Residents have their say on Number 12 bus woes

Local Lib Dem councillors have delivered a leaflet across Woodthorpe, Acomb Park and Foxwood asking residents for feedback on the number 12 bus service.

We have received a large number of e-mails and phone calls from residents who are exasperated by the increasing unreliability of the service. Many have noted that more people would be inclined to use the service if they could rely on it.

We are compiling all of the responses received and will be discussing with First and Transport officers at the council what can be done to improve the situation.

First Bus answer questions on number 12 service

Representatives from First Bus and the council’s iTravel team attended the joint Dringhouses & Woodthorpe and Westfield Ward Committee meeting on 3rd October at the York Indoor Bowls Club.

Local councillors and residents had a look around one of the newer and more environmentally-friendly ‘Euro 5’ buses being rolled out on the route and were able to raise questions and concerns about timetables and reliability.

There has been some confusion around recent timetable changes which will hopefully be resolved soon.

Under normal circumstances, bus services are required to be registered at a minimum of 6 weeks’ notice. Part of the reason for this is to allow local authorities sufficient time to input timetable data into the national Traveline system and use the data to produce stop-specific bus stop posters – a process which involves a number of external agencies and usually takes around 3 weeks in total.

As the council decision to provide financial support to retain the Woodthorpe-Foxwood section of the route was only formally signed off last week, First and council officers had a very short time to register the service and produce timetables. The service 12 timetables currently up at stops are therefore short-term temporary posters which will be replaced with full-size composite displays as soon as possible.

The number 12 bus timetable can be accessed on the First York website HERE

Update on number 12 bus service

At the beginning of September some changes were made to the number 12 bus service which meant that from early evening it no longer served Alness Drive / Acomb Wood Drive / Bellhouse Way, but instead turned around in the layby on Moor Lane.

A further revised timetable was published recently which was due to come into effect from 29 September. This would have seen the Alness Drive / Acomb Wood Drive / Bellhouse Way section of the route removed altogether. It would also have seen some Monday to Friday peak time journeys operate as the service 12A, with these journeys not serving Askham Bar Tesco.

These route changes will not now go ahead, following discussions between First, local councillors and council officers and as a result of additional funding being made available via an Officer Decision.

In addition, the evening number 12 service for Alness Drive / Acomb Wood Drive / Bellhouse Way has been restored.

The economic viability of the Alness Drive / Acomb Wood Drive / Bellhouse Way part of the route will be kept under review, and local efforts will be made to encourage more residents to use the service.

A new timetable for the number 12 service will come into effect from 29 September, and it is available HERE  

The number 12 service will continue to go around the ‘Woodthorpe loop’ (Moorcroft Road / Acorn Way / Ryecroft Avenue / Grassholme) on both the outward and return journeys.

Another change coming into effect is that the 500 Sunday service between Woodthorpe and the city centre via Bishopthorpe is being re-named the 11s.

Number 4 bus service diversion route announced

First have announced the diversion route for the number 4 bus from Monday 9th to Sunday 20th September, when St Helens Road will be closed due to work being done by Northern Powergrid.

Heading towards the city centre, the number 4 will miss out Eason View, Thanet Road and St Helens Road. It will instead carry on along Chaloners Road before turning left onto Moor Lane and then left at the Askham Bar roundabout onto Tadcaster Road.

St Helens Road to be closed for electrical works

Notices and signs have gone up on St Helens Road announcing the closure of the road for 11 days from Monday 9 September.

A diversion route is referred to, but no more detailed information has been provided.

Local councillors received an e-mail from Northern Powergrid on 19 August which stated:

“We are investing £80,000 to reinforce our network along part of Tadcaster Road, St Helen’s Road and Eason View.  As is generally the case with works of this nature, there will be a degree of disruption, but we are working closely with the Highways department at City of York Council to minimise the impact of our work as much as we are able.

We will be activating a thorough programme of communications to keep our local stakeholders and the local community informed of what we are doing and why. As well as sharing information with MP Rachael Maskell and yourselves, we are also issuing information leaflets/customer letters and running a PR and social media campaign so that everyone is aware of exactly what we are doing, why we are doing it and how they it may impact them.”

Local councillors have heard nothing from Northern Powergrid since 19 August, and so we have asked them to provide more information that can be shared with residents and on social media.

12 and 14 bus service changes – Transdev to accept First Day tickets

Lib Dem councillor Stephen Fenton has secured an assurance from the council that Transdev (the new operators of the late night 14 service) will be contractually obliged to accept First Day and First Night tickets when the new service starts on 2 September.

A number of Acomb Park residents have been in touch to raise concerns about the service changes, and in particular whether this would mean them having to buy a separate ticket to get home on the late night Transdev service.

First have confirmed that their 6pm to 9.30pm 12 service will travel along the Moor Lane layby (green line below) and will stop at the bus stop on Moor Lane near to the junction with Alness Drive (circled in red below).

Timetable information is available on the iTravel York website HERE

Changes to 12 and 14 bus services from 2 September

First Bus have announced changes to the number 12 and 14 services that serve the Tadcaster Road and Woodthorpe areas.

The changes follow City of York Council undertaking a competitive tender exercise for subsidised bus services. The most significant change will see the number 14 service run by a different operator.

Here is the information that First have published regarding the number 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

The revised number 12 timetable is available HERE

We will make available information about the new arrangements for the number 14 service as and when we have them.

Dringhouses braced for concert traffic impact

Dringhouses residents are braced for the impact of increased traffic associated with the Rod Stewart concert taking place on the Knavesmire on Saturday 1st June.

It is hoped that measures put in place will help to avoid a repeat of the traffic chaos that accompanied the Balloon Festival in September 2018. On that occasion residential streets were often impassable due to a large amount of inconsiderate parking.

Irresponsible parking meant that the exit from Whin Road onto Bracken Road was blocked

The council’s Transport team have issued the following statement to ward councillors for Dringhouses & Woodthorpe, Micklegate and Bishopthorpe wards:

“It is anticipated that 30,000 people will be attending which could lead to up to 7,500 cars parking in the car parks off Knavesmire Road, Campleshon Road, and Bishopthorpe Road. Bearing in mind the impact of the Balloon Festival last year a Traffic Management Plan similar to a busy race day arrangement, but enhanced to cover the increased number of vehicles, will be in place. Timeline:

  • Traffic management in place from approx. 14:00
  • Car Parks open at 16:00
  • Event Performance ends at 22:30
  • All traffic management removed by 01:00 Sunday

  Key Elements:

  • Main Car Parks will be off Knavesmire Road, Campleshon Road and Bishopthorpe Road.
  • Traffic generally directed to access the event off the A64 via Tadcaster Road/ Sim Balk Lane/Bishopthorpe Road.
  • Knavesmire Road to be one way towards Tadcaster Road 14:00 to 01:00
  • A section of Bishopthorpe Road (Middlethorpe Hall to Access to Racecourse Car Park) to be one way northbound 14:00 to 20:00.
  • Shuttle buses will run between the Station and Racecourse.
  • Temporary traffic signals will be in place at key junctions and access points to manage traffic.
  • Civil Enforcement Officers will be available for parking issues. Parking Hotline 0800 1381119 – (08:00 – 21:00)
  • Signs indicating ‘Residents Access Only No Event Parking’ will be placed on access points to residential areas.
  • Route 21 and 11 buses will be diverted around the traffic restrictions on Knavesmire Rd and Bishopthorpe Rd.

Travel advice will be provided on the itravelyork website at https://www.itravelyork.info/events/rod-stewart-concert-at-york-racecourse  

Traffic levels are expected to be very high with significant delays anticipated. Residents are advised to follow the diversion signs, allow more time for their journeys and use alternative routes away from the Knavesmire area if possible.”

New Askham Bar P&R evening ‘stopping’ service launched

From 6th January, First York have launched a new ‘3A’ Park & Ride service from Tower Street to Askham Bar which calls at all stops en route.

This new late night service gives residents in the Tadcaster Road area a greater frequency of bus service. It is a particular benefit to residents living at the southern end of Tadcaster Road, which is not served by the number 4.

The timetables for the new service are set out below.

Summer evening Park & Ride service from Askham Bar extended

Users of York’s popular Park & Ride service will be able to enjoy the attractions in the city centre for longer this summer after it was agreed that the timetable should be extended into the evenings for a ten-week trial period.

City of York Council and bus operator First York have agreed that Service 3 buses from the Askham Bar Park & Ride site will operate until 10.20pm on summer evenings.

The move will give visitors to the city more time to enjoy its diverse range of attractions, as well as making it possible for those attending Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre, which will be open next to Clifford’s Tower from Monday 25 June to Sunday 2 September, time to catch the last bus back to the Park & Ride site after evening performances.

The last Service 3 Park & Ride bus from Tower Street currently departs at 8.05pm from Monday to Saturday and at 6.05pm on Sundays. For the duration of the ten-week trial, there will be additional departures every half hour up to 10.20pm. The buses will also stop at Rougier Street and at the Railway Station in the city centre.
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