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People power should shape bus services
NOT GOOD ENOUGH ... Coun Jim Sewell wants improvements to bus services.
CAMPAIGNING councillors are demanding that people power shapes the route of future bus services in South Tyneside.
There has been anger for several years about the quality of bus services in Hebburn, with claims that parts of the town have been ‘abandoned’ by bus operators.
Now town councillors are demanding maximum public involvement in a consultation exercise organised by transport providers Nexus as part of a planned major shake-up in how bus services are delivered.
The thorny issue of local bus services was debated at the latest meeting of Hebburn community area forum this week.
Coun Jim Sewell said: “This is one of the most important consultations ever held with the people of Hebburn. We want people to get the best services, but the public transport we have is just not good enough.”
A Nexus official told the forum that the first consultation event was for business and community group stakeholders, which angered some councillors.
Coun Eddie McAtominey said: “I have a couple of thousand people in my ward who’ve got no bus service at all – are they going to be consulted?
“It’s not council members who are important here, it’s members of the public.”
There were also concerns about the first stakeholder event being held at Jarrow Community Centre, rather than in Hebburn.
Coun Joe Abbott, for the Hebburn North ward, said: “South Tyneside doesn’t stop at Jarrow – it stops at Bill Quay bridge.”
Huw Lewis, head of communications at Nexus, said: “Nexus has been asked by the Tyne and Wear Integrated Transport Authority to look at new models for the delivery of bus services. This project has the support of the five local councils in Tyne and Wear but is still at an early stage.
“We are looking at the relative merits of a Quality Contracts Scheme, based on local franchising of bus services, or new Voluntary Partnership Agreements with operators, to see if they would bring improvements for passengers.
“We are carrying out an informal engagement programme with local business and community leaders, service providers and politicians to explain more about this important project, and some have been invited to meetings in South Tyneside.
“If we take these plans further, then we will carry out a full and detailed formal consultation, involving the whole community, once we have the kind of detail the public will be most interested in, such as where and when buses will run and what the fares are likely to be.
“Delivering the bus strategy is likely to be a long and complex process which we have begun because we want to make sure people in Hebburn and communities like it have the best possible local services, and can play a full part in how those services are planned and delivered.”
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Tuesday 22 May 2012
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Comments
There are 5 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
geordie999
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 10:00 PMshould be asking if any of the locals can do it cheaper ...see many big buses running empty ...mini buses would do now . maybe £1 into shields each way might get folks using buses and back into our centre ..why pay £7 + to spend a pound at the ( you guessed it ) poundshop ?
Brichomba
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 03:12 PMCouncillors Sewell and Abbott have the peoples best interest at heart, but they still have to toe the line that sandie councillors hold. Nexus will never listen to the people of south tyneside (no matter what they tell the Gazette) its the sound of money in their pockets that drounds out the shouts from people power.
bohemianblogger
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 02:49 PMAs long as south shields has a monopolistic bus service, we will continue to see inflation busting price rises, buses not running to schedule and often obnoxious drivers.
geordie999
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 02:24 PMover £7 return ....still to dear ........grrrrrrrrrrrrrr
geordie999
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 02:16 PMcheaper fares ......over £7 to take me and our lass into town ???? still cheaper by car ....well done to free car park ocean rd driving into town makes even more sense now than getting bus any day .
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