News | Bus services
downsmail.co.uk Homes ‘will bring traffic chaos’
MAIDSTONE faces a “ticking time bomb” regarding road congestion, according to the commer- cial director of a local bus operator.
Matthew Arnold says Arriva is concerned about the impact that 18,600 homes between 2011 and 2031, earmarked in Maidstone Council’s draft local plan, will have on a crowded road network. He said: “Development is a big concern. We operate in Southend and theMedway Towns, but the one I lose sleep about is Maidstone, be- cause there doesn’t appear to be any- thing on the horizon substantial enough to cope with the develop- ment planned in a few years time. There is a ticking timebomb. “When I joined Arriva in 2004 it
was said that by the time we get to 2013 Maidstone would become grid- locked – and that does happen on a regular basis. “Recently a van broke down on Bishops Way that paralysed the town centre for three or four hours in the afternoon, a critical time for collecting school children. “If the town is gridlocked andwe
have to get from one part of town to another it is very challenging.”
Norman Kemp(inset) shares concerns about the effect of housing on traffic MrArnoldwas joined in theTown
Hall chamber by Norman Kemp, chief executive of Nu-Venture, in one of a series of debates about car alternatives by the council’s trans- port overview and scrutiny commit- tee.
Mr Kemp agreed with councillors
and residents who said the largest area of concernwas reliability.
Hesaid: “The biggest single factor passengers will not compromise on is reliability. Railways can do better because they own the railway track, but bus operators don’t own the road. “We get problems such as parking
at bus stops and road repair works that we were not told about. Very seldom dowe fail to deliver because
we’ve mucked up. Usually it is be- yond our control.” Although he insisted that Arriva
has a good relationship with Kent Highway Services, he added: “We need to instill into theKHSsome ad- vancedwarning.” MrArnold agreed.Hesaid: “Afew
weeks ago we arranged to have a road closed for resurfacing.We put notices on bus stops, Facebook and Twitter – only for the resurfacing people to decide they had something better to do that day and instead they came back the following day. “Wewere considered the bad guys because we didn’t turn up, but it wasn’t our fault. Our relationship withKHSis very good and they give us the best information they can, but unplanned events that should have been foreseen are a real hazard for us.”
Cllr Eddie Powell said: “The grid-
locked town frightens the life out of me with the housing plans. If you can’t manage it now, you have no chance in the next few years.”
Bus fares could rise, say operators Sunday call
THERE are fears that the cost of bus fares could increase markedly in the future. In a survey presented to the com- mittee, parish councils and local residents gave their views on bus services in the borough, which in- cluded comments on the afford- ability of bus services. One resident wrote: “They’re re-
ally expensive. A return to town from the Wheatsheaf lastweekwas £2.50 – it would have been cheaper (and just as quick) to drive in and park. And as soon as you have more than one person in the car, it therefore becomes much, much cheaper to drive.” Matthew Arnold, chief executive
of Arriva, said that the Government cut a reimbursement on duty paid
Route review
BUSoperators have promised to re- view the services to Boughton Monchelsea and Chart Sutton after residents complained of the most dire bus service in the county. More than 30 locals – mostly eld-
erly people and young mums – gathered in Boughton Monchelsea village hall to air their grievances about the 59 bus service and diffi- culties faced by the rural communi- ties.
Residents said frequent services
to Park Wood often ran partially empty when they could “loop” through Boughton Monchelsea and Chart Sutton.
40
on fuel by 20% two years ago. This had heaped pressure on bus com- panies to increase their prices. He also fears worse to come:
“The Government is continuing at the lower level till 2016/17 financial year andwe have no idea after that if it [the reimbursement] will re- main. “I don’t think it will survive and
we will have some difficult deci- sions to make in the coming years.” Another of the difficulties is the number of passengers with conces- sionary fares such as bus passes and student travel cards. Mr Arnold added: “As commercial or- ganisations we are not allowed to make a profit from about 30% of our customer base. “The price of fares is always an
emotive issue. There is a link be- tween what we charge fare-paying customers and what we receive from concessionary fares.” When routes are not viable, KCC
can step in and provide funding to maintain the service. One example is route 13, which goes from Maid- stone to Hollingbourne via Shep- way, Otham, Langley and Leeds. “For some reason they fund some but not others,” said Mr Kemp. Cllr Paul Carter, leader of KCC,
says money spent on bus services will be safeguarded despite the au- thority facing cuts of £206m during the next three financial years. He told the Downs Mail: “There are no cuts in the amount of money going into bus companies, but we want a better service out of them.”
MORE people are using buses on Sundays, according to Arriva’s Matthew Arnold. He said: “It has become more like any other day but without as long trading hours. We have made adjust- ments to services becausewe see de- mand growing.” Cllr Richard
Cllr Richard Ash
Ash, who repre- sents Bearsted,
said: “Sunday is not a day of rest. People are out shopping and doing entertainment yet there is no bus in Bearsted on a Sunday. “The park and ride is closed and
we can’t even park in the park and ride car park. We need a Sunday service”
‘Fix school days to make transport easier’ Continued from page one
residents in Boughton Monchelsea and Chart Sutton, served by Arriva route 59,MrKempsaid:“We simply cannot marry the needs of four to six different schools.” NuVenture does not currently op-
erate in the No 59 area, apart from providing a school bus to Cornwal- lisAcademy, butMrKempcalled on parents whose children were af- fected by inconvenient bus timings to lobby the schools. He said: “Many parents seem un- willing to challenge the schools – but they should challenge the things in
Maidstone Town November 2014
society that waste resources. There needs to be much more joined-up thinking. Schools doing their own thing is the most un-joined up think- ing I have ever heard of!” The majority of secondary schools
are responsible for setting theirown term dates. In academies and free schools, the duration of the school year, term and holiday dates are the responsibility of the academy trust. Governing bodies set term and holiday dates in foundation and vol- untary aided schools, while KCC sets term and holiday dates for com- munity schools, community special
schools, voluntary controlled schools, pupil referral units and maintained nursery schools. A spokesman for KCC said: “Schools have the freedom to set their own term dates and vary the length of days. This is a matter for schools themselves to decide and not the responsibility of the county council.”
Do you agree that start and finish times at schools should be the same, or are you happy with the current system? Contact the edi- tor on
stephen@downsmail.co.uk
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