Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 22:35 28 Mar 2024
- Bus plunges off South Africa bridge, killing 45
* Easter getaways hit by travel disruption
- Where Baltimore bridge investigation goes now
- How do I renew my UK passport and what is the 10-year rule?
- Family anger at sentence on fatal crash driver, 19
- Easter travel warning as millions set to hit roads
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
28th Mar (1917)
Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore closed (link)

Train RunningCancelled
19:35 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
20:56 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington
22:25 Bedwyn to Newbury
22:30 Gatwick Airport to Reading
22:47 Newbury to Bedwyn
Short Run
17:03 London Paddington to Penzance
18:03 London Paddington to Penzance
20:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
21:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
22:10 Severn Beach to Bristol Temple Meads
23:04 Reading to Bedwyn
23:17 Bedwyn to Reading
Delayed
19:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
21:30 Gatwick Airport to Reading
21:45 Penzance to London Paddington
23:45 London Paddington to Penzance
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 28, 2024, 22:50:43 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[104] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[103] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[78] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[56] If not HS2 to Manchester, how will traffic be carried?
[41] Return of the BRUTE?
[25] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: Raspberry of the month being blown at......  (Read 6594 times)
Cynthia
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 298


View Profile Email
« on: February 02, 2014, 12:40:16 »

......Trowbridge Town Council.   Angry

Last week, when my friend was staying with me we were looking for places to go (as a relative newcomer to the area I'm still finding my way round).  We picked up a leaflet called 'Trowbridge Shopping Guide - it's completely free!'  (I should think so, too)  It's an A3 fold-down.  Nowhere in this leaflet is there any mention at all of the train service to the town. In amongst all the adverts is a section called 'Trowbridge Chat' which, in the third paragraph mentions there are '......excellent public transport links', yet there is not even a symbol on either of the maps shown, to tell you the location of the railway station, which, looking at my Ordnance Survey map of the area, tells me is almost adjacent to one of the shopping centres. The only mention of a bus is that there is a terminus outside one of the shopping centres; (which one?)no service number or destinations mentioned.  At least a third of the text in this section is devoted to the location of the many car parks in the town!

How does the council expect to attract visitors???  I have sent an email to the council with my observations, it will be interesting to see whether I get a response other than 'thank you for your mail, we have noted your comments', which, as the archetypal Grumpy Old Woman is the answer I normally get to my complaints!
Logged

Trying to break ones addiction to car travel is much harder than giving up ciggies!
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40690



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2014, 13:00:06 »

Do you have a copy you could let me have / or I'll get one (TIC (Tourist Information Centre)?) next time I venture to Trowbridge.

I suspect this is a commercial town map, produced by a company that sells advertising space to fund the production (and to give them a profit); they're quite common, and indeed there was a company that was trying to set one up in Melksham a fe years back.   Sadly, most people still arrive by car, and people who are given the map are already there (so if they've arrived by train, they probably have a clue where the station is) ... so adding public transport would knock out some advertising space.  I may be wrong, though ...

As an aside, Trowbridge Town Council are very much on side / excited by what trains (including and not limited to the TransWilts) can bring, and actually see train tickets in the TIC.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40690



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2014, 13:13:31 »

Example ... though these are notice boards rather than A3 flyers.   Does it look like these?
http://www.uktownmaps.co.uk/examples.html
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Cynthia
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 298


View Profile Email
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2014, 22:35:11 »

No Graham, it's not one of those maps, though I am familiar with the type you've illustrated.  I would upload a picture of this one if I could work out how to do it!  Since having to buy a new laptop with the accompanying Windows 8 I seem to have lost the knack of performing quite ordinary tasks, not to mention the will to live.  Will drop a copy off for  you. 

I have to disagree with the assertion that the lack of mention of public transport is not so important if people have already arrived in town; we picked up this leaflet in Melksham T.I.C.  My friend thought that, from a visitor's point of view the information was pretty poor.  I would have thought the publishers could have provided some links or contact numbers for train/bus companies.  I will be interested to see whether I get any feedback from my email to the council.
Logged

Trying to break ones addiction to car travel is much harder than giving up ciggies!
Lee
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7519


GBR - The Emperor's New Rail Network


View Profile WWW
« Reply #4 on: February 03, 2014, 00:05:23 »

Here are a couple of interesting alternatives:

(Trowbridge - next trains).pdf" target="_blank">www.nationalrail.co.uk/posters/TRO.pdf

http://www.connectingwiltshire.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Trowbridge_Map_ARTWORK_WEB.pdf
Logged

Vous devez ĂȘtre impitoyable, parce que ces gens sont des salauds - https://looka.com/s/78722877
Alan Pettitt
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 229


View Profile Email
« Reply #5 on: February 03, 2014, 10:04:48 »

In similar vein, FGW (First Great Western) are no better when providing information for visitors and new residents. The timetables displayed at Frome, both outside and on the platform do not show many journey possibilities. The 0645 Frome to Cardiff Central is missing (a perfect train to catch should you want to connect with the 0704 at Westbury to Melksham etc.), None of the direct services to/from Paddington are shown, the 1459 to Warminster is missing as is Frome's only Sunday morning departure; the 0939 to Bristol. The 1531 (FO) to Exeter St Davids is not shown. If you were new to the area and fancied an evening in Bath, according to the timetable you would have to return on the 2107, no mention being made of the 2338. There are many other omissions too.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40690



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #6 on: February 03, 2014, 14:46:18 »

In similar vein ... The timetables displayed at Frome, both outside and on the platform do not show many journey possibilities. The 0645 Frome to Cardiff Central is missing ...

Very very sadly, public transport information in general is both embryonic at some times, and out of date at others; I would actually suggest though that rail information is far better than what you find on the buses - don't get me started on the bus stops between my home and the town centre - one has a broken timetable frame, another a 2008 vintage timetable, and the third has not even got a frame.     Across the road it's a bit better - there's a 2013 timetable.   Except that the bus now does a circular route and doesn't call there.   None of the bus stop contains fares data, and there's no online information that I've been able to find to tell me what it will cost before I get on, even if I am sometimes extolled to "have the correct money ready".

I have reported the issues ... and again I find that responses to rail questions are better than responses to bus questions.  Buses can be like walking through treacle, although the treacle has been getting slightly thinner of late - progress in the right direction, but a long way to go!
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Lee
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7519


GBR - The Emperor's New Rail Network


View Profile WWW
« Reply #7 on: February 03, 2014, 15:26:06 »

First have published a relatively detailed Trowbridge Bus Map, the drawback being that it only shows their services.
Logged

Vous devez ĂȘtre impitoyable, parce que ces gens sont des salauds - https://looka.com/s/78722877
BandHcommuter
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 180


View Profile
« Reply #8 on: February 03, 2014, 17:05:34 »

First have published a relatively detailed Trowbridge Bus Map, the drawback being that it only shows their services.

That's quite a confusing map to me. It fails to answer the simple question: which stop do I need to wait at for my destination? And as Lee says, it only includes First buses, so the rather popular Stagecoach bus which I occasionally use (the 49 to Devizes) is not mentioned. Yes, definitely a raspberry for that one!
Logged
Andrew1939 from West Oxon
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 535


View Profile Email
« Reply #9 on: February 03, 2014, 17:10:28 »

FGW (First Great Western) is very poor at producing publicity of its services for the unconverted. Its publicity seems to consist of posters at rail stations and the excellent on train publicity magazine. However this only gets to existing rail users and it is those people who could use trains but do not due to ignorance of the now much improved rail services that they need to get to.
Logged
Cynthia
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 298


View Profile Email
« Reply #10 on: February 03, 2014, 21:45:16 »

First have published a relatively detailed Trowbridge Bus Map, the drawback being that it only shows their services.

Talk about protectionism: a whoopy-cushion volume rasperry for that one!
Logged

Trying to break ones addiction to car travel is much harder than giving up ciggies!
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page