Broadstone, Merley and Bearwood Area Committee

BOROUGH OF POOLE – BROADSTONE, MERLEY AND BEARWOOD AREA COMMITTEE – 17 MAY 2012

BOROUGH OF POOLE

BROADSTONE, MERLEY AND BEARWOOD AREA COMMITTEE

17 MAY 2012

BROADSTONE FIRST SCHOOL, TUDOR ROAD

The Meeting commenced at 6:00pm and concluded at 7:30pm

Present:

Councillor Brooke (Chairman)

Councillors Brown, Godfrey (until 7:06pm), Maiden and Mrs Slade

Others in attendance:

John McVey, Passenger Transport and Accessibility Manager, Borough of Poole

Mr Ed Wills, Wilts and Dorset Bus Company

Members of the public present: approximately 106

The Chairman welcomed residents to the Meeting and carried out a “straw poll” of members of the public present. The results were as follows:

Approximately 87% of attendees were from Broadstone
Approximately 10% of attendees were from Merley
Approximately 3% of attendees were from Bearwood
Approximately 75% were first time attendees to an Area Committee

BMB1.12APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Mrs Cox.

BMB2.12DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

There were no declarations of interest.

BMB3.12PROPOSED BUS TIMETABLES

Due to the large number of attendees and the fact that Mr E Wills, Wilts and Dorset Bus Company, had to leave by 7pm, the Chairman, Councillor Brooke, informed the Meeting that he proposed to change the order of the Agenda, and deal with the proposed bus timetable first.

Mr John McVey, Passenger Transport and Accessibility Manager, provided the Meeting with background information on how the Bus Services in the Borough were operated, with particular reference to the role of the Council.

The Meeting noted the privatisation of Bus Operators and their need to make a profit and their ability to operate routes whenever or wherever they wanted. He added that as a result of this it was inevitable that there would be gaps in provision in order for the Bus Companies to be commercially viable. As a result, the Borough of Poole liaised with Bus Companies in order to provide a subsidy to support uneconomic routes. At present the subsidy was in the region of £800K per annum.

In addition, the Borough of Poole supported the Concessionary Travel Scheme, costing approximately £2.5Million per annum and provided bus shelters where needed and also raised kerbs for easy access. The Transport and Accessibility Manager informed the Meeting that, due to the commitment of the Council, there were 9.6Million passenger journeys last year which represented an 80% increase over the past 7 years.

Mr Ed Wills, Wilts and Dorset Bus Company, provided the Meeting with a brief update on the operational pressures that faced the Bus Company. He stated that the Company had to operate according to a strict Business Plan, they were a Public Listed Company and they were duty bound to provide value to their shareholders.

The Meeting noted that to operate a bus, the costs were approximately £50 per hour and that with recent increases in fuel duty of approximately 20% it was imperative to operate sustainable routes in order to ensure a viable future for the Company. Mr Wills added that Bus Operators did not receive a commercial rebate from Local Authorities for Concessionary Fares.

Mr Wills continued by detailing the changes, with effect from 3rd June 2012, of the Bus Route No’s 3 and 4. He added that the main reasons behind the changes were reliability and viability and asked residents to bear in mind that one bus costed approximately £160,000 per annum to run. The Meeting noted that the Bus Company had investigated various operating models in order to arrive at the revised bus timetable.

Mr Wills accepted that the revisions would result in longer journey times but added that this was offset by better reliability.

The Chairman thanked Mr McVey and Mr Wills for their presentations and then asked residents to make comments and ask questions, details included:

What size and type of buses were Wilts and Dorset proposing to operate on the routes?
Older people found it difficult to use the stairs on double-decker buses.
The Merley/Corfe Mullen service left the Bus Station every half an hour. If the bus was full, passengers would have to spend another 30 minutes at the Dolphin Centre.
The current bus information system was “sadly lacking”, and did not provide up-to-date “live” information, such as delays and cancellations.
Congratulations on the skill and good nature of Wilts and Dorset drivers.
Why did the bus have to travel along Broadstone Way, why not along Lower Blandford Road to Poole?
Used Route No.3, 8am everyday for work, the reason being it was fast. With the proposed changes, would be forced to revert to using the car.
Please reinstate a fast service for commuters.
A “drop-off” service at Poole Station was extremely important for visitors, holiday makers etc.
It would help if bus passes started at 9am.
Buses were required to keep cars off the road, every week the level of traffic increased.
An extra 10 minutes over the journey time was enough to tip the balance to using the car.
A hospital worker needed to use the 8am service and consequently route No.3 was imperative. Worried that if the No.4 did not show or was late, the worker would be late for work. The only alternative was to get the 7.20am bus, adding 40 minutes to the journey.
How would parents with young children cope having to leave earlier in the morning?
No.3 was an excellent service, please consider a commuter service.
Proposals from June 2012 would not be able to cope with passenger levels.
Councillor Brooke informed the Meeting that he was at a bus stop at 9:30am, and a No.3 and a No.4 arrived at the same time, with 90% of those waiting at the bus stop getting onto the No.3, that was an indictment of the No.4’s popularity.
Used No.3 often in order to travel beyond Poole. Proposed changes would mean reverting back to using the car.
Time after time, had observed people smoking next to “No Smoking” signs at the Bus Station. If the Bus Company imposed fines, this would provide funds for less profitable services.
Proposed changes would result in more cars on the road.
Historically, Wilts and Dorset Bus Company had been unresponsive to its passengers. It often took years to implement suggestions. In future, the Bus Company must not take so long as it was imperative for the Company to recognise quickly when a change was required and to put it right without delay. Please act and work in partnership with the Borough of Poole and listen to what your customers have to say.
Please consider a commuter route.
Residents were unaware of the proposed changes. Where was the consultation?
It was clear from the comments made tonight that Wilts and Dorset’s first priority was to its shareholders. The No.3 was an excellent service that was often full and the only reason it was being “ditched” was because of the average age of users, resulting in a reduced revenue due to Concessionary Bus Passes.
Wilts and Dorset’s advertising was very poor. More people would use their services if they were made aware of routes and timetables etc.
A Councillor stated that the first time he had heard about the changes was recently by email. There had been no consultation with Ward Councillors or with members of the public.
A Councillor stated that many residents could not attend the Meeting but were horrified by the proposals. She added that it was interesting to note that it took 45 minutes for Mr Wills to mention “Customer Care”.
A Member stated that it was important for residents in outlying areas to get to Poole quickly. The No.3 service was rightly termed “the flyer”. If Wilts and Dorset were unable to meet their customer needs, perhaps Yellow Buses could.

Mr Ed Wills, Wilts and Dorset Bus Company, responded to the issues raised, including:

Single deck buses, with a capacity of 65 people, would be used on the proposed routes. At certain times of the day, if there were capacity issues, there might be a possibility of using spare vehicles to run duplicate journeys.
Suggestions regarding an alternative route along Lower Blandford Road would be considered.
Wilts and Dorset Bus Company would be happy to consider the possibility of introducing a special commuter type service.
The reasons for the proposed changes were to provide customers with a more reliable service.
Agreed with comments regarding ‘No Smoking’ at the Bus Station. Unfortunately, Wilts and Dorset did not have the power to enforce ‘No Smoking’ and could not charge fines.
Wilts and Dorset wanted to listen to its customers and would in future, respond to suggestions without delay. Customer Care was important to the Company.
Noted the comments from a Councillor regarding Customer Care, however, it was the nature of the residents’ questions and the relevant responses that resulted in the subject of Customer Care being mentioned later. However, whilst listening to the customers and responding to their needs, it was important that Wilts and Dorset operated a viable business.

John McVey, Passenger Transport and Accessibility Manager, responded to the issues raised, including:

The present Bus Information System was now 10 years old and was “creaking at the seams”. The good news was that the Borough had been successful in a bid for additional funding, resulting in £3.4Million for Capital Projects/Initiatives. With these funds, there would be the opportunity to upgrade the present Information System. This would result in a more flexible information system at bus stops and even on mobile phones.
The statutory requirement for the bus pass start time was 9:30am. It was correct that the East Dorset District Council start time was 9:00am, however, they did not have so many bus routes before 9:30am. Local Authorities were at liberty to introduce a start time of their choice, before 9:30am, as long as they could afford to do so, unfortunately there were no funds available for the Borough of Poole to introduce an earlier time.

Councillor Brooke summed up the discussion and stated that there were a couple of messages/issues that Mr Ed Wills should take away:

Passengers wanted reliable, fast journeys
Users would have to catch buses as early as 6:30am in order not to arrive late for work.
If Wilts and Dorset Bus Company were unable to provide what the customer wanted, then perhaps Yellow Buses could.

Councillor Brooke added that the Meeting noted that Mr Wills had agreed to:

Investigate and consider a route along Lower Blandford Road
Investigate and consider introducing commuter services
Work jointly with Officers to provide the best possible services

Residents joined the Chairman in thanking Mr McVey and Mr Ed Wills for their attendance and input.

NB Councillor Godfrey left the Meeting at 7:06pm.

BMB4.12MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the last Meeting of the Broadstone, Merley and Bearwood Area Committee, held on 28 March 2012, be taken as read, confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

BMB5.12TERMS OF REFERENCE

RECOMMENDED that the Terms of Reference be confirmed.

BMB6.12TRAFFIC PANEL

The Chairman introduced the Traffic Panel Report and explained to residents that it was for Information Only.

A summary of the Panel’s recommendations was presented, including:

(a)Viscount Walk/King John Avenue

(b)Dunyeats Road

(i)Lower Golf Links Road

(ii)Upper Golf Links Road

(iii)Ashwood Drive

(c)Wentworth Drive

(d)Canford Magna

(e)Story Lane

RECOMMENDED that the Information Only Report be noted.

BMB7.12TRANSPORTATION PROGRAMME 2012/13

The Chairman introduced the Capital Programme for 2012/13 produced by the Head of Transportation Services.

RESOLVED that approval be given to implement the Schemes as detailed in paragraph 3.1 of the Report of the Head of Transportation Services regarding the Transportation Programme 2012/13.

A resident questioned why the suggestion for a traffic island in Magna Road, as raised at the last Meeting, was not included in the Report?

The Chairman stated that the Traffic Panel had met on 2nd February 2012, prior to the last Broadstone, Merley and Bearwood Area Committee and, consequently, were not aware of the Resident’s concerns. He added, however, that the Panel would consider the suggestion the next time they met.

BMB8.12OPEN FORUM

A resident raised the issue of parking problems in Hull Road, Hull Crescent, Woodgreen Road due to the operations of a car dealer, as minuted under Open Forum at the Area Committee dated 28 March 2012. The resident reported that the problems persisted and distributed photographs to Members of the Committee.

The resident expressed dismay that she had not received a full and comprehensive response from Ward Councillors.

Councillor Mrs Slade stated that the original date for the Area Committee was 30th May 2012, however, it had been brought forward to 17th May in order to discuss the proposed bus timetable issues. As a result Councillors were not in a position to provide the resident with a full response.

The car dealer referred to by the resident was in attendance at the Meeting and stated that he had Public Liability Insurance, did not operate his business on the road/highway and had never been personally approached by his neighbours regarding their concerns. He added that he now had a premises in Christchurch and so the disruption in the neighbourhood would be minimised. He stated that he had been the subject of racial abuse and some of his cars had been vandalised/damaged.

The Chairman suggested that all those concerned met with Councillors outside of the Meeting, and that a formal response by the Ward Councillor would be sent to those concerned by 30th May 2012.

A resident referred to the Borough of Poole’s Tree Preservation Order Policy (TPO’s), and stated that the Council did not have a concept of true tree management.

Date and Time of Next Meeting – Monday 17th September 2012 at 7:00pm in the Merley Ward.

CHAIRMAN