The Park & Ride bus service is a well-used facility and Oxford Bus Company need to ensure that the services they run are in line with customer needs and expectations.
They would value feedback from customers in the Headington ward. If you would like to complete a short survey please click here
This survey is designed to give customers the opportunity to give their comments so that Oxford Bus can plan the next phase of service development.
We are aware that there are rumours going the rounds about changes to the concessionary bus pass scheme and we know that some of our elderly neighbours are worrying about the possibility of paying to travel
The main change is that the County Council will take over the management of the scheme from the City Council.
The County Council is currently consulting on its proposed scheme, and this will be an agenda item for Area Committees in the next month or so – members of the public will be able to make their views known
Current proposals by the County Council include:
a 9.00 am start everywhere
to stop making the passes usable on Dial-a-Ride
There is no proposal to charge concessionary bus pass holders for travel on ordinary buses after 9.00 am.
Major bus companies in the area are trying to coordinate their ticket machines as part of a joint ticketing scheme. Concessionary bus pass holders will need to present their passes by placing them face down on a flat sensor plate when boarding.
It is not yet clear whether the County Council will get enough money to fund the scheme or whether they will have a net cost, as the City has until now.
If you have any specific concerns about this issue please contact us!
Work should be taking place today on the installation of a bus shelter outside the NOC. We’re really pleased that our campaign to assist Nuffield Orthopaedic patients in this way has brought results!
A new H1 bus service will operate from Old Marston-Marston shops-Headley Way- Franklin Road-White Horse-London Road-Headington shops on Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9 June. Times will be 11.05 at Franklin Rd to Headington and 12.30 return from Headington. Yes! Not only will it run directly TO Headington Shops, it will RETURN via the same route!
You may remember that David and I have been lobbying hard for this for some time, ever since the bus companies re-routed their services away from the London Road end of Headley Way. Elderly folk were left without a direct service to the shops and it’s been a real problem for them.
We gave our comments at the consultation held at North East Area Committee, and have been exchanging emails on this issue with county officers and county councillors. This is a great example of successful collective lobbying by residents, ward councillors and Oxford Bus User Group. The County’s Assistant Public Transport Officer in the Integrated Transport Unit has worked hard on this and deserves our thanks for identifying this possible extension to the Old Marston route and recommending this to the Cabinet Member for Transport
The new route will be run by a low floor wheelchair accessible bus and will be free to all users. Our elderly residents in the Franklin Rd/Fortnam Close area will be able to access the Farmers’ Market as the new service is available on Fridays. If you know anyone who would make use of this new service, please tell them about it – I have dropped off timetables to every house in Franklin Rd, Fortnam Close, top end Headley Way, Woodlands Rd and Woodlands Close. I’ll make sure timetables are available in the Library too.
PS..before anyone tells me, yes I know that Southern Gas are about to dig up Franklin Road for 18 weeks commencing from a date between 18 and 26 May….watch this space!
Some good news to report! You told us you needed a bus shelter next to the Nuffield Orthopedic Centre bus stop on Windmill Road and we’ve succeeded in getting a 5 bay shelter earmarked for this site. This should be a great help for NOC patients and staff in wet and windy weather
We are informed by the County that the contractor is looking to complete the current phase of the redevelopment scheme by the 1st week in June. There are a number of works to be completed throughout the site and a list is being compiled by county planning staff to aid the contractor.
We have followed up residents’ concerns about the disappearance of the wooden seat next to the Sandford Road/London Road bus shelter – this seat was taken away by the contractor and will be re-sited in its original location
We have chased the County for the re-instatement of the bus stop at Sandford Road/London Road. There is a bus shelter, but no bus stop! Currently Arriva buses are not stopping there or picking up passengers and this is greatly inconveniencing our elderly residents in nearby homes. We have had an assurance from County this morning that
flag posts are on the way.
We’ll keep pressing for action.
Lib Dems believe removing bus stops from Queen Street without reducing buses makes no sense |
Liberal Democrats have “called in” a decision by the county council cabinet member for transport to initiate an expensive short-term programme of changes to Queen Street in central Oxford. Said Lib Dem shadow cabinet member for transport Cllr Roz Smith: “Moving the bus stops out of Queen Street, without reducing the number of buses, will increase congestion on St Aldates and the High Street. It will also severely worsen the air quality in St Aldates, High Street and surrounding streets where there are many residents and even more full-time workers.”
Cllr Smith added: “Pedestrians in Queen Street will still have all the disadvantages of having buses in the street, but without the advantage of being able to actually get on them. An interim surfacing scheme, to be replaced with a new surface when Queen Street is fully pedestrianised, is a waste of taxpayers’ money.”
The matter will now be considered by the Environment & Economy Scrutiny committee of the county council at a meeting on Tuesday 5th May, starting at 2.00 p.m. in county hall. This meeting is open to the public, and members of the public may ask to address the committee.
In theory, members of scrutiny committees exercise their analytical skills impartially, in the interests of all the citizens of Oxfordshire, including those living in and visiting Oxford City. As with Select Committees in the Houses of Parliament, Party considerations are not supposed to determine the recommendations of scrutiny committees. It will be interesting to see whether any Conservative members of the committee break ranks and respond to the outcry among many groups, and vote to alter the decision of their cabinet member.
Residents in Franklin Road have contacted David and me about the unexpected appearance of bus shelters in their road, despite the fact that they no longer have access to public transport themselves since the no.10 bus route was pulled from Headley Way
I made a site visit this morning, and David and I will investigate this today with Rye St Antony School and the county council. We shall keep residents informed of developments
UPDATE 23 April
David is arranging to meet the Bursar of Rye St Antony School to discuss this and other issues early next week
Oxford’s bus companies want to work together to eliminate the need for buses in Oxford’s Queen Street |
Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council Lib Dems want plans to remove bus stops from Queen Street in central Oxford later in 2009, to be delayed, and bus company proposals to reduce the total number of buses in the centre of the city, to be brought in first.
Cllr Roz Smith, Shadow Cabinet member for Transport, said: “The Liberal Democrats have long been calling for improvements in Oxford city centre to help both pedestrians and bus users. But the Conservatives’ half-way house for Queen Street is just not the way to do it. The idea that the bus stops can be removed but not the buses doesn’t make sense. People will have all the disadvantages – and potential dangers – of having buses mingling with pedestrians, but none of the advantages of being able to actually get on a bus.
“Instead we will just get more congestion and air pollution in St Aldates immediately, and we know that the bus stops removed from Queen Street will eventually be moved again in later phases of the Transform Oxford scheme. In addition, re-surfacing Queen Street now, only to resurface it again in a year or two when the buses are finally relocated fully, is an outrageous waste of taxpayers’ money.”
Cllr Zoé Patrick, Leader of the county council Liberal Democrats added, “‘The Conservatives say they want to work with the bus companies but show little sign of rolling up their sleeves and getting on with it. Instead of complaining about the bus companies, they should be sitting down with them to create a proper partnership. This will enable joint timetabling and joint ticketing, and hopefully then reduce the number of half-empty buses coming into the centre. And this will then make room on the other roads to remove buses completely from Queen Street and allow it to be properly pedestrianised.
“This Partnership needs to be set up urgently now. The aims of ‘Transform Oxford’ cannot be delivered until the bus companies can work together. I am surprised at the slowness of the County Council in doing this.”
Note:
The 2008 Local Transport Act allows bus companies to discuss routes and introduce joint ticketing, without being accused of running a cartel, but only if the Transport Authority – in this case the County Council – is involved in the process, acting as “honest broker”, in what is called a Bus Quality Partnership.
David has been pressing the NOC and I have been pressing the Highways Technical
Officer in a sort of co-ordinated pincer movement on getting a seat installed next to
the bus stop at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Windmill Road.
I thought you might like to see the latest communication we have received on this:
I’ve been checking with the NOC as it is still their property. [This] hasn’t been adopted as Highway yet but this rests with the County. In any event, it would have to perform through a 12 month maintenance period.
This notwithstanding, subject to the approval of the NOC I expect to
get a seat put there soon.
Several residents have contacted us with their concerns about the lack of seating at this bus stop. Many of the patients visiting the NOC have mobility problems so we hope that this work progresses as quickly as possible. We will keep lobbying hard for this!