Travel Dundee to "work to rule" and strike action

The previous management - swept away last year - had a multi-year pay deal, which brought stability to the company. And now...

Bus driver industrial action plan

Bus drivers in Dundee are set to take industrial action in a row over pay.

The workers at National Express Dundee, formerly Travel Dundee, have stated that a 2.5% wage increase offered by bosses is not enough.

The Unite union claimed that staff in other areas of the country had been given a larger rise.

Negotiations are ongoing, but the drivers have voted to stage a work to rule protest from Friday ahead of a 24-hour strike on 24 April.

'Complete suspension'

Colin Coupar from Unite said: "Travel Dundee is one of the biggest earners - I think it's actually the second top earner - within the entire group. We know that more could be afforded.

"Buses will be less reliable [during the work to rule] and absences won't be covered. Drivers curtail a tea break or even a lunch break to get back on a bus if they're running behind schedule and they just won't do it.

"What you might find is that buses just don't turn up or they're running so late that the schedules are just all to pot."

Lawrence Davie, director of National Express Dundee, said he was "disappointed" with the decision to take industrial action.

"We believe the offer made is a good offer given the current economic conditions," he said.

"In the event of any action taking place on 3 April, our customers will inevitably suffer disruption.

"As the business is fully unionised, the proposed strike action on 24 April will result in a complete suspension of services for our customers."

Changes at City Chambers

SNP ends decades of Dundee Labour rule

By Brian Allison, local government reporter

LABOUR’S NEAR-30-YEAR dominance of council politics in Dundee was ended last night when the SNP took control of the city council.

After having been in power, either individually or in coalition, for almost three decades, Labour found themselves ousted from the administration.

With the help of Lord Provost John Letford, who decided to resign from the Labour group last week and sit as an Independent, the SNP succeeded in taking over the convenerships of the service committees.

Mr Letford remains as lord provost despite his former Labour colleagues attempting to replace him with Councillor Richard McCready.

The bitterness between Mr Letford and the Labour group was underlined by the entire group asking for their dissent to be formally recorded at his continuing as lord provost.

Independent councillor Ian Borthwick will still be depute lord provost, having been nominated for the post by both the SNP and Labour.

That means the previous civic team of Mr Letford and Mr Borthwick will remain, although their working relationship has been placed under severe strain by claims and counter-claims about the lord provost being asked to step aside early to make way for Mr Borthwick—allegedly in return for Mr Letford being proposed for an OBE.

As last night’s special meeting began, Mr Borthwick sought to have it adjourned for 48 hours to enable the parties to discuss forming an administration involving all of them.

He said he had never been so concerned about the economic future of the city in his 46 years of public service, a view he was sure was shared by thousands of families in Dundee—and the problems facing the city required the maximum effort by all the council’s political groups.

“There is talent in every group in the council and the question is how best we can harness that talent,” Mr Borthwick said.

Tory group leader Rod Wallace seconded Mr Borthwick, saying that it made sense to utilise the talents in the council to help the city weather the crisis.

He urged all sides to put aside their differences and party dogma so “the book can be ripped up and let’s start afresh.”

Mr Wallace said the idea of all parties having a role in the administration was not new and had been backed by the SNP in 2003.

In ensuring that no party had an overall majority on the council, he said, the electorate had indicated they did not want to see one party dominant and they should all work together.

SNP group leader Ken Guild moved the meeting should not be deferred and should continue as planned, as nothing useful could come out of such an adjournment.

He said that he and his colleagues had consulted with groups and individuals on the council in recent weeks with a view to taking over the administration.

They had a strong, unified team and postponing the meeting would simply delay the smooth changeover from one administration to the next.

Labour group leader Kevin Keenan said that, although he had previously said he was against an all-party administration be- cause of the lack of scrutiny it would involve, he was now prepared to support Mr Borthwick’s motion.

It was right to discuss it with council officers to see how it could be made to work.

Liberal Democrat group leader Fraser Macpherson also supported Mr Borthwick, saying the issue of scrutiny was the only problem he could see and he felt it could be satisfactorily resolved, as it has been elsewhere.

Mr Letford said the idea put forward by Mr Borthwick was a commendable one and was something he had been arguing for “over the last four or five years.”

It had been rejected by his then Labour colleagues and he was told it would not work as there had to be opposition and scrutiny.

Mr Borthwick’s motion was defeated 15 to 14, when the lord provost and the SNP’s 14 members voted against it.

The council then considered the SNP’s motion to take the administration, at which point Mr Letford vacated the chair to chief executive Alex Stephen.

Mr Guild moved a list of names as service committee conveners and deputy conveners, plus nominees to be council representatives on a variety of other bodies.

Mr Guild will become policy and resources committee convener—a post traditionally held by the leader of the administration. Education goes to Liz Fordyce; housing, Dundee Contract Services and environmental services to Jimmy Black; social work and health to Jim Barrie; and leisure, arts and communities to Bob Duncan.

A new committee, the city economic development committee, is to take over the merged functions of the planning and transport and economic development committees and the SNP proposed Will Dawson as convener.

Mr Wallace was proposed as convener of the development quality and licensing committees, and Mr Letford and Mr Borthwick as lord provost and depute.

Mr Keenan put forward alternative names for the posts, including Councillor McCready for lord provost and Mr Borthwick as depute, but was defeated by 15-10 when Mr Letford again voted with the SNP and the Conservatives and Mr Borthwick decided to abstain.

Cambs and Hunts developments

Information compiled from posts to the Anglia Bus Forum, plus Stagecoach website, and a documents on the Hunts DC website. Some interesting changes around St Neots… These start w/c Sunday 12th April 2009, but as the following day is a bank holiday, the services without Sunday services will then start the next day.

Whippet Service 1 (Cambridge – Papworth Everard – St Ives) Revised timetable incorporating reliability changes, service no longer serves Hardwick Limes Estate or Caxton removed.

Whippet Service 1A (Cambridge – Bar Hill – St Ives – Huntingdon) No longer serves Marley Road in St Ives, or Oxmoor Estate (see 16). Some minor timetable changes, presumably for reliability. Additionally running via Sapley, Maple Drive, Hartford, Mayfield Crescent, with some journeys running via Huntingdonshire Regional College.

Whippet Service 2 (Cambridge – Toft – Caldecote) Morning bus now leaves at 0730 (was 0722), arrives Cambridge 0805 (was 0755). Afternoon unchanged. No other journeys.

Whippet Service 3 (Papworth St Agnes – Papworth Everard – Huntingdon) Wednesday journeys to Papworth St Agnes withdrawn, Saturday remains. “On request” extension to Hichingbrooke Hospital no longer operates. Early evening Huntingdon - Hilton and return withdrawn. Other journeys changed by up to 15 minutes.

Whippet Service 5 (Cambridge – Bar Hill – St Ives – Godmanchester - Huntingdon) Various minor timetable changes. Morning journey extension to Cambridge Hills Rd/Long Rd colleges withdrawn. Some journeys rerouted via Cambridge Road in Godmanchester, instead of Meadow Way, Tudor Road, and Old Court Road. 0900 from Huntingdon Mon-Sat ends at St Ives, as does the 0730 and 1625 from Hunt on a Saturday. Last 5 from Cambridge at 1415 Mon-Sat, then from St Ives to Hunt only.

Whippet Service 7 (Huntingdon – Godmanchester) Peak and afternoon minor changes around school times.

Whippet Service 8 (Cambridge – Dry Drayton – Papworth Everard) Reliability and minor changes throughout. Mon-Sat 0700 Connington – Bar Hill now from Elsworth at 0700, via Knapwell, Connington, then direct to Boxworth and Bar Hill. 1020 Mon-Sat Cambridge – Bar Hill and 1050 Mon-Sat return are both withdrawn between Dry Drayton and Bar Hill.

Whippet Service 12 (St Ives Town Service) Removed from Waveney Road/Orwell Close stop, presumably to run direct along Marley Road.

Whippet Service 14 (Cambridge City Centre & Arbury Circular) Saturday service withdrawn. Monday to Friday service now from St Andrew's St S3 a little later at xx16 and xx46. No longer timed at Victoria Park and Crispin Close, but running via Bridge Street, Perse Way and Ellesmere Road.

Whippet Service 16 (Huntingdon – Oxmoor Metro) Increased from hourly to every 30 minutes. 0855 Mon-Fri from Huntingdon withdrawn, replaced with a new journey at 0902 from Silver Birch. Part of Buttsgrove Way no longer served, now via Mayfield Crescent and Mayfield Road in Hartford instead.

Stagecoach Service 18/18A/18B (Cambridge – Comberton – Cambourne – Gamlingay or St Neots) Revised timetables. Main service 18 now runs mostly hourly from Cambridge to Longstowe, Fox, only. The existing evening peak 18B service via Wimpole is renumbered 18A. The existing 18A service (except Papworth Everard) will be covered by an extension of Service citi4, although some other peak journeys will be numbered 18A. Morning arrangements to/from Long Road & Hills Road colleges as now.

Whippet Service 21 (Ramsey/Somersham – St Ives) 1023 from Somersham no longer via Bluntisham. Timetable changes, including the addition of new services by Stagecoach, which will combine to provide an hourly service between St Ives and Somersham, and half-hourly in the peaks. One morning journey on the Stagecoach 21 (Mon-Fri) starts from Chatteris, with one afternoon journey (Mon-Sat) returning to Warboys, and an early evening (Mon-Sat) journey returning to Chatteris. This replaces part of the revised Service 35.

Stagecoach Service 28 (Gamlingay – St Neots) Service will be operated by Whippet, and extended to/from Cambourne, replacing the 18, 18A, 18B and 28 by Stagecoach. Service will now operate from St Neots via Eynesbury, Gamlingay, Great Gransden, Longstowe, Caxton, Lower Cambourne, to Cambourne Business Park (presumably for access to the South Cambs DC offices). Service starts with a 0740 Little Gransden – St Neots Market Square (Mon-Sat), then 0900 Gamlingay Waresley Road – Cambourne Business Park (Mon-Fri only), then 0910, 1200, 1530 (Mon-Sat) Cambourne Business Park – St Neots Market Square, 1050, 1350 (Mon-Sat) St Neots Market Square – Cambourne Business Park, then 1625 (Mon-Sat) St Neots Market Square – 1650 Little Gransden – 1702 Gamlingay opp Maple Court, and back to St Neots Market Square at 1725. Final journey will leave St Neots Market Square at 173,5 calling at all points through Eynesbury then continuing as required to Little Gransden.

Stagecoach Service 30 (Ramsey – Huntingdon) Revised route in Huntingdon, no longer serving Primrose Lane and American Lane. According to Stagecoach, this change means that they are “providing a direct bus from the Hartford area to and from the Oak Tree Centre in Sapley.”. According to the council, the bus is changing “due to access problems”. Buses will now use Hartford Road and Mayfield Road instead.

Stagecoach Service 33 (March – Peterborough) Revised route in March, no longer via South Drive and Deerfield Road, now serves Papworth Road and Grounds Avenue.

Stagecoach Service 34 (Manea – March Tesco) Withdrawn, but now part of revised Service 35.

Stagecoach Service 35 (St Ives – Somersham – Chatteris – Manea) Service substantially altered. Route no longer serves Needingworth, Bluntisham, Earith, Colne, or Somersham (see Service 21) but is revised to operate direct from St Ives to Pidley, Mad Cat. The bus then continues to Warboys (allowing a connection to/from Ramsey here), then onto Chatteris and Manea. The bus then continues via most of the former 34 route through the March estates (except the peak time buses to/from the rail station) –i.e. Creek Road, County Road, Elliot Road, and Tesco. The 2/3 Woodhurst circle journeys in St Ives have been removed, although the main 35 service will divert one bus in the morning, and one back later in the morning, to maintain links to/from town. The two single-direction evening journeys on this route running from St Ives via Godmanchester to Huntingdon (were previously Service 151) are withdrawn from the 35, but will continue at exactly the same times as Service 51 instead.

Stagecoach Service 39 (Long Sutton – Wisbech) Timetable change to 1354 journey, no further details.

Stagecoach Service 55 (Cambridge – St Ives – Oxmoor – Huntingdon) Service revised. 0616 (Mon-Fri) from St Ives to Huntingdon withdrawn, most other journeys revised by five minutes or so. Most daytime journeys now extend to/from Huntingdon railway station all day, not just at peak times. New evening late journeys at 2235 from Huntingdon and 2335 from Cambridge, Mon-Sat.

Stagecoach Service 64 and Whippet Services 461, 463, 464, 467 (St Neots local services to Eynesbury – St Neots town centre – Eaton Socon & Eaton Ford) Service substantially revised. Services of Stagecoach and Whippet will be operating to a common timetable, with interchangeable ticketing. This ends the situation in place of competition for the last two years, since H&D (as was) won the St Neots local contracts from Whippet. Whippet then registered services commercially, although H&D then added a 564 on top of the 464. Stagecoach revised these last August to become the 64, however, changes now mean that the network will be numbered 61, 62, 63, 64. 61 will be the peak time rail-link journeys on the 64 revised and retimed. These now start later, but finish later, following passenger counts and subsequent feedback via St Neots Town Council. One bus an hour off-peak will be renumbered 63 and diverted to provide an hourly service to Hardwick Road and Montagu Street. The other bus will remain Route 64, as now. These will be retimed to allow for a third hourly Service 62, which will start from the new Loves Farm development off Cambridge Road, via St Neots Rail Station, and Longsands Road. So, this combines to provide a 20-mintue service west of Market Square, by 62 63 or 64, all taking the same route around Eaton Socon and Eaton Ford. Also see 475 (no change to 465 to Southoe).

Stagecoach Service 65/66 (Huntingdon Tesco – St Neots) Service revised, with slightly reduced running time – not quite taking away all the time added in October versus the August schedule, but adding recovery time. Some times amended by up to nine minutes. As a result, the service times from St Neots town centre to Longsands Road will now be every 20 minutes – hourly 65, hourly 66, and hourly new citi4 (plus the 62, which I think the council document forgot!)

Whippet Service 114 (Cambridge City Centre – The Beehive – Perne Road – Addenbrooke’s) Service reduced to hourly Saturdays, no change to weekdays.

Stagecoach Service 475 (St Neots – Eaton Socon – Eynesbury Community College) Service now operated by Whippet, to the same route and timetable.

Stagecoach citi4 (Cambourne – Cambridge – Kings Hedges/Arbury Park) One journey per hour will extend beyond Cambourne to serve Lower Cambourne, Eltisely, and run into St Neots via Cambridge Road (passing new Loves Farm development), then passing St Neots rail station, before running back down Longlands Road, and onto St Neots, Market Square. Kings Hedges/Arbury Park route unchanged, but the terminal point will be renamed Orchard Park in line with local housing developments. (I’m assuming the bus stop has been built – when I tried it the first Monday it was extended in July 2007, the bus stop was drawn in the grit and gravel on the ground…) This will replace the Cambourne – St Neots section of Service 18A, although the section of route via Papworth Everard will not be replaced (an alternative service to Cambridge exists on Whippet 1). Additionally, the service towards Cambourne/St Neots will continue to stop in Emmanuel Street (not Drummer Street).

Anniversaries

Tonight is our two-year anniversary - we've been together a wonderful two years - me, and a certain very sweet woman!

Also, 9th April is five years anniversary to the day I transitioned, back in 2004.

Transport randomness

Catching up - this post should just about clear most of it...

( Cut for length )