downsmail.co.uk


Bus services | News 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 KHS some 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


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 until 2016/17 finan- cial year and we have no idea after that if it [the reimbursement] will remain. “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”


Bus boss: make school times the same everywhere


LOCAL schools should “get their act together” and all start and fin- ish at the same time, according to bus boss Norman Kemp. Mr Kemp, managing director of


Nu Venture, claims haphazard start and finish times, inset days and dif- ferent school holiday dates were a “nightmare” for bus operators try- ing to provide an adequate service. He says bus companies could lay


on more buses at a fixed time if they knew the numbers of pupils requir- ing public transport, alleviating pressure on parents and helping ease congestion on the roads.


He said: “We have an education system that thinks about the teach- ers, not about the children. If the schools got their act together, it would be easier to get childrenhome on one or multiple buses. “If they had the same start and fin-


ish times, it would remove an un- necessary expense for us and there would be less congestion at bus stops. “Parents should lobby against schools finishing early. We are a business – not a social service!” Although most secondary schools have pupil registrations at about


8.30am, final classes finish at varying times. In StAugustineAcademy it is, with the exception of Thursdays, 2.50pm; for New Line Learning and Cornwallis academies it is 3pm, while both Maidstone Grammar School for boys and for girls end at 3.30pm. MrKempwas responding to com- plaints by parents of pupils at In- victa Grammar School that they could not rely on buses to get their children into schools on time. MrKempsaid: “We simply cannot


marry the needs of four to six differ- ent schools. There needs to bemuch


more joined-up thinking. Schools doing their own thing is the most un-joined up thinking 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.


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


Maidstone East November 2014 43


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56