Graham Ellis - my blog
Please vote - here are your polling stations
Some readers of this note will have voted already (*), by post, here in Wiltshire. Others will be visiting polling stations to vote tomorrow (6th May 2021). And, sadly, the majority of people who are registered to vote won't do so.Can I ask you, especially if you live in Melksham (South Ward), to vote tomorrow for between one and four Town Councillors. You have a choice to make between seven candidates. And I suspect it will be a pretty close run election with a narrow margin between those elected and those not elected. Your vote will count and the more votes a candidate gets, the stronger his or her mandate to represent the electorate.
(*) - edit/update. I understand that some postal Votes have only just arrived - too late to be sure of getting them back. You may take them to any polling station in your ward on election day. Rather nullifies the point of having a postal vote, but Wilts Council assure us that the "vast majority" went out in time, and that the usual reason for late returns is that people leave them "sitting on the kitchen table" for too long.
Polling Stations in the South Ward are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on 6th May as follows:• The Canberra Centre, (To The Rear of The Front Building), 56 Spa Road (FM1 - 1687 voters))
• Melksham Assembly Hall, Market Place, Melksham, Wiltshire (FM2 and FM3 - 1205 voters)
• Queensway Hall, Queensway, Melksham, Wiltshire (FM4 - 726 voters))
Your polling card will have a voter number starting FM1 through FM4 telling you which is your place to vote. If you sent in a postal vote, you cannot vote in person, but if you had and did not return a postal vote, you can take it, completed, to any of the three polling stations and hand it in during voting hours.
My information is online - perhaps in more detail than is good for me - at http://grahamellis.uk
Graham Ellis - your candidate revealed
I feel uncomfortable being addressed in personal (or Zoom) conversation as "Mr Ellis" or "Sir". I'm Graham and happy to be called / addressed as "Graham" routinely; that indicates a discussion and a level playing field, or at least that the person I'm talking to isn't putting me on some sort of unwarranted pedestal.But I have become aware in the last few weeks, while campaigning for election to the Town Council, of some embarrassing "pedestal" appearance. Look, I'm just another person. My advancing years may have given me more of life's education than you have had, but they have also started to reduce my energy levels and I need to be efficient in what I do and take on new things carefully - which is what I am doing; Town Council only.
I am a person - with life experienced and background, just as anyone has. They may differ, but they are there; I have not been through what some of you have, but I have been through some things you have not. I have had my rights read to me including a threat of six months in jail in front of my customers. I went through a marriage breakup after 17 years; I should point out that was not the horror that I see others have. I met Lisa after that divorce went through, and we're still happily married nearly 23 years later; "damned geography" as we describe it, with Lisa's original sole nationality being outside the EU and outside the Commonwealth. We know a little about the immigration process, pitfalls, acceptability into certain parts of our society. Health-wise, a few issues (knees, back, shoulder) that were cured with time, and a hearing and balance issue which will never be cured and leaves me at around 75% activity / capacity. I have had a real enjoyment and pleasure in almost every job I did in my working life, but it did include being declared redundant twice - on one occasion with a young family to support. BUT ... these things try us at the time, yet build us as people and build empathy for others.
At our age in life, we have had children, brought them up and been through all the experiences of that. We are now grandparents. Delighted with how they have turned out and that we brought them up to be thinking and self-sufficient. Indeed so self sufficient that it brings both a pride and an element of pain that we don't see them enough - and of course the last year has been an exceptional one. Parents, bearing in mind our age, have naturally passed on - but being natural did not make it any the easier, and we're now seeing friends and colleagues of our own generation pass on too.
Headline picture - our dog Billy; our family. Billy is happy to be seen and posted whereas I respect the family wish for privacy and I do not post pictures of them. Pet pictures generate interest and I note that at least one other candidate has used a picture of herself and her Labrador to help position her. Billy is a greyhound (well, mostly) and came to us via a rescue; both he and "Gyp" (who we lost two years ago this week) were extreme cases and we have learned a lot about how cruel the human race can be, and how forgiving, loving and faithful animals can be even after what they have been put through.
Sanity returns in a week ... elections on Thursday, results on Sunday. Realistically, as the only independent first-time candidate in a large field, I need every vote you can give me to have a chance. Should the unexpected (but possible) happen, I look forward to the role. I am committed to it for the next four - and if re-elected eight - years, and I will NOT change my allegiance aftet Thursday. I have the time and I have the desire. I'll leave the reader to decide if I have the knowledge and vision, and the marketing ability over these few weeks to do that strange thing of selling myself!
Published Tuesday, 4th May 2021
Cycling (and signage, safety and security) - Melksham
Illustration - that's me having my bicycle marked by The Police at Melksham Station on 1st May. Thanks for the picture, Bob.I didn't cycle for many years until 2020. Medical issues which left me completely deaf in one ear also destroyed my sense of balance. It happened overnight - I went to sleep normal, woke the next morning, and was immediately "sea"sick. It's never going to get better - but it's something I have learned to live with; by some measures I am technically disabled (I qualify for a disabled railcard, for example), but I don't feel disabled, nor in most circumstances do I need to point out the shortcoming. Here, however, I'm doing so, so that readers understand why I'm a new cyclist.
Last year, I needed exercise. And I needed to get around locally. So (during one of the inter-lockdown periods) I hired a bicycle to take along the canal and see how I would get on. Suffice to say I didn't end up in the water. I am now the proud owner of a bottom-of-the-line folding electric bike.
From my home, I usually walk into town - really I live too close in to get the bike out. Headed for the Railway Station, it cuts a 25 minute walk to a cycle ride of less than 10 minutes, and I can take the bike on the train and use it at my destination too - indeed I prefer to do so rather than risk it being stolen or damaged, and cycles on trains are free of charge. It also saves me the cost of parking at Melksham Station, and should I find myself with a long wait for a connection back from either Trowbridge or Chippenham I can (and have) cycled.
Now - I find [1] I have to know where I'm going to cycle around Melksham and [2] I find there are certain routes which don't feel as safe as they should be. There are also [3] some routes that go a very long way round. Examples: [1] Need to know
- Coming out of the Underpass from Melksham Station, headed for Murray Walk
- No clue at the top of Hazelwood Road as to how to get out to cross the river
- Coming into Snowberry Lane / The Spa Roundabout - which way to cycle for the town. Also to sign to Town at Heather Avenue - see cyan pins on map.
[2] Is this safe?
- Town Bridge; if you walk over, you can't pass someone coming the other way, and if you cycle over you may be fearful of motorists trying to sneak past.
- Challeymead Bridge - fast traffic and no safe walking or cycling route.
- Lower Woodrow - part of National Cycle Route 403 and a ratrun of fast cars passing close.
- Most Town Centre approaches (problem with lack of road space)
[3] Long way round?
- National Cycle Route 403 goes around 3 sides of a square from one end of Lowbourne to the other. You may argue that the direct road is major (the A3102), but then so is one of the sided of the square you are sent around.
- Inwards from Bowerhill - see map; blue line is the recommended way, magenta is direct.
- Try the Railway Station to McDonalds!
A lot of our local signage IS good - it's just that one missing sign can lead to confusion for newcomers / visitors (and, surely, signage is for them!)These are just examples from personal experience in the last year. The encouragements to cycle that I've taken up should help encourage more people, and locally there's so much we can do to encourage cycling. Good to see the hoops in the Market Place to secure your cycle, and they are there in Avon Place too. Perhaps we need more, and it would be useful in making total journeys if we could take our cycles on the bus ... it's not a new idea - I came across this example from the Isle of Wight when searching for an example I've heard of in Devon ...
Published Monday, 3rd May 2021
Melksham Train Service - then, now, future
When I asked the ORR (Office of Rail and Road) in 2005 how busy the railway line through Melksham was, they came back with ticketed passenger journey numbers of around 3,000 per year. The figure to March 2020, including the start of the first lockdown, was 75,000. Absolutely not just my doing - team work, and identifying a setup that had become unfit for the purpose at the time. Having said which, I received the 2017 Sheile McKechnie award for Transport Campaigning, and second place in the Association Of Community Rail Networks "Volunteer of the year" category - not bad for our little town of Melksham in national and heavily contested competitions (Gala dinner presentation, 500 people present type stuff). A decade ago, trains called before dawn and after dark (but not between) at a single carriage platform at the back of the trading estate. If you missed the quarter past six from Swindon to Westbury, which called there, there was another train at quarter to seven. Problem was ... it was quarter past six in the morning and quarter to seven in in the evening.
Illustration - the station sign at Melksham when I first saw it, and again on 30th April 2021. Symbolic of how we have progressed out of almost all recongition.So where are we now? Where might we be in the future?
| Melksham Station | A decade ago | Now | Four years ahead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trains each way per day | 2 | 8 | 14 |
| Daytime frequency | every 12 hours | every 2.5 hours | every hour |
| Passengers per annum | 3,000 | 75,000 | 250,000 |
| Length of platform | 1 carriage | 3 carriages | 3 carriages |
| Number of platforms | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Normal Length of train | 1 carriage | 2 carriages | 3 carriages |
| Normal Southbound destination | Southampton | Westbury | Southampton |
| Normal Northbound destination | Cheltenham | Swindon | Oxford |
| Buses to stations | No | No | Yes |
| Car parking spaces at station | 6 | 50 | 50 |
| Accesses to station | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Live real-time information | No | Yes | Yes |
| Ticket Machine | No | Yes | Yes |
| Cycle Hire | No | Yes | Yes |
| Cafe / Loo etc | No | 40 hrs/wk | 100 hrs/wk |
| Travel advise | No | Limited | Yes |
| Taxis | On call | On call | Rank |
The most important line in this table is Passenger Journeys per annum. A railway exists for its customers. Quarter of a million journeys per annum (more than three times what is was pre-Covid) is a conservative estimate, given reliable, safe and affordanble services running every hour during the day and a late train. Actual numbers could rise far higher than that - comparing train use at other town's stations in the area, and adding in the growth of Melksham that is ongoing and planned to continue. A modest 17 journeys per head of population per annum, with a catchment population of 30,000, would make it half a million journeys.
What has been achieved so far is huge - don't get me wrong - but we have only moved from an unusable service to a poor one. Enormous thanks to everyone who has helped with that, but we need to continue and move to an appropriate service. And it's not even all that big of a change from where we are today.
Where a bigger change is needed is in helping people get to the station. At present, people get there by (in order of numbers)
1. Walking
2. Lift in a private car
3. Taxi
4. Cycling
5. Driving themselves
6. Bus
The numbers driving themselves has plummetted since the start of 2020. A combination of Coronavirus under which people were encouraged to drive meant that those people already in their cars are now staying in their cars all the way to destination, and the imposition of car parking charges means has put people off - varying changes include people who now drive to Chippenham ("if I'm paying to park, I may as well go to a station with a more frequent service"), and people such as myself now walking, cycling or getting a lift. Walking and cycling to the station are, it should be noted, much healthier and more carbon friendly than driving.
Five or six years ago now, just after the train service has been improved, a bus service was run to the station - just twice a day each way, to connect into and out of the busiest trains from and to residential areas. It quickly built up to a run rate of 9,000 journeys per annum (180 per week), using a bus spare at the time of day at which it ran. But it was withdrawn by Wiltshire Council (who were paying for it to run) to save money after a survey during a bank holiday week by a councillor that was kept secret at the time. Water under the bridge, yet just yesterday I met up with someone who had become a regular user in those few months it ran.
Why aren't other buses used to get to the station? Because they don't go to the station, nor even call at the top of Station Approach (though they go past!). And then - even if you walk to or from the next stop - you are left with a very long wait for the bus or a train. Information is scant, and often totally missing. Then you have the buses not actually going where people ant to go. People who try it once say "never again".
There was no point in the town bus going to the station during the day when there were no trains during the day. But now there are trains. Now we are looking to a a reduced carbon footprint. And now the Govenment has a national bus strategy which encourages Bus / Rail intechange. And that strategy is backed up by funding for councils that implement it, and a cutting off of bus support to those that do not.
In four years time - in line with the table above - I can see travel to and from Melksham Station looking something like this:
1. Walking (99,000)
2. Bus (57,000)
3= Taxi (26,000)
3= Cycling (26,000)
3= Lift in a private car (26,000)
6. Driving themselves and paying to park (16,000)
Just because driving has dropped to the bottom of the list does not mean that the new car park is going to be underused - the 16,000 estimate equates to 30 to 35 spaces occupied on most days, and note that my guestimated numbers only add up to 250,000 ... which earlier on I suggested is a low estimate of where we should be - be it in four years, or perhaps a little longer.
If elected to the Town Council next Thursday, I will be very much working to reach the sort of numbers / targets above. The Town Council role in this is very much an advisory one (the real power lying elsewhere) but a strong and mandated voice for these further developments can help no end. Should I fail miserably to get even close to being on the council, a rethink may be in order. Having said which, I am very much aware of the importance of taking part and also of the magnificnce of glorious failure as a stepping stone to respectful development whihc has kept me going over the years. I was a laughing stock when I suggested a better train service for Melksham. To some extent, it was provided via an experimental funding route in case it did not work, with a target of 108,000 journeys to from or through Melksham by the third year - a six fold rise. We achieved not 108,000 but 180,000. We achieved it not in three years but in one. We achieved it with a great deal of help from all quarters, including former sceptics. We created other problems such as seriously overcrowded train - now fixed ...
Further analysis ((here)) including the necessary steps that need to be taken to achieve these numbers.
Published Sunday, 2nd May 2021
A Tale of Two Cities Cafes
This morning, two new cafes in Melksham opened. The Cricketers (In the King George V) park was serving for the first time, and will be open from May to September, 7 days a week, from 9 a.m. And the MelkshamHub at the station, which has been softly open since March, was formally opened by Michelle Donelan MP. It will be open from 07:30 until early afternoon, Monday through Saturday. Here's wishing both cafes every success. |  |
 |  |
Both bring welcome facilities to Melksham - very different facilities. In the park, the Splash Pad has opened for the summer (and I managed to get pictures without children, as is required these days) and there were lots of people out enjoying the sunshine. At the station, the British Transport Police were marking cycles to help prevent thefts, and cycles are for hire. There was a petting zoo there, and Melksham Shed crafts on display, but they're one day only. More normally, a chance to pick up a bacon butty as you head for the 07:53 or 10:02 to Chippenham and Swindon, or the 09:10 to Trowbridge and Westbury.
For me, an excellent opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones at both events. Having been involved with Melksham's train service since 2005, and being mocked at even the idea of more trains, it was a real pleasure to see. I wish TransWilts (of which I was a co-founder) well in that venture. It's three years now since they moved on and appointed a replacement for me - (link here). I will admit that my priorities would have been buses to the station and a northern access rather than a cafe and more (and paid) parking, but in the longer run, cafe, access and bus are all needed so I'm rather talking about how we reach what remains the same target. I remain an officer of the Melksham Rail User Group, which is the official (Community Rail Network) Station Friends group. I was down there yesterday when no-one was around; covid rules require that timing to do litter picking and light gardening.
Published Saturday, 1st May 2021
On reaching everyone with my message
A big "Thank You" to the Melksham Independent News for publishing details of all candidates standing for election in Melksham next week - to Town Council and to the Unitary Council. Online digital version ((here)) and go to pages 20 and 21.Engagement with voters (and other who are part of the community but have no vote) is a key part of the role, and I chose to include my contact details within my allotted 100 words. As well as publishing my contact details there (I didn't include my address, but if you want to know, it's 48 Spa Road which is within the South Ward where I am standing - I am one of you), I have been posting regularly on social media, daily on a blog ((index here)) and make myself available on Zoom every few days - find the link on that Blog page. No need to submit questions ahead of time, either.
Not everyone is online / comfortable with using the internet to communicate in the elections, and I have also distributed leaflets around the ward. A big THANK YOU to the people who have helped me with this. I have taken care to distribute at least once to each street, giving me the opportunity to see where every one of you lives, including those quiet cul-de-sacs where I hadn't been before.
We live in an age where people value their privacy and time, and perhaps are fearful of others. "No door to door salesmen". "I will require ID that I can check". "No charity bags". "No cold callers". "No leaflets". "No religious groups". "No canvassers". "No free newspapers". "No circulars". "We do not buy or sell at the door". "No Hawkers". "No Home Improvements". "No junk mail". "Do not ask, because 'NO' may offend". In going around with leaflets, I have read and respected requests. If you have NOT had a copy of my leaflet in the South Ward, it's likely to be because you have asked for no leaflets.
I am not canvassing; "Canvassing is the systematic initiation of direct contact with individuals, commonly used during political campaigns" which would mean knocking on your door to talk without invitation. I am told by another candidate that it is now legal again (it wasn't during the Coronavirus lockdown) but never the less I have not been knocking, uninvited, on doors. Two candidates have knocked on my door; I appreciate it might be a way to win votes, but I do not feel it's right to bring stress to anyone by so doing.
But having written that, you are welcome to call on me. No promise I'll be in and not in a meeting - better to arrange a time ahead, or use social media, but the invite is there. Occasional questions may have me say "I don't know", but I will either follow up or direct you to a source that would know. And the occasional "I don't know" can give you confidence that my other answers are thought out and not guesses.
If you have not had at least one election leaflet from me, please get in touch and I can pop one round. Or read online at ((here)) or ((here)). I have tried to get total coverage to those who welcome such things, but a few of you have hidden from doors, live in sheltered housing where you don't have a front door, or where I and my team felt (from the various notices above) that you asked we not even leave you a leaflet (but if you're reading this, please vote for me ;-) )
My record for engagement? The lead image on this post shows my "stats" at the Great Western Coffee Shop forum where I was a cofounder in 2007 and remain a key facilitator / moderator. Questions and comments thrown at any time of the day or night. Doing the arithmetic, I have been online an there an average of 3 hours every day for 14 years, though at times that will be in a background window available if required but working on something else. Note that for every topic I start, I reply on four - talking with you, not at you. Note too that I have instigated over 100 polls to "ask the audience" - nothing like being informed on members views!
Published Friday, 30th April 2021
Recap - why I am standing for Town Council in 2021
I have been asked before and declined to stand after careful thought. So what has changed this time? From my launch pageSo - the analysis
* I have the reasons to stand* I qualify under the rules
* I have a great deal of useful knowledge and experience
* I am a fresh voice, a love of the town and an enthusiasm for the role
* I actually live in the South Ward (did you realise that some candidates don't)
I have ruled out standing for one of the Unitary (Wiltshire) council seats. Each of the wards is represented by a single member and significant holes in my recent knowledge and experience means I'm not enough of a generalist to feel comfortable helping people on some topics. That is not to say that other candidates necessarily have that knowledge; some who are already Unitary councillors very clearly, by their utterances, do not. But that's not where I would like to be.
The Town Council ward in which I live will elect four councillors. I am much happier with that idea - it means I can be deeply helpful on topics where I have a strength, and know enough to put people who ask about topics where I lack knowledge in touch with another of their councillors who would be more appropriate.
Why I have I not stood before?
* Because I've not had much time, and the time I have had has been best used on specialist thingsBut now I am retired and have a little more time
* Because I don't have the knowledge
But in a multi-member ward, I can refer people on to others in areas outside my ken
* Because I don't have the thick skin needed
Now this is a tough one. I do not mind arguing the logical point, but the way a few people treat councillors - verging on personal attacks - puts off anyone without a thick skin. Ironically, it means we don't get the best and perhaps we sometimes get the wrong people - we get the people who bluster and bully and not the quiet and effective thinkers and do-ers
Published Thursday, 29th April 2021
Writing to inform residents and others
My career has had a theme - learning and informing people. Pictured - manuals which I wrote on various computer programming topics and presented as training courses for over 20 years. Other companies came and went - we just carried on; no real marketing - just the linking on to new customers thought personal recommendation.
I have really enjoyed writing daily pieces, including some in depth explanations this month as I campaign for a seat on the Town Council. In terms of raw votes, it may not have been the most efficient way (and at times even counterproductive), but I have enjoyed doing it, generated discussion, and feel total, open and honest in my approach.
"Useful explanation of how it works thank you. Shame they don't include this information on the postal voting packs ..." - comment on my piece on Wiltshire - how each vote works (PCC, Unitary and Town/Parish) written two days ago.
"Really interesting and a useful insight- a few questions though ..." - comment on my piece entitled Why is a big double decker running up my street? that started a conversation on Facebook's Pewsey Notice Board. It was written yesterday
My piece ((here)) entitled "Chamber of Commerce - my record there" posted last weekend, and a follow up one the Historic Melksham Facebook Page - showing 2009 and 2019 businesses on our High Street lead to lots of discussions - brought dozens of reactions.
If elected, I will continue to write and publish explanations. Not an unfounded promise - you can look back at over 4,500 blog articles written daily over 12 years at http://www.wellho.net/mouth/ and around 30,000 posts at http://www.passenger.chat - a forum I assisted in setting up 14 years and where I am webmaster.
A very great deal of excellent work is done by the Town Council, but communication back to the residents isn't always complete. Much is already done, but as we learned on the SCOB, even with 10 ways of communicating an eleventh is still helpful in reaching yet more people!
Clear communication is also useful from the Town Council to those to whom it canvasses for the town; I have some experience there having canvassed for many things in the past - based on the technical strength and clarity of the arguments, and the clear validity of what's being suggested.
Published Wednesday, 28th April 2021
Why is a big double decker running up my street?
"Why is a double decker running around my town / village with very few people on it? Isn't that wasteful? Wouldn't it be better to use minibuses or taxis?" Good questions - asked of me in multiple community areas, including my 'home' area of Melksham. So here's an answer - feedback of the sort of thing I've been doing for years via www.passenger.chat and would do on local matters if elected to Town Council.Answer / explanations
1. Could buses be switched around?
Buses run on "diagrams" - back and forth all day, some on the same repeated journey and some on different routes through the day. There will be busier times (travel to work, travel to education, just after 09:30 when senior cards become valid) and quieter times when these don't apply. There will also be busier and quieter sections of routes too; a really good example quoted to me is the X5 Swindon to Salisbury bus which loads well at the route ends for a double decker, but is quieter in the middle.
The bus used on a diagram needs to have enough capacity for its busiest time, and for the busiest part of its route. Observers not around at that time, or on the busiest part of the route, will never see a full bus and will ask the "do we need such a big bus" question; the answer is really "yes, for what else it is doing on the diagram".
Another suggestion made has been to have big buses for the peaks, and smaller vehicles off peak. The cost of extra vehicles is very high, and the time taken to get back to depot and switch a significant overhead. Switching vehicles between routes can sometimes provide a little help, but peaks loadings tend to happen at the same time of day on all routes. There are times where switching a vehicle that's run during the day on one route to another route in the evening helps, but even there a quiet mid-evening can be followed by a crammed late service. Even before CoVID social distancing, the 23:20 Bath to Melksham and Devizes really needed (but did not get) a double decker.
The question has also been asked about splitting routes. Running (say) a double decker from Bath to Melksham on the 272, then a single decker onward to Devizes. To some extend that has already been done - the 272 used to run from Bath to Easterton, but now the section furthest from Bath is the 270, sometimes but not always a vehicle change in Devizes for through passengers. But - people don't like changing bus too often, time is taken to change, and any delay to one incoming bus at the swap point leads to a delay to two ongoing services, or very annoyed passengers who have missed their connection.
So - splitting routes and switching vehicles have some application, but much (or most) of that has been done already for commercial reasons.
2. Can any bus go anywhere?
No ... some of the routes through residential areas require a smaller vehicle to get around all the parked cars that were not expected when the areas were built, or are areas that were built more recently without allowing for full sized buses.
No ... only buses that are up to "Euro 6" standards can run into Bath unless the operator of none-compliant vehicles is prepared to pay £100 per vehicle per day. Local fleets are mixed ... in one case, a bus route has been temporarily changed because its operator is awaiting delivery of smaller (village compatible) Euro 6 (Bath compatible) vehicles.
No ... low bridges and low hanging trees restrict double deckers
3. Do double decker buses double the fuel consumption?
No. They do consume more - but only around 25% more. Here's a diagram showing some typical figures. Where buses are running at reasonable load levels, the fuel consumption per seat is the figure to look at, so you take a bus seat 3 times the distance you take a taxi seat on the same fuel consumption.
But bear in mind that this comparison should be short term in detail as we move towards alternative (electric) vehicles. I would anticipate that a larger vehicle will still use more energy, but less energy per seat.
4. How sure can we be of what loading will be from day to day?
On a very frequent bus service, "we're full - wait for the next one" is reasonable, but on a service that only runs every half hour or less, it is not. Here in Wiltshire, we don't have the massive fluctuations based on weather that you'll find in seaside towns. And actually the bus operator can make pretty good educated guesses. But, still, they need a fleet of vehicle that copes with most peaks, and that will sometimes mean sending out a bigger vehicle than necessary.
I was ... amazed ... to hear of a double decker on last Saturday's Rail Replacement service from Westbury to Chippenham. It's in the photo at the head of this piece at Melksham Station. Typically, most train regulars avoid travelling on "trains replaced by buses" days, and furthermore we are still under some restrictions, people not moving around as they did a couple of years ago. However, from my personal observation, the bus was busy and under social distancing rules, the use of a double decker was necessary and correct. Top marks to whoever figured this out ahead of time!
5. Are double deck buses slower / less attractive?
From loading and unloading times, they can be - especially with modern health and safety which waits for everyone to be seated at each stop before they move off. Time issuing tickets / checking passes is also extended.
On 'thinner' routes, traffic may be significantly higher if 3 smaller vehicles (such as Optare Solos) run in an hour, rather that one double decker. It's a more attractive service, but it does mean up to 3 times the number of drivers, more bus bays needed at hubs and bus stations, and more road congestion.
Conclusion(s)
For the most part, the bus operators are being efficient, and the routine appearance of lightly loaded double decker buses on your street is worthy of asking about, but you can be re-assured it's not far off the best arrangement possible at the moment.
And, remember, that just at present England is slowly re-opening. Public transport use has been really depressed and that's what you may have observed. But already growing back in places; 9 got off and 6 on a lunchtime single decker on 272 (Bath to Devizes) I saw the other day - add in the through passengers, and it can't have been far short of social distanced capacity!
Published Tuesday, 27th April 2021
Wiltshire - how each vote works (PCC, Unitary and Town/Parish)
On 6th of May 2021, or earlier if you have applied for a POSTAL vote, you'll have the opportunity to vote in THREE separate election in Melksham. The POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER election takes place across the whole of Wiltshire and Swindon, and is to select a single person for that role. Take a look at the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners website for a description of the role. There are six candidates - see the BBC for a brief introduction to them all.
You have two votes in this poll - a first and second preference. All first preference votes are counted first, and the lowest four candidates on that count eliminated, leaving a "head to head" between the two remaining candidates. If one of them already had over half the total votes cast, he or she is declared the winner. If not, the second preferences from those who voted for the candidates eliminated are taken into account, where those votes are for one of the two remaining candidates. The candidate with the highest total of first preference and transferred second preference votes is then declared the winner.
Let's take an example. From the first round ...
A gets 25% of the vote (of valid voting papers)
B gets 4% of the vote
C gets 38% of the vote
D gets 9% of the vote
E gets 22% of the vote
F gets 12% of the vote
So candidates B, D, E and F are eliminated, leaving just candidates A and C going forward to the second round of counting. Together, B, D, E and F accounted for 47% of the votes cast. For our example, lets say that of those 47%
10% did not give a second preference (so they are not added to either second round candidate)
15% gave a second preference to another of B, D, E and F (so they are not added on either)
18% gave a second preference to Candidate A who now has the votes of 43% of those who voted
4% gave a second preference to Candidate C who now has the votes of 42% of those who voted
So Candidate A is our new Police and Crime Commissioner. That's even though (s)he was behind after the first round.
The WILTSHIRE UNITARY COUNCILLOR election takes place. 98 councillors are elected for 98 geographic divisions across the Unitary Authority, with the election taking place on a first past the post system. In the ward in which I live, we have four candidates and I can vote for one of them. The number of candidates may vary in other divisions.
Let's take an example.
Candidate A polls 30%
Candidate B polls 9%
Candidate C polls 38%
Candidate D polls 23%
So Candidate C is elected as the Unitary Councillor for the division
The TOWN AND PARISH election takes place (where there are more candidates than seats). In the ward in which I live, there are seven candidates for four seats. Each voter can select up to four candidates to vote for, and the four candidates with the highest number of votes on valid papers will be elected to the Town or Parish Council.
Let's take an example (actual numbers from a Melksham ward last time)
A polls 409 votes
B polls 420 votes
C polls 423 votes
D polls 308 votes
E polls 614 votes
F polls 559 votes
G polls 479 voles
So Candidates E, F, G and C are elected as Town Councillors with A B and D not getting enough votes.
Declaration of interest - I am standing for election as a Town Councillor in my home ward of Melksham South - and you can learn about me here. I am standing as an INDEPENDENT candidate, though very much looking to work in partnership with everyone else if elected. One of my strengths is understanding, and feeding back that understanding to the community, as I hope this article has done.
Published Monday, 26th April 2021