The Chair to advise the Committee of any items on which members of the public have requested to speak and advise those members of the public present of the details of the Council’s public participation scheme.
For those members of the public who have submitted any questions or statements, please note, a three minute time limit applies to each speaker and you will be asked to speak before Councillors debate the issue.
Temporary measures during the Coronavirus Pandemic
Due to the Government guidance on measures to reduce the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19), we will holding meetings in a virtual manner which will be live webcast on our website. Members of the public will still be able to register to speak and ask questions, which will then be read out by the Governance and Democracy Case Manager during Public Question Time and will either be answered by the Chair of the Committee, or the relevant Portfolio Holder, or be followed up with a written response.
Minutes:
The following members of the public had requested to speak on item 5 on the agenda.
1) Mr David Redgewell - South West Transport Network and Railfuture Severnside.
“Dear Councillors,
Our main concern is the provision of high quality waiting facilities in Taunton town centre. The bus station provided a regional function for the south west both for short services to the town but more importantly for bus services to Minehead, Wellington, Tiverton, Bridgewater Burnham on Sea, Street, Glastonbury, Wells, Axminster and Chard. National Express Coaches operate services to Plymouth, Paignton and Cornwall. Services also operate to Bristol, Heathrow Airport, London Victoria coach station, Barnstaple and North Devon, Scotland, Manchester and North.
With the closure of the coach station there are no waiting shelters for coach passengers. The closed bus and coach station had a waiting room, cafe bar, travel centre facilities and toilets across the road in Castle Way as well as facilities for Coaches to use the wheelchair lifts. At present National Express Coaches stop in Tower Street without any passengers facilities being available.
Town centre waiting facilities
Following the closure of the bus station buses operate from stands in the town centre with very poor quality shelters in Castle Way, The Parade, and East Reach. At present services 21, 22, 28 operate from Castle Way along with Hatch Green. Dartline service 20 to Seaton, Devon and South West Coaches service causing passenger congestion on the bus stops and poor access for disabled people.
From the Parade which has very poor shelters, service 25 to Dulverton and other services around the town centre again have very congested stops with no proper waiting facilities.
Also departing the Parade outside the card shop, service 29 to Wells 30 to Axminster for Weymouth via Chard and Service 99 to Chard the same problem exists.
With the Bus station closed and social distancing regulations in place for Covid-19, there is a need to mark out social distancing at bus stops meaning that the existing shelters will not shelter passengers from the rain and will be totally inadequate for their needs.
The buses under these regulations for Covid-19 will mean a double decker carrying 20 passengers and a single decker 10 passengers. This means that buses will not be able to be doubled up at bus stops in the town centre causing congestion unless plans are made to remove the private car from the central area similar to Exeter high street.
Question 1. As part owner of the bus station Somerset West and Taunton council could look at use of part of the old bus station to allow safe social distancing to and from country buses with marked out emergency bays.
The use of Taunton Railway station as an interchange is to be welcomed but unlike Penzance and St Austell where there are proper bus station bays and passengers facilities and staff accommodation, in Taunton the interchange does enough bays for buses other than to West Somerset and no staff accommodation. One idea is to build a bus interchange on Kilkenny car park.
In other councils in the south west a new bus station has been built in Gloucester with one under construction at Exeter bus station with another one being built in Weston super mare. Bus rail interchanges are planned at Dorchester South and Weymouth railway station. These are all being funded by the Department for Transport. All bus and coach stations have been regenerated in Cornwall at St Ives, Penzance, Truro, and Newquay with Government and EU grants.
In conclusion we believe that Somerset County Council (the transport authority) and first group and Somerset West and Taunton council should draw up a plan to invest in public facilities in the Town centre and a new transport interchange.
If the bus and coach station is redeveloped than a small bus interchange could be incorporated in the site with shops and flats above the bus station. Similar to the bus and coach stations in Bristol and Oxford.
We need a solution with Somerset County Council, the transport authority and First Group and National Express Coaches to improve passenger facilities in Taunton town centre.
This is the biggest town in the West Country without a bus and coach station or interchange. Bridgwater bus station is owned by Sedgemoor District Council, Wells bus station is owned by Mendip District Council along with Shepton Mallet interchange and Frome coach station. This gives an example of a bus station in council ownership and this is required. The bus industry in is being funded to the tune of 17 million pounds a week by Covid-19 bus operators grant Somerset county council is paying the grant to the bus operators in Somerset.
In Taunton any new bus and coach facilities need to be built and run by the local authority and leased to the operators i.e. First Group, National Express Coaches and Hatch Green to include full passenger’s facilities, toilets, travel centre, cafe, waiting room, real-time information displays, staff accommodation and traffic office. Please read our statement to the committee. We also support TravelWatch South West stakeholder’s consultation on Taunton town centre bus and coach interchange facilities.
1. The need for first group and the other bus operators to develop a plan with Somerset County Council The transport authority measures to protect passengers at bus stops in the town centre along the line of other Transport authorities with clear markings at Bus stops and the work on a plan to replace the town centre bus shelters in the parade, castle way and east reach with dry water proof sheets, of the designs in Weymouth kings statue or Plymouth Royal parade.
2. The bus stop need designing for more than one bus as a Double Decker to Wellington or Tiverton will carry only 20 passengers a and a single decker to Minehead just 10 passengers.
3. The bus stops within the town need real-time information system provided.
4. Proper facilities need designing for National Express Coaches service to the south west and the rest of the south west. In castle way or a car park location with water proof shelter close to Toilets and a cafe with wheelchair lifts facilities.
5. All bus stops should have castle kerbs for disabled access.
6. In line with Government policy more space should be used In the town centre for walking and cycling.
7. Close the Town centre to the private car and use the space for walking cycling taxis and public transport.
8. Provide a park and ride service that links Gateway Park and ride with silk mills Taunton Musgrove park hospital and the Railway station. This allows traffic to be removed from the town centre and improve air quality.
9. Provide evenings service to Wellington .first bus 22 To Bridgwater High bridge and Burnham on sea. First bus 21 to Minehead First bus 28 .and Sunday and evening service on route 1 around the town on Sunday a loop service around the town.
10.Look at leasing back the bus station as a temporary facility to provide social distancing and safe departure bay's for buses to provide extra buses and facilities for Coaches.
11.To look at improvements to passengers facilities at Riverside for megabus and falcon coach services, for Bristol Exeter and Plymouth and megabus Coaches to Plymouth Cornwall London Heathrow and Victoria. And the Midlands wales the North and Scotland. These services need through tickets with the park and ride service.
12.The council needs to bid with Somerset county council the local transport authority, along with the south west transport board. for. Money for public transport interchange facilities in the town centre. There is an option to bid for Regeneration money from Covid 19 recovery plan for the economy.
The county council will continue to receive a covid 19 bus operators grant to run the county bus service and most carry out public consultation on all bus services issue under Department for transport regulations.
Please bring our further comment to the scrutiny committee on bus station and town centre passengers facilities.
Pp Mr Ian Beckey and Gordon Richardson disabled passengers advisor .
2) Ms Bryony Chetwode
Comment and Question from TravelWatch SouthWest
The challenges and opportunities presented to the Community by COVID-19 make previous comments submitted by TWSW urgent.
I hope you all can recall or have access to our earlier statements.
For example, based upon the existing designs we still question whether the shelters are fit for purpose.
COVID has brought further safety concerns to light which will ultimately have a negative influence on community confidence in public transport, unless we design to enable comfort, space, information, and certainty.
These are all points made previously. But must be now also be addressed to enable Taunton’s COVID-19 economic recovery.
We know the character of future journey flows are uncertain but, we can anticipate more working from home, and design requirements which influence passenger proximity.
Councillors are asked to ensure they work with the community represented to address issues around:
On this basis and representing the interests of the communities we request a series of collaborative and constructive workshops with local stakeholders. We can help you arrange this, and SWAT will benefit from collaboratively developed recommendations from the community, Local Government and business stakeholders.
This enables SWAT to develop well scrutinised options. TravelWatch SouthWest asks the Chair to seek agreement to handle the matter in this way and would welcome an approach to take this forward.