Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 11:15 03 Oct 2024
 
* Hidden runway bomb explodes just after plane takes off
- New allegations over surgeon convicted of rape
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 today - Coffee Shop - Meet the Manager
11/10/24 - TWSW General Meeting
22/10/24 - BoA Public Transport talk
25/10/24 - Melksham Transport Group

On this day
3rd Oct (1988)
Opening of Martins Heron station

Train RunningCancelled
10:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
10:54 Reading to Gatwick Airport
11:24 Reading to Gatwick Airport
12:29 Gatwick Airport to Reading
12:54 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
12:59 Gatwick Airport to Reading
Delayed
09:27 Carmarthen to London Paddington
10:42 Plymouth to Penzance
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 03, 2024, 11:21:29 *
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
[178] New entrance, Bakerloo Line, Paddington. Opened October 2024
[146] New map promotes car-free travel in the Cotswolds
[89] Paddle Steamer Waverley - merged posts
[65] [otd] 3rd October 1906 - Ashton Avenue Bridge opened
[49] Scope to increase Bristol suburban services?
[38] Shortage of train crews on Great Western Railway - ongoing dis...
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Poll
Question: Which of the following apply to YOU concerning consultations?  (Voting closed: September 29, 2021, 13:44:40)
I usually find out about them in good time to respond - 5 (11.1%)
I often find out about them very late and have to rush a response - 5 (11.1%)
I miss them far too often - only find out after closed - 6 (13.3%)
I find it difficult to answer many of them in the way I want - 13 (28.9%)
I rarely make any inputs as there doesn't seem much point - 3 (6.7%)
I rarely make any inputs as I have nothing useful to add - 3 (6.7%)
They are worthwhile responding to because they make me think - 4 (8.9%)
They are worthwhile responding to because my inputs have an effect - 3 (6.7%)
I just scroll past them - I don't have the time or interest - 1 (2.2%)
Something else I want to say (see follow ups) - 2 (4.4%)
Total Voters: 17

Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: Answering Consultations - do you? - is it worth it?  (Read 7545 times)
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 42007



View Profile WWW Email
« on: September 22, 2021, 13:44:40 »

Do you answer consultations?  If so, why, if not - why not? Please answer in generality about government (central and local) and government agents (e.g. TOCs (Train Operating Company)) and not just rail specific.  Surveys by commercial companies - why you buy which brand of serial, or which brand you have hears of stuff - is not what I'm looking at.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
CyclingSid
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 2038


Hockley viaduct


View Profile
« Reply #1 on: September 22, 2021, 18:32:16 »

From the creator/originator's point of view the technique is wording it so you get the answer you want. This has been the situation with some of those relating to LTNs (Low Traffic Neighbourhood).

Some seem to assume that the public are imbeciles and that creator/originator is going through the motions to tick a box, and has not intention of taking any notice.

I thought the DfT» (Department for Transport - about) survey on amending the Highway Code was better than some, but that is not setting the bar very high.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 42007



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #2 on: September 22, 2021, 18:42:57 »

I am ... open mouthed.   A survey sent out yesterday at 13:48.   But can you see why I am open mouthed?

Quote
As part of the study, we are seeking the views of a small group of stakeholders that includes service and network operators, Councils and representative individuals and user groups. These views will be set alongside wider engagement which has recently been completed to feed into the emerging Somerset Bus Service Improvement Plan. Somerset County Council has asked that we contact you and/or your organisation to respond to our questionnaire.

We would be pleased if you could provide either a written response to the attached questionnaire, or reply to this email with your or a colleague’s phone number so that we can arrange a discussion using the questions as a guide to the conversation.

It would be appreciated if you could provide your response, or that we complete our conversation with you before 5pm on Tuesday 22 September 2021.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
johnneyw
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 2410


From station to station, back to Bristol city....


View Profile
« Reply #3 on: September 22, 2021, 20:01:41 »

Well Tuesday 22nd Sept doesnt exist this year, today is Wednesday 22nd September.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 42007



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #4 on: September 22, 2021, 20:22:09 »

Well Tuesday 22nd Sept doesnt exist this year, today is Wednesday 22nd September.

Hadn't noticed that - what I noticed was that the email announcing the consultation was sent out just 28 hours before it closed from the originating organisation. I HOPE it was a re-send, but the covering letter didn't say that it was.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
johnneyw
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 2410


From station to station, back to Bristol city....


View Profile
« Reply #5 on: September 22, 2021, 20:42:16 »

Well Tuesday 22nd Sept doesnt exist this year, today is Wednesday 22nd September.

Hadn't noticed that - what I noticed was that the email announcing the consultation was sent out just 28 hours before it closed from the originating organisation. I HOPE it was a re-send, but the covering letter didn't say that it was.

Worse still, if they really meant Tuesday, then it was 4 hours that they gave you.
Logged
ellendune
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4483


View Profile
« Reply #6 on: September 22, 2021, 21:01:01 »

If I responded to every consultation I saw I would do nothing else so I only respond to ones that affect me significantly
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 42007



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #7 on: September 22, 2021, 22:06:05 »

Worse still, if they really meant Tuesday, then it was 4 hours that they gave you.

Looks like it was the full 28 hours - from the Somerset Bus Partnership's Facebook page ...

Quote
SOMERSET COUNTY COUNCIL GIVES 1 DAY NOTICE FOR CONSOLATION ON TAUNTON BUS STATION (AND YOU SHOULD NOTE THEY CAN'T EVEN GET THE CLOSING DATE RIGHT FOR THE CONSULTATION. THERE IS NO TUESDAY 22 SEPTEMBER! SEE CONSULTATION MESSAGE BELOW)


(Though we have heard from [name redacted] the consultation has been extended by a week).

The quality and focus of the questions that are being sent out probably should have had some stakeholder input beforehand. Surely they should have learnt from their mistakes from the Bus Back Better poor survey.

Somerset County Council are known for putting out bus consultations at most inconvenient times like over Christmas but giving 1 day or 1 weeks notice for a major consultation on the county bus station..... And the consolation it isn't listed on their consultation page: https://somerset.inconsult.uk/.../listConsultations...

We haven't seen it mentioned on their social media or in the press.

Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
PhilWakely
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 2094



View Profile
« Reply #8 on: September 22, 2021, 23:04:23 »


Quote
SOMERSET COUNTY COUNCIL GIVES 1 DAY NOTICE FOR CONSOLATION ON TAUNTON BUS STATION (AND YOU SHOULD NOTE THEY CAN'T EVEN GET THE CLOSING DATE RIGHT FOR THE CONSULTATION. THERE IS NO TUESDAY 22 SEPTEMBER! SEE CONSULTATION MESSAGE BELOW).

Consolation?

So, Somerset Bus Partnership points out the error in the date, but fails to notice their own typo!
Logged
johnneyw
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 2410


From station to station, back to Bristol city....


View Profile
« Reply #9 on: September 22, 2021, 23:30:39 »


Quote
SOMERSET COUNTY COUNCIL GIVES 1 DAY NOTICE FOR CONSOLATION ON TAUNTON BUS STATION (AND YOU SHOULD NOTE THEY CAN'T EVEN GET THE CLOSING DATE RIGHT FOR THE CONSULTATION. THERE IS NO TUESDAY 22 SEPTEMBER! SEE CONSULTATION MESSAGE BELOW).

Consolation?

So, Somerset Bus Partnership points out the error in the date, but fails to notice their own typo!

Muphry's Law striking again?
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 42007



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #10 on: September 23, 2021, 07:52:32 »


Quote
SOMERSET COUNTY COUNCIL GIVES 1 DAY NOTICE FOR CONSOLATION ON TAUNTON BUS STATION (AND YOU SHOULD NOTE THEY CAN'T EVEN GET THE CLOSING DATE RIGHT FOR THE CONSULTATION. THERE IS NO TUESDAY 22 SEPTEMBER! SEE CONSULTATION MESSAGE BELOW).

Consolation?

So, Somerset Bus Partnership points out the error in the date, but fails to notice their own typo!

Indeed - but there is a difference.  Somerset County Council have had time to get the consultation out, proof read it, give a decent lead in for answers.  And they have staff who's very job it is to get the council's message right.  Somerset Bus Partnership has to react / forward in "emergency mode" - responding to a ridiculously short consultation period and getting the news out was / is key.

Personally, glad to have got the message out. I would probably have limited the SHOUTING to just a part of the message, but that's just style.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 42007



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #11 on: September 23, 2021, 09:54:15 »

Message from TWSW» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) secretary ...

Quote
I have spoken to WSP and it appears that there was an error on the original letter and the deadline is in fact the 28th of September. I realise that this is still not really long enough for a proper conversation that it is a little bit better than 24 hours.

Comment from me ...

If you want to make really bad news more acceptable, you announce it as really, really, really, really bad - and then you can get positive vibes when it becomes only really. bad.

Same thing as adding in a totally unacceptable (yet unwanted) element into a planning application which overall is contrevertial, then rowing back from that worst and unwanted part to what you really wanted in the first place, taking credit for compromising your plans in the process.

Scenario - someone has only a week to do a consultation. It's not long enough - it should 3 weeks.  So they announce it as a day, create uproar, hit the headlines with their consultation, and then extend it to the week they always intended taking credit for reacting to the community in doing so.   




Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 42007



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #12 on: October 02, 2021, 20:22:25 »

Very interesting ... but not really surprising ... most notable is that so many of use feel that he questions often don't let us say what we want - perhaps we are being controlled? ... Outcome:

I usually find out about them in good time to respond - 29%
I often find out about them very late and have to rush a response - 29%
I miss them far too often - only find out after closed - 35%

I find it difficult to answer many of them in the way I want - 76%
I rarely make any inputs as there doesn't seem much point - 18%
I rarely make any inputs as I have nothing useful to add - 18%

They are worthwhile responding to because they make me think - 24%
They are worthwhile responding to because my inputs have an effect 18%

I just scroll past them - I don't have the time or interest - 6%

Written up on my blog at http://grahamellis.uk/blog275.html too


Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
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