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Longer-term contract agreed for number 12 bus service
Dringhouses & Woodthorpe’s Lib Dem councillors have welcomed the approval by the council of a longer-term contract for the number 12 bus service, which was at risk of being axed from 1st April.
A short-term contract had secured the service until the end of this month, to allow time for the council to undertake a tender exercise for a longer-term contract. This has now been completed, with the number 12 to continue to operate on an hourly basis. The operator will receive financial support of £984 per day, equivalent to £297k per annum, to keep the number 12 running until at least the end of March 2025.
A campaign launched by local Lib Dem councillors and campaigners to save the service led to hundreds of residents signing a petition, with a well-attended public meeting being held in December at which residents could have their say.
Councillors have committed to working with the operator to help make the number 12 service a success. The Decision Notice which confirms the agreement of a longer-term contract can be viewed HERE and confirms that in order to mitigate the issues for school children, conversations will be had with the operator on whether some minor change to the timetable will reduce the time impact on school children.
The fact that there is a mutual three-month break clause also means that if the Government funding situation is clarified, discussions can be had with the operator about increasing frequency of this and other services.
Lib Dem Councillor for Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Stephen Fenton commented:
“I’m delighted that the council has stepped in to secure the longer term future of the number 12 route. This will come as a major relief to many hundreds of residents in Woodthorpe, Acomb Park and Foxwood who were facing the loss of their only public transport service.
“Speaking to residents over the last few months, it has become clear just how important the service is for many residents who use it to get to the shops, to work, to medical appointments, to school and to meet friends and family.
“Whilst this intervention by the council is very welcome, it’s clear that repeated last minute short-term Government funding extensions are no substitute for a sustainable long term approach to supporting bus services.”
Date set for library re-opening
Explore York have announced that Dringhouses Library will re-open on 16th March after heating upgrade work has been completed.
The library closed on 13th February in response to concerns about the low temperature in the building, caused by a combination of winter weather and ineffective heating. A new boiler is being installed along with new convector heaters and new radiators. It has been confirmed that Listed Building Consent is not needed for these internal improvement works.
Cllr Stephen Fenton has welcomed the news, commenting “I was grateful that the Chief Executive of Explore agreed to meet with me when news of the closure broke, which came as something of a surprise. It is encouraging that the council’s Facilities team has been able to work with Explore to agree the specifications and get the equipment ordered and ready for installation.”
Housing and car park proposals revealed for green belt site
Proposals have been revealed by Gateway Developments and Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust to build 114 homes and a car park on land on Sim Balk Lane, opposite York College.
The developers are distributing a leaflet (copied below) to the local area inviting residents to comment on the proposal, and have set up a website at www.simbalklaneconsultation.co.uk
They are also holding a drop-in event at the York College atrium on Thursday 2nd March from 3.30 to 7pm.
The proposals also include the provision of car parking on the site for use by the Bishopthorpe White Rose Football Club.
The Sim Balk Lane site is not identified as land for development in the draft Local Plan for York, which is at an advanced stage, with the final round of consultations now underway. More details available HERE
Reinstatement concerns over Virgin Media works
Councillors have raised concerns with Virgin Media about the impact of fibre optic cable-laying on the Middlethorpe estate which started in January and is to continue into March.
On Whin Road, tarmac has been used to fill channels that have been dug in concrete driveways and verges have been left devoid of grass.
Virgin Media have responded to say that the verges will be re-seeded and that the tarmac will be replaced with concrete, though they are “waiting for a forecast of a few good days of weather” before doing this work.
Councillors had queried with council officers why the streets are being dug up again so soon after the disruption caused by the TalkTalk / CityFibre UFO works, but were told that they had no powers to stop the works. Virgin Media have said, however, that for 50% of the scheme they will be able to use existing BT Openreach infrastructure, with the remaining 50% requiring digging in roads, verges and footpaths.
Tadcaster Road scheme – additional information on traffic control measures, drop-in sessions announced
In response to a request from local councillors, officers managing the Tadcaster Road highway / drainage / active travel scheme have made more information available on the location and duration of temporary traffic lights.
The implementation of temporary traffic lights at the junction of Tadcaster Road and Knavesmire Road has understandably led to delays, and whilst there is useful information on the council website, a number of residents pointed out that there was no mention of where temporary traffic controls would be used.
This has now been rectified, with information added at https://www.york.gov.uk/roadworks-closures-diversions/tadcaster-road-improvements/3 detailing where temporary traffic lights will be used.
The project team will also be holding two further drop-in sessions for local residents at St Edward’s Church on Thursday 2nd March 5-8pm and Sunday 5th March 12:30 – 4pm.
Dringhouses Library to close temporarily
Dringhouses & Woodthorpe ward councillors were informed by York Explore Libraries & Archives on 9th February that due to issues with the heating system at Dringhouses Library, it is planned to temporarily close the library from Monday 13th February until the end of the month.
Councillors have asked for an urgent meeting with Explore to discuss possible temporary solutions which would ensure that staff, volunteers and residents can safely access vital services.
Explore have said that an inspection identified that the current heating is insufficient to effectively heat the building. They have told ward councillors that a permanent solution has been identified and that action is being taken to obtain appropriate advice and permissions from Conservation Officers at the council before the work can progress, given the listed status of the building.
Liberal Democrat Councillor for Dringhouses & Woodthorpe Cllr Stephen Fenton commented:
“It’s very disappointing to learn of the proposed temporary closure so abruptly, as no prior notice had been given to local councillors or residents.
“The library is an important much-loved local community asset and provides crucial services to many residents. I am particularly concerned about the impact of the proposed closure on elderly residents, who, for example, use the library to access the internet, to get help and advice and to have some social interaction. Any closure would also be a blow to young people for whom the library is a place for learning and enjoyment, particularly with half-term around the corner.
“Of course, the health and safety of the library’s staff, volunteers and customers always comes first, so it’s crucial to ensure permanent solutions are brought forward as soon as possible. However, in the meantime, temporary arrangements need to be put in place until the heating issues are fixed. I will discuss this urgently with York Explore Libraries & Archives.”
Ward schemes update
A number of ward schemes are belatedly coming to fruition around the ward.
The state of the verges on Bracken Road (particularly at the entrance to Knavesmire Wood) has been a concern for residents for many years, with cars parking on or driving over the verge leading to it being churned up and the road covered in mud.
Local councillors consulted residents about potential solutions such as bollards, planting or verge reinforcement, of which the latter proved to be most popular. So during the week commencing 23rd February some reinforcement will be installed in the verges either side of the entrance to the wood. If this proves to be successful, this approach could be implemented elsewhere on Bracken Road, funding permitted.
A number of storage units have been installed at the rear of the flats on Wains Road which will enable tenants to safely store bicycles, as there are no communal areas in the blocks of flats on Wains Road that can accommodate bicycles.
And on the steps leading down from Moor Lane railway bridge a metal ramp has been installed to make it easier for cyclists to get their bikes up and down the steps.
Call for number 12 timetable change
Councillor Stephen Fenton has asked council officers to work with Transdev to implement a change to the timetable for the number 12 bus service so that it will enable young people to get to school on time.
Transdev took over the route on 23 January after First Bus decided to withdraw from running the service. The service runs on a hourly basis, with Transdev agreeing with council officers to retain the number 12 timetable operated by First. The 12A service ended, but it was the timings of this service, rather than the 12, which best suited young people going to school.
For example, the current 12 timetable sees the bus depart Woodthorpe shops at 7.25am (which gets children to school too early) and 8.25am (which gets children to school too late).
This has led to a number of young people walking through to either Foxwood Lane or Eason View to catch the number 4 service operated by First, but this already busy service is struggling to cope – feedback from residents is that it is significantly overcrowded with the risk that passengers are left behind. This happened on Friday 27th January, when First ran a single decker which led to some passengers being left at the bus stop. Then on Monday 30th the scheduled number 4 service didn’t arrive, which again left passengers stranded.
Cllr Fenton has shared these example with council officers to highlight the need for a re-think of the number 12 timetable.
“Everyone wants the number 12 to be a success and to continue beyond the end of March. That is more likely to happen if the timetable is configured in a way that suits as many users of the service as possible, including young people going to school.”
Number 12 bus saved – for now
Councillors have welcomed the news that a short-term contract is set to be awarded to a new operator to run the number 12 service until the end of March. The route was put under threat after First announced the plans to entirely withdraw the service from 22 January citing low patronage recovery, increased operating costs and a shortage of available drivers.
Details of the decision, made by council officers on 10th January, are available at https://democracy.york.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=6748
The name of the new operator has not yet been disclosed.
Under the short-term contract, the new operator will receive £59k in financial support in the form of a subsidy to keep an hourly service running until the end of March. A tender for a longer-term replacement service will then take place with the objective of having a full contract in place by 1st April.
This follows a campaign launched by local Lib Dem councillors and campaigners to save the number 12 bus, which has seen over a thousand residents sign a petition and more than 40 attend a public meeting on the future of the route.
At the well-attended public meeting organised by councillors on 18th December, it became very clear how important the service is for many residents who use it to get to the shops, to work, to medical appointments, to school and to meet friends and family. Residents’ feedback on what they would like the service to look like in future has already been shared with council officers, and it will be shared with the new operator.
Councillor for Dringhouses & Woodthorpe Stephen Fenton said:
“The reduction in frequency from every half hour to every hour is disappointing, but if it is a more reliable service, then hopefully more people will be attracted to using it. It’s really crucial now that as many people as possible use the service to ensure that once March comes around, the operator can see the benefits and financial case for sustaining the service in the long term.
“This intervention by the Council is, however, no substitute for a sustainable long term approach to running bus services which are facing unprecedented challenges. Increased costs, driver shortages and slow recovery of usage levels, as well as the cliff edge of Government financial support, has created something of a ‘perfect storm.’
“Unless the sector receives urgent long-term support from the Government, both financially as well as through driver recruitment, more services are likely to face cancellation as the real extent of the bus crisis becomes clear. It is unrealistic to expect councils to solve the looming bus crisis just as inflation hits already overstretched budgets – Government really needs to wake up and act now before it’s too late.”
There will now be a separate tender exercise for the period after March, though the ending of Government financial support means that more local services are likely to need subsidies in order to keep going.