Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 19:35 08 Oct 2024
 
- Troubled HS2 rail line may now run to central London, minister says
- Euston, we have a problem: Concern over weekly Friday night scramble
- 'I felt isolated in school': Traveller children have highest persistent absence rate
- Be prepared to wait longer for an electric taxi, says Uber boss
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 11/10/24 - TWSW General Meeting
22/10/24 - BoA Public Transport talk
25/10/24 - Melksham Transport Group
16/11/24 - Special Bletchey to Bicester

On this day
8th Oct (1952)
Harrow and Wealdstone Rail Crash (link)

Train RunningCancelled
18:30 Plymouth to Penzance
18:54 Reading to Gatwick Airport
20:29 Gatwick Airport to Reading
23:21 Swindon to Gloucester
Short Run
18:15 Penzance to Exeter St Davids
21:00 Penzance to Exeter St Davids
22:16 Cheltenham Spa to Swindon
Delayed
20:29 Par to Newquay
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
October 08, 2024, 19:54:38 *
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
[110] Circle line, 7th October 2024
[96] Euston: a five point plan
[65] New station at Ashley Down, Bristol
[50] Railway Clearing House Maps
[37] 11th October 2024 - Travelwatch Southwest general meeting, Tau...
[34] HS2 - Government proposals, alternative routes and general dis...
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: 1 [2]
  Print  
Author Topic: 7th to 11th August 2019 - Bristol International Balloon Fiesta  (Read 7235 times)
rogerw
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1366



View Profile
« Reply #15 on: August 11, 2022, 11:51:01 »

First have stated that the non-provision of shuttle buses is down to the ongoing shortage of drivers
Logged

I like to travel.  It lets me feel I'm getting somewhere.
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 42067



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #16 on: August 11, 2022, 11:55:39 »

First have stated that the non-provision of shuttle buses is down to the ongoing shortage of drivers

Having seen copious provision of buses at the Commonwealth Games, one has to wonder why something cannot be done for the Balloon Fiesta which - I think - is a bit smaller in spectator numbers than The Games?   I guess the question is whether those-who-decide actually want to provide a service.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
bobm
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 10095



View Profile
« Reply #17 on: August 11, 2022, 16:37:56 »

I think one of the issues is it has been left so late that the services could not be registered with the Traffic Commissioner and so no fares could be charged for those using the buses.
Logged
eXPassenger
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 568


View Profile
« Reply #18 on: August 11, 2022, 19:05:20 »

I think one of the issues is it has been left so late that the services could not be registered with the Traffic Commissioner and so no fares could be charged for those using the buses.

Did the Balloon Fiesta this weekend just drop in from the sky with no notice?
Logged
bobm
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 10095



View Profile
« Reply #19 on: August 11, 2022, 20:44:50 »

No but I think the implications of First not being able to provide the shuttle buses wasn’t fully appreciated until too late.
Logged
TaplowGreen
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 8209



View Profile
« Reply #20 on: August 11, 2022, 21:17:38 »

https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2022-08-11/weather-sees-first-mass-ascent-of-bristol-balloon-fiesta-cancelled
Logged
chuffed
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 1530


View Profile
« Reply #21 on: August 12, 2022, 00:05:34 »

Only in Labour controlled Bristol can you have a Mayor who declares a climate emergency, flies to Canada to talk about climate change, then has a festival that burns huge amounts of gas, and has no bus service to serve the people who wish to attend. Just look back at the great organization that happened for the commonwealth games, then look at what happens, or didn't happen in Bristol. 
« Last Edit: August 12, 2022, 08:48:54 by chuffed » Logged
broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5547



View Profile
« Reply #22 on: August 12, 2022, 15:44:53 »

No wonder that there is a shortage of propane, it is all being used for balloons.
Logged

A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5547



View Profile
« Reply #23 on: August 12, 2022, 18:39:04 »

I think one of the issues is it has been left so late that the services could not be registered with the Traffic Commissioner and so no fares could be charged for those using the buses.

Did the Balloon Fiesta this weekend just drop in from the sky with no notice?

Yes, a bit like Easter or bank holidays.
Logged

A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
IndustryInsider
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 10285


View Profile
« Reply #24 on: August 12, 2022, 18:58:13 »

Just look back at the great organization that happened for the commonwealth games, then look at what happens, or didn't happen in Bristol. 

The general organisation was pretty good, though I wasn’t especially impressed with the 100s of diesel buses required for transport to the main stadium from central Birmingham and the Bescot Park And Ride, as well as other venues. 

The nearest station to the main stadium being an off-putting 25 minute walk away.
Logged

To view my GWML (Great Western Main Line) Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/
TaplowGreen
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 8209



View Profile
« Reply #25 on: August 12, 2022, 21:45:53 »

Just look back at the great organization that happened for the commonwealth games, then look at what happens, or didn't happen in Bristol. 

The general organisation was pretty good, though I wasn’t especially impressed with the 100s of diesel buses required for transport to the main stadium from central Birmingham and the Bescot Park And Ride, as well as other venues. 

The nearest station to the main stadium being an off-putting 25 minute walk away.

https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2022-08-12/weather-sees-evening-mass-ascent-at-bristol-balloon-fiesta-cancelled
Logged
Red Squirrel
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 5366


There are some who call me... Tim


View Profile
« Reply #26 on: August 15, 2022, 10:39:32 »

Only in Labour controlled Bristol can you have a Mayor who declares a climate emergency, flies to Canada to talk about climate change, then has a festival that burns huge amounts of gas, and has no bus service to serve the people who wish to attend. Just look back at the great organization that happened for the commonwealth games, then look at what happens, or didn't happen in Bristol. 

We're all guilty of climate hypocrisy from time to time, though Rees' handling of the scrutiny he received after his Canada trip has been widely condemned.

However the Balloon Fiesta is an independently organised event which takes place in North Somerset. Rees has made it fairly clear that it's not something he considers important. Bristol's politics has very little to do with it.

The Fiesta organisers take a lot of stick every time the event takes place, usually because they've failed to arrange the right kind of weather. It's a shoestring operation, several orders of magnitude smaller that the Commonwealth games, so it really isn't fair to try to compare it.
Logged

Things take longer to happen than you think they will, and then they happen faster than you thought they could.
TonyK
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 6538


The artist formerly known as Four Track, Now!


View Profile
« Reply #27 on: August 15, 2022, 20:59:50 »

We're all guilty of climate hypocrisy from time to time, though Rees' handling of the scrutiny he received after his Canada trip has been widely condemned.

However the Balloon Fiesta is an independently organised event which takes place in North Somerset. Rees has made it fairly clear that it's not something he considers important. Bristol's politics has very little to do with it.

The Fiesta organisers take a lot of stick every time the event takes place, usually because they've failed to arrange the right kind of weather. It's a shoestring operation, several orders of magnitude smaller that the Commonwealth games, so it really isn't fair to try to compare it.

It may be in North Somerset, but isn't the estate owned by Bristol City Council?

I do indeed recall the early days, when Cameron Balloons was based in Cotham, round the corner from the grubby bedsit I inhabited in 1977-78. Curious as to what was going on in this old church or school, I stuck my head around the door, and was given an early guided tour of a single hall, a couple of sewing machines and a lot of fabric. The company followed me when I relocated to Bedminster. At the first fiesta in 1979, it was easy to chat to the balloonists, as there weren't that many. It did rather grow out of control for a while, with the infrastructure adapting just a little bit too far behind the pace, and I haven't been there since about 1995. It was always just as spectacular from the back garden, and the food was cheaper.

I was in Bristol on Sunday, and was surprised by the lightness of the traffic. I wonder if attendance was down given that the hot weather forced cancellation of the evening ascents, and the lack of buses was compounded by a lack of railway traffic on Saturday. Mayor Marvin's attitude to the event is poor - it is historic and the best known thing about Bristol in some parts of the world.


and please don't bring your family pet,the dog. I have heard there will be plenty of H2O points around the sight

I would be more worried about K9P.
Logged

Now, please!
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 [2]
  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