Random Stuff!

[TheLocalYokel]

What the mayor said is this:



which can mean a lot of things. It does not say "has agreed to introduce a standard flat fare" for example.

In the same vein, I'm happy to agree to work with anyone who asks towards world peace. Probably still won't see it in my life time though.

The phrasing also doesn't necessarily exclude a special fare for short journeys. That just wouldn't be a "standard" fare then.

Not really sure what fare structure would be fair or unfair - mostly fare structures just are, and if it had been any other way from the start many would be arguing that changing it to something else would be ludicrous and unfair. The normative power of the factual, I guess.

In many cities a standard ticket is time-limited to e.g. 60 or 90 minutes. In others it's just inner zone (say Bristol city) and outer zone(s) (SouthGlos, BANES, etc.). I only remember multiple inner zones from cities much bigger than Bristol, but can't say I've investigated this in any meaningful way of course.

The current fare structure in Bristol is reasonably straightforward, although in Bath it's even simpler with a flat fare in that city's inner zone for any journey longer than a three-stop hop. Bristol's Inner Zone is larger so the fares in that vary depending on distance travelled.

Interesting that the Outer Zone now combines both Bristol and Bath in one zone which is probably a sensible reflection of the closeness of the two in terms of urban transport and inter-urban transport.

All this is with First Group travel. Other companies might be different.

https://www.firstgroup.com/uploads/node_images/Fares Guide (May18).pdf

https://www.firstgroup.com/uploads/node_images/Bath_Bristol_Combined_Zones_Map_WEB_0.pdf

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Railway Line Temple Meads to Bristol Parkway Closed For Three Weeks

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/heres-how-your-commute-could-2119952

From today until 18 November there will be no trains running between Temple Meads and Parkway. Work is being undertaken to lay an additional two lines of rail between Dr Days Junction which is just to the east of Temple Meads and Filton which will provide four running lines, a situation that used to obtain pre-Beeching. Preparatory groundwork, including a new overbridge at Eastville, has been taking place for a year or more.

There will be replacement bus services linking the two stations with many rail routes curtailed or diverted. I noticed some of the buses at Temple Meads this afternoon, mostly First vehicles.

This will affect some BRS passengers travelling by rail to Temple Meads to join the Airport Flyer bus.

Given the adverse publicity of First's bus services in Bristol in recent weeks with the MD publicly acknowledging the failures which he put down to a lack of drivers, an insufficient number of vehicles and major road works amongst other things, I wonder where they will find the additional drivers and vehicles if they haven't enough to operate the normal city schedules. The rail replacement driving could be done on overtime of course but that still leaves buses to be found without adversely impacting further on the city services.

Incidentally, the Bristol Post picture of Temple Meads must be at least 15 years old as it shows the derelict Royal Mail sorting office in use as well as open ground in Avon Street where now stand some office blocks.

Whenever the Post has a Bristol Airport story it invariably uses a picture of the BRS apron that includes a Continental Boeing 757 that was last seen at BRS in 2010.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Buses

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/first-bus-introduce-flat-fare-2153223

Flat fare starts in Bristol next month with, in general, current shorter journey fares going up and longer journey fares coming down.

Yesterday I wondered where the buses and drivers were coming from to operate the rail replacement buses between Temple Meads and Parkway for the next three weeks given the shortage of crews and buses in Bristol for the normal service routes. The First West of England MD was on the local radio again this morning warning of even more problems during the closure of the railway line between the city's two main stations.

 

[superking]

It seems like any thing to do with public transport has problems one way or another weather it be busses or trains. It don't seem to get the problems with aircraft routes and it wonders why that is as more planning has to go into aircraft routes.If the planners for busses and trains sat down and looked at how to run it then perhaps there would be not so much chaos.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

It seems like any thing to do with public transport has problems one way or another weather it be busses or trains. It don't seem to get the problems with aircraft routes and it wonders why that is as more planning has to go into aircraft routes.If the planners for busses and trains sat down and looked at how to run it then perhaps there would be not so much chaos.

The Thatcher deregulation of buses in the 1980s was supposed to have removed monopolies to the benefit of the travelling public. It didn't do either. In pre-deregulation Bristol the main bus company was the Bristol Omnibus Company, a successor to the Bristol Tramways & Carriage Company. It enjoyed a near monopoly and operated most of the services around Greater Bristol and well into its hinterland.

Bristol Omnibus was initially split into two after deregulation: City Line for the city conurbation and Badgerline for the rural areas around Bristol. Badgerline was bought out by management and embarked on an acquisitions trail. In Scotland Grampian Regional Transport was also subject of a management buyout and it too joined the acquisitions trail. In the mid-1990s the Badgerline and Grampian groups joined forces to form First Bus which grew into First Group with interests beyond just buses.

So the Bristol area is still subject to a bus near monopoly and many who remember both will say that the Bristol Omnibus monopoly was much better when it came to travellers' interests than First. That might of course be the rose-tinted spectacles thing but I really can't remember so many complaints about service in Bristol pre-deregulation.

Moving on to the rail replacement buses for the Temple Meads-Parkway temporary rail breach, there was quite a selection on offer this afternoon at Temple Meads. I noted two First double-deckers from Leeds and another from Cornwall. There were also First vehicles from other areas, as well as buses from other companies plus a number of coaches from as far afield as Swindon and Bourton-on-the-Water.

 

[superking]

Showing age when it remembers most of the companies you mentioned except the earliest. I remember when I used busses they would stop at different places of business and drop in a parcel,i don't think that happens now. That practice sure made the routes make profit.

 

[lbaspotter]

First Leeds have sent 5x 12 plated Wright Eclipse Gemini B9s (fleet no's 36216, 36217, 36218, 36219 & 36220) help out with the GWR rail replacement down your way

 

[TheLocalYokel]

First Leeds have sent 5x 12 plated Wright Eclipse Gemini B9s (fleet no's 36216, 36217, 36218, 36219 & 36220) help out with the GWR rail replacement down your way

I saw two of them yesterday. I hope they sent drivers as well because First in Bristol have been going through a terrible time for a while, with recent weeks particularly problematical. They have a shortage of both buses and drivers and have been bringing in buses and drivers within the group from other parts of the country merely to try to maintain some sort of service on the normal city network.

The local tv news this evening carried an item about a woman who is organising a protest demonstration about the state the bus service has reached in the city.

All sorts of buses and coaches have been sent to assist the rail replacement operation. I saw a London United double-decker helping out today.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink/guardian-names-bristol-pub-grain-2160826

Interesting that The Guardian has selected the Grain Barge, one of a number of vessels permanently moored around the Harbourside and used as pubs/restaurants, as being amongst the ten pubs in the UK with the best view. This sort of thing is always subjective and I would have thought the view from the Avon Gorge Hotel terrace might have trumped that of the Grain Barge. Then again, perhaps the Avon Gorge Hotel is not regarded as a pub despite its bar.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Channel 4

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/channel-4-coming-bristol-2168803

Along with Glasgow, Bristol has been selected as a creative hub for Channel 4 Television. Leeds has been chosen as a second headquarters for the company along with its current London headquarters.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/business/countries-spending-hundreds-millions-buying-2173130

Bristol is now one of the top five UK cities outside London for commercial property investment with nearly one billion pounds spent in buying up property in 2018.

 

[superking]

I see the electric trains are running from Paddington to Swindon (one way only) T he stretch of line from Swindon to Didcot is working.The stretch from Didcot to Paddington is due to come on line next week.Dont know when the stretch from Swindon to this area will be in use.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I see the electric trains are running from Paddington to Swindon (one way only) T he stretch of line from Swindon to Didcot is working.The stretch from Didcot to Paddington is due to come on line next week.Dont know when the stretch from Swindon to this area will be in use.

I think that Paddington-Didcot has been operating under electric power for a little while and, as you, say the first electric train from Paddington to Swindon ran this week, although the reverse direction will not begin until next week according to reports (although from Didcot eastwards electric power is already operating). The local tv news said something about electric operation to Bristol Parkway starting by the end of the year, but we've heard these fictional dates before. When electrification was first mentioned in 2010 the entire system was going to be finished by 2017.

I smiled wryly when the various officials from GWR and Network Rail were gushing about the advantages of electric power over diesel and how it's better for the environment. Tell that to the citizens of Bristol and Bath who will have to put up with railway diesel power polluting their cities until who knows when.

Apart from the South Wales main line from Paddington the entire Government Region of the South West (the biggest in area in the country and home to over five million people) will still have have no electrified railways, and none are now currently planned. Yet HS2 is going ahead in regions where they've had electrification for decades. In this region we'd be delighted just to have what they've got already.

 

[superking]

I see 1 of the double decker buses brought in to help out running bus services in Bristol ripped the roof of trying to get under a railway bridge in Stoke Gifford. Bus owned by Applegate coaches from Berkley.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I see 1 of the double decker buses brought in to help out running bus services in Bristol ripped the roof of trying to get under a railway bridge in Stoke Gifford. Bus owned by Applegate coaches from Berkley.

Yes, I saw that. I can never understand why some lorry and bus drivers are not aware of the height of their vehicle, given that such incidents are not uncommon around the country.

Linked report with a picure of the beheaded bus.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bus-crash-bridge-closed-parkway-2177467

 

[superking]

With trucks they normally have a height indicator in the cab for high vehicles. When getting close to a low bridge it triggers an alarm and the driver knows to stop. I don't know if they use any thing similar in busses but if they don't then they should,as there is a chance of many injuries or even death.

 

[Jerry]

Something a bit random but a chunk of ice fell through the roof of a house in Bristol possibly coming from an Easyjet flight from Rome or more than likely a Thomas Cook from Banjul heading to BHX.
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/freak-ice-boulder-size-sink-2187871

 

[superking]

In the past there has been lots of ice dropping from aircraft that had just come over the pond and dropping altitude for LHR.

 

[superking]

I watched some of the apprentice last night. The contestants had to do 2 start up airlines. Wow what a disaster. The thing that caught my eye was one of the judges was Robert Sinclair.

 

[superking]

Carnival night in Weston Super Mare this evening. 100- 000 people expected. Lets hope weather bodes well for it.