Print Page - TravelWatch SouthWest

Another thread has mentioned "TravelWatch SouthWest" and - looking around - I find that most (all?) mentions on "The Coffee Shop" are in member-only boards, such as "Frequent Posters". So here is a brief intro.

TravelWatch SouthWest meets twice a year - 1st Saturday in March and October - and it's a meeting of representatives of transport user and campaign groups, special interest groups with significant transport involvement, local and indeed central government, pubic transport operators, infrastructure providers, and other industry bodies. That list may not be complete - if someone represents a group or has an individual reason why TWSW meetings are of interest, then their input / view is - in all probability - welcome.

I was invited initially to attend TravelWatch SouthWest in around 2007 or 2008 - and it's been (and remains) a very useful education in terms of helping me (as a transport advocate within the community) learn what's what and who's who - how things work, why things are as they are, why some things are issues - operational, cost, logistical, safety, commercial and more. And it's a huge opportunity to meet people, exchange experiences, talk through options, fly kites, find out what makes people tick, gather experiences which are willingly shared because we're rarely competing with each other and can gain so much.

In addition to its twice-annual meetings, TravelWatch SouthWest has an AGM (annually, of course!) which is a much lower-key affair, and the directors meet from time to time, specialist papers are written, consultation inputs sought and made. And there are some extra meetings - for example, there was a consolation / consolidation meeting held before the (F)GW(R) direct award was put into place - that was last summer, with the various group inputs advising TWSW board, who put in their consolidated reply to the DfT. Now only was this a useful way of getting "our" inputs into a well respected and carefully read general response, but also an educational day where we were able to learn what others were saying / thinking for their own inputs, be briefed on what may or may not be possible, and so fine-tune our own responses in order to have them pushing on open doors and being constructive, rather that bashing our heads against locked doors or brick walls.

Presentations from the most recent two meetings of TWSW may be found at http://travelwatchsouthwest.org/meetings/

The AGM is on 25th November this year (2015) - I'll add that to the diary; note that it's a Wednesday rather than the Saturdays that are used for the general meetings.

Finally, as a reference here's the official signature 'block' from the organisation's secretary - posted here to complete this intro.

Quote

TravelWatch SouthWest was established in 2001 as The South West Public Transport Users' Forum (SWPTUF) to promote the interests of public transport users in the South West of England (comprising the counties of Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Somerset and the unitary authorities of Bath and North East Somerset, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cornwall, North Somerset, Plymouth, Poole, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Torbay and Wiltshire) - the Forum became a Community Interest Company, limited by guarantee, in August 2005. SWPTUF adopted the trading name of TravelWatch SouthWest in June 2006 and the Community Interest Company changed name to TravelWatch SouthWest CIC in November 2008.

Membership of the TravelWatch SouthWest CIC is open to every 'not-for-profit' organisation in the South West of England whose sole or principal purpose is to represent the users of any public transport service or to promote the development of public transport services - membership is also open to other 'not-for-profit' organisations' in the South West England who represent the interests of particular groups of public transport users e.g. the disabled or the elderly. TWSW currently has over one hundred affiliated organisations.

TWSW, which is a social enterprise company, acts as an advocate for passengers to lobby for the improvement of public transport in the region and works closely with local authorities, local enterprise partnerships, business organisations and other stakeholder groups - with the dissolution of the former Rail Passengers Committee for Western England in July 2005, TWSW is the representative body for public transport users throughout the South West of England.

It's probably fair to say that without the wisdom of many people met at TWSW, much of what we've achieved on the TransWilts would not have been achieved. Names too many to mention - you'll note I have not given you any names at all here (though there are many that spring to mind) as I'm looking to place the organisation in "Who's who" rather than the people.

Great Western Coffee Shop

All across the Great Western territory => Who's who on Western railways => Topic started by: grahame on October 22, 2015, 18:12:25