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.

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 hit by graffiti blitz

Telecom and electrical cabinets and bus shelters in Dringhouses were recently hit by a graffiti ‘artist’.

Local Lib Dem councillor Stephen Fenton (with the help of graffiti removal wipes!) tackled the bus shelters and cabinets on Tadcaster Road. The electrical cabinet on North Lane, near the entrance to Hob Moor, remains to be cleaned up.

Bus stop on Tadcaster Road near The Horseshoe
Bus stop on Tadcaster Road near St Edwards
Graffiti on North Lane

Fresh hope for Woodthorpe Post Office

The Post Office has announced its intention to open a branch in the McColls store on Moorcroft Road, a few doors down from the former Post Office branch which closed earlier this year

The proposal is now out to consultation Here, with a closing date of 18th September.

News of the relocation plans will come as a boost to local residents who have missed having this local facility. Over the summer local Liberal Democrat councillors collected a petition calling on the Post Office to reinstate counter services.

Grass verge reinstatement – residents and visitors asked to park responsibly

Residents and visitors on the Middlethorpe estate, off Tadcaster Road, are being asked to park responsibly to give grass verges chance to recover after Ultra Fibre Optic cable laying.

Contractors have been praised by many residents for their helpful and tidy approach, and where verges have been dug up they have been filled and grass seed has been put down.

A minority of residents and visitors however are parking on the verge directly on top of re-laid sections. There are particular issues on Lycett Road (pictured below after a visitor to a nearby house chose to park on freshly laid grass seed).

Damaged verge on Lycett Road

Some residents have suggested that the verges could be protected by either plastic bollards or home-made bamboo-and-string. It is to be hoped that if residents do put in place temporary measures to protect the verge they are not subject to enforcement action by the council!

Petition to reinstate Post Office services for Woodthorpe

Local Lib Dem councillors have launched a petition calling on Post Office Ltd to reinstate Post Office services for Woodthorpe residents as quickly as possible.

The Post Office shut on 13th May, leaving residents with a trek to Acomb or Tadcaster Road to access Post Office services

Post Office Ltd have failed to engage with local councillors or residents about the closure. They did issue a statement a few days after the Woodthorpe branch closed. It said:

“We are currently investigating the options available which will enable us to reinstate a Post Office service to the local community. In exploring this, it is important that any future service is sustainable for the person operating the service, and for Post Office Limited. Future provision will reflect customer numbers and usage and we may take the opportunity to establish an alternative type of service. This may be a new style local branch which run alongside an established retail shop in newly refurbished premises and creates a more modern and convenient experience for customers.”

Stephen, Ashley and Paula are calling on local residents to sign the petition, which is online at https://www.yorklibdems.org.uk/post_office_petition

Stephen commented “It is important that we show Post Office bosses how much we value our local services.”

A PDF petition form can be downloaded hereDownload

Post Office respond to resident outcry over branch closure

Post Office Ltd have belatedly responded to the outcry from residents about the closure of Woodthorpe Post Office.

They have issued a statement on their website setting out the current situation. It states..

“I would like to assure you that we are currently investigating the options available which will enable us to reinstate a Post Office service to the local community. In exploring this, it is important that any future service is sustainable for the person operating the service, and for Post Office Limited.

Future provision will reflect customer numbers and usage and we may take the opportunity to establish an alternative type of service. This may be a new style local branch which run alongside an established retail shop in newly refurbished premises and creates a more modern and convenient experience for customers.”

Somewhat confusingly, an e-mail from Post Office Ltd to Cllr Stephen Fenton boasts that “Customer information materials will also be available in branch”!