrees.
Finally, as China isn't willing to take our recycling, could we consider a recycling centre served by rail at Forders Sidings near Stewartby on the Marston Vale Railway? It could serve both Bedford and Central areas and create a load of sustainable jobs. Currently it is sitting disused awaiting destruction, what a waste of an asset? Hitchin has a glass collection scheme which is mounted up and goes by rail to a glass recycling centre. Forders could do the same on a regional receive, sort and send basis as well as on-site processing from paper to cars, fridges to bottles and all in between.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Pill
ERTA Area Rep.
If having read this you agree and wish to reinforce it, please politely email or contact via this link: http://www.councillorsupport.bedford.gov.uk/mgCommitteeMailingList.aspx?ID=0
