Page 6 - link magazine

6 swindonlink.com • May 2008
New bus services to improve access to North Swindon

Thamesdown Transport is introducing brand new routes to its bus service network in North Swindon and also increasing services on existing
routes. From Tuesday 27 May there will be:
• New No. 15 service for Haydon “where there are growing numbers a new fares structure. mation will be available from the
End every 15 minutes of people using our services, as in A newsletter explaining the Travel Shop in Fleming Way from
• New No. 24 service for Ash North Swindon, we will be running changes will be delivered to homes 6 May and also at:
Brake every 30 minutes more buses. In other areas where across the town in May. The infor- www.thamesdown-transport.co.uk
• Improved No. 18 service for not enough use is being made of
Redhouse, Oakhurst and Taw services, frequencies are being Priory Vale road congestion
Hill every 20 minutes reduced in line with demand.
• Improved No. 24 service for “We have worked closely with likely to get worse
Blunsdon every 30 minutes Swindon Borough Council, who
In addition services 1 and 1A for provide financial support for A resident of Redhouse, who does not want to be named, believes that
Nythe and Covingham will be im- socially necessary services, to en- some of the chronic congestion on Redhouse Way has been caused by
proved to every 10 minutes sure that essential links have been garages and driveways not built in accordance with council approved
Paul Jenkins, Thamesdown maintained where possible.” plans, forcing people to park on the road.
Transport managing director, said The company is also introducing

Approved driving instructor

★ Theory Test Tuition
★ Training Pack Available
★ Block Booking Discount
★ Refresher Courses Priory Vale was planned in line residents fear that when the road
Call Liz on 01793 486112 with central government guidance is adopted by Swindon Council
of the late 1990s to deliberately that double yellow lines might be
Ask about free lessons reduce car ownership by providing put down.
some 20 per cent fewer parking Michael Wills MP said that,
spaces than on earlier develop- although reducing reliance on the
ments. But the shift in behaviour has car is crucial to avoid gridlock,
not taken place and car parking and simply reducing parking spaces
congestion is a problem across the is not enough. “I have been press-
area, particularly on Redhouse Way ing Swindon Borough Council to
which is a major access road. improve public transport links and
There are few lay-bys, so at peak to introduce traffic management
times queues of cars back up when schemes to improve safety and ease
a bus stops. In the evening, the road congestion in Redhouse Way.”
is reduced to a single lane due to Local councillor Justin Tomlinson
parked cars with drivers dodging believes much of the road layout in
in and out of spaces or side roads Priory Vale was poorly designed
to avoid each other. and the problems were due to the
The resident has lodged a com- Government’s guidelines. “Ret-
plaint with the Local Government rospectively, we can only look at
Ombudsman that planning per- redesigning the road and parking
mission for Priory Vale has been areas where practical,” he said.
breached. Swindon Council granted
outline permission in June 2000 and Priory Vale pub
the document can be viewed in the on the way
planning section of their website.
It states that residential garages Marstons Brewery have applied
25% OFF should be at least 2.4 by 4.8 metres to Swindon Council to build the
all granite worktops and residential drives should mea- pub at Redhouse Village Cen-
ordered with sure a minimum of 6m by 3.2m. The tre, between the first phase of
Optiplan kitchens complainant finds that his garage shops and the market square.
and driveway do not meet these The plans can be viewed at
specifications and wonders how www.swindon.gov.uk > planning
many others are in a similar position or at
and forced to park on the road. http://194.73.99.13/publicaccess
A remedy will be difficult to find The search reference number
in smaller streets where houses is: S/08/0709
front directly onto the road. On Comments can be made until
Redhouse Way it could be possible 2 May. The application should be
to reduce the wide pavements to considered in early June.
to create parking bays and bus Marstons are well established
stopping places. This would be a in North Swindon and manage
major change in the agreed plan- the Abbey Mead and the Manor
ning permission for the area and Farm pubs.

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