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Author Topic: Welcomes and timetables  (Read 17309 times)
LiskeardRich
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« Reply #15 on: December 22, 2013, 10:34:56 »

Re: Travelling to Bristol from Melksham using the improved timetable: Bignosemac, you suggested I returned to the forum with this topic after the 8th December.

I was talking to my daughter about getting to her place in Southville (Exeter Road) by train, and she seems to think I'd probably have to go to Temple Meads, then get a bus into the city centre, change there for another to take me to Southville.  "Just get in the car, mum"  (Talk about waving a ciggie packet under a determined quitter's nose). I mentioned your suggestion of alighting at Bedminster but she didn't think that would be any more helpful.  However, as her and her partner don't use the rail services very much, I'm not sure they're any more qualified to work it all out than me! 

I shan't be attempting the journey until after the New Year now, so just allowing for some 'thinking time' to consider my options. Any contributions to the thought processes gratefully received.  Thank you.

Looking at a map I'd say Bedminster station to Exeter Road is probably a maximum of 20 minute walk.

Google gives walking directions as follows
Quote
1. Head south toward Fraser St 
 2. Turn right onto Fraser St   
 3. Turn right onto Windmill Hill   
 4. Turn left onto Hereford St   
 5. Turn right onto Malago Rd/A38   
 6. Turn left onto Little Paradise   
 7. Turn left onto East St   
 8. Turn right onto Cannon St/B3120   
 9. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto North St/B3120   
 10. Turn right onto Greville St   
 11. Turn left to stay on Greville St   
 12. Continue onto Upton Rd   
 13. Turn left onto Exeter Rd
Distance 1.0 miles
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JayMac
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« Reply #16 on: December 22, 2013, 12:40:01 »

A slightly shorter walk can be had from Parson St Station.

http://goo.gl/maps/UCtTn
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« Reply #17 on: December 22, 2013, 21:45:17 »

Thanks very much for your input guys.  At the moment, with an arthritic condition awaiting treatment I would be hard-pushed to walk a mile, will have a look at the other route and see just how much shorter that is.  Would there be a taxi rank outside either of these stations?

Paul 7755, thank you for providing the timetable earlier this month; handy job, pity I haven't used it!
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #18 on: December 22, 2013, 21:51:07 »

There are no taxi ranks at either Bedminster or Parson Street.

In view of your particular requirements, Cynthia, you may be better getting the train to Bristol Temple Meads and then taking a taxi from there: there is a plentiful supply of them, and the fare shouldn't be too much for a relatively short journey.
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« Reply #19 on: December 22, 2013, 22:03:27 »

Thank you. That would be easier than walking, certainly, but if I got off at Temple Meads it might be cheaper to explore which buses go to Southville.  It costs me a fiver to get from where I live to Melksham town centre, so I daresay the cost to the station would be about the same, so if I got a taxi the other end as well, things are going to start getting expensive.  The obvious answer would be to drive to the station and leave my car parked there, but as I am trying to improve my green credentials, this doesn't seem like a good idea!  Santa, please can I have a bus from Berryfield to Melksham station to match the new train services!?
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« Reply #20 on: December 22, 2013, 22:43:49 »

 Santa, please can I have a bus from Berryfield to Melksham station to match the new train services!?

Not sure about Santa, but we know another man with a beard who might be able to help.  Wink
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« Reply #21 on: December 22, 2013, 23:43:49 »

The two buses a day on Service 15 that run via Berryfield will get you to ASDA, but unfortunately in both cases you would only have a couple of minutes to get across to Melksham station before the train arrives.

I suspect even the fittest amongst us would struggle to make that.

buses@wiltshire.gov.uk is worth dropping an email to on this subject, particularly if you can demonstrate that demand exists for an improved and/or modified service.
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grahame
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« Reply #22 on: December 23, 2013, 06:29:10 »

 Santa, please can I have a bus from Berryfield to Melksham station to match the new train services!?

Not sure about Santa, but we know another man with a beard who might be able to help.  Wink

The two buses a day on Service 15 that run via Berryfield will get you to ASDA, but unfortunately in both cases you would only have a couple of minutes to get across to Melksham station before the train arrives.

I suspect even the fittest amongst us would struggle to make that.

buses@wiltshire.gov.uk is worth dropping an email to on this subject, particularly if you can demonstrate that demand exists for an improved and/or modified service.

Both the Chippenham - Frome bus routes stop at what they call "Melksham / Berryfield" which is at the Waney Edge - the call is a minute or two after the Somerset Arms stop in Semington, which is show in the Monday to Friday timetables at the following times:

234 (First) @ 0702 0807 0917 1033 1133 1233 1333 1433 1533 1636 1736 1833 2029 2149 and 2354

x34 (Faresaver) @ 7:55 9:04 9:34 10:24 10:54 11:24 11:54 12:24 12:54 13:24 13:54 14:24 15:24 16:24 16:54 and 17:26

As I don't live in Berryfield nor know it particularly well, I wouldn't like to comment on how suitable this stopping location is for the users and potential users from the various streets off Semington Road.

They both serve Melksham town centre before continuing towards Chippenham, on which route they stop at Aldi / McDonalds in what I'll call North Melksham. Usuaully that's around 10 minutes after the times above.  That is the stop shown on the station connection notices that are now at the station, but it's a somewhat awkward walk around two sides of a triangle, and involves crossing the A350 twice (once via underpass) or walking along a trunk A road with no footpath.

Return at

x34 (Faresaver) @ 7:05 7:40 8:55 9:25 9:55 10:25 10:55 11:25 11:55 12:25 12:55 13:25 13:55 14:34 15:25 16:14 16:51 17:39

234 (First) @ 0759 0932 1032 1132 1232 1332 1432 1540 1657 1747 1844 1939 2038 and 2241

For consistency, these are Beanacre times and the departure from Aldi / McDonald's (only one road crossing ;-) ) will be around 4 minutes later, taking aroud 10 minutes to "Melksham / Berryfileds".  Note that the 14:34 bus takes 30 minutes as it goes via Melksham Oak.

Times differ on Saturdays and there is no service at all on Sundays.  And Faresaver are changing their timetable from the beginning (6th?) January; I think the frequency remains the same, though.

First question - looking at during the day ... how does this look?
No decent connection to 09:15 train from Melksham
09:34 bus Berryfield, 10:04 train from Melksham
10:54 bus Berryfield, 11:13 train from Melksham
11:34 bus Berryfield, 12:03 train from Melksham
12:54 bus Berryfield, 13:13 train from Melksham

I would need to try out the 10:54 and 12:54 as they may be a little tight on timing, considering the walk around, and I don't have reliabiity figures for the bus. The 09:34 and 11:34 look muchmore practical, and for Bristol you can take any train and change at Chippenham or at Trowbridge depending on which you get.

Access from Aldi / Mconalds to the station MUCH more easily is an aspiration that's got some considerable activity going in towards its implementation - that would allow the connections that I question above to become much more practical - either as a much shorter and safer route, or with the bus actually calling at the Station.

With forthcoming timetable changes (chances are that the x34 may move closer to the 234 times), and being unfamiliar with the metrics of parts of the requirement (and the demand and timing levels, perceived and in practise) I had better not go too much further.  But buses do change (there are other changes in the pipeline) and the changes can be influenced with evidence, flow logic, etc.  A complex business and also often frustrated by regulation, competition, the need to serve other flows,  and various other distortions.

Lee's suggestions of dropping a line to Wiltshire Council is a good one. And so is Trainer's idea about people who can help - IW, PG, DP, SF working together, supported by JT and RM to provide a quality bus provision.  There's no Santa figure I'm afraid, but if you're happy to dress up as / be an elf, have others to Echo your sentiments, and are happy to put in real effort to a realistic approach, it's amazing what can be done.  Often the smallest of changes (such as taking space time out of a bus route that's being released by changing its route in Chippenham) and reassigning it to a housing loop in Melksham) may be a two minute wonder to the operator, but your salvation.  Bear in mind that of every 10 ideas 9 will turn out to be impractical, but then only one solution is needed,  Now is a good time to find it.
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Lee
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« Reply #23 on: December 23, 2013, 09:10:52 »

I had ruled out the 234/X34 option with its comparatively lengthy walks, due to the arthritic condition that Cynthia mentions. It would be interesting to see how realistic it would be in practice for others, though.

By the way, those who are only identified by initials by grahame will be the ones who read and answer emails sent to the address I gave.
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Cynthia
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« Reply #24 on: December 23, 2013, 10:41:41 »

 Santa, please can I have a bus from Berryfield to Melksham station to match the new train services!?

Not sure about Santa, but we know another man with a beard who might be able to help.  Wink

!?!
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Cynthia
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« Reply #25 on: December 23, 2013, 10:49:07 »

Oh!  The penny has just dropped!  Grin The kind gentleman concerned has already given me lots of food for thought here, and some ideas with which to experiment, thank you grahame, and all other helpful souls who have made suggestions to aid my travel plans.  Thank you!
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #26 on: December 23, 2013, 11:22:42 »

... if I got off at Temple Meads it might be cheaper to explore which buses go to Southville.

There is no direct bus route between Bristol Temple Meads and the part of Southville you're heading for, but bus numbers 24 & 25 stop every ten minutes on Redcliffe Hill (about a five minute walk from the station) and on North Street (the main road at the end of Exeter Road).  There are reasonable bus shelters with basic bench seating on Redcliffe Hill and it's easy to find, being in the shadow of St Mary Redcliffe church (which is itself worth a visit, if you have time!).

Bus timetables are available on the First Bus website.

Hope this helps with the other end of your journey!

CfN  Wink
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« Reply #27 on: December 23, 2013, 11:40:20 »

Chris from Nailsea, thanks very much for your input.  What some helpful folk there are on this forum!
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grahame
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« Reply #28 on: December 23, 2013, 16:12:30 »

The obvious answer would be to drive to the station and leave my car parked there, but as I am trying to improve my green credentials, this doesn't seem like a good idea! 

It's actually an excellent idea in some circumstances.

According to the Connecting Wiltshire web site, a car journey from Berryfield to Melksham station produces 0.6 kgs of CO2, but a journey from Berryfield to the area of Bristol that you're going to produced 11.2 kgs ... so you're improving your green credentials 18 times over - that's pretty impressive!

Ironically, one of the justifications for additional parking at Melksham station IS the improved sustainability, cutting longer car journeys down to much shorter ones.
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Cynthia
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« Reply #29 on: December 23, 2013, 19:16:52 »

grahame, I'm learning something new every day on this forum.  Smiley  I always thought it was considered 'ungreen' to make short journeys in the car.  There you are, I needn't feel guilty any more.  It would certainly make life easier for me driving to the station, as, if my mobility is particularly poor when due to travel, a walk up to the New Inn bus stop would tire me out and make me very sore before I'd even started my journey by public transport.

Thank you!  I will explore all options for getting to the railway station by bus for future reference.

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