Graham Ellis - my blog
A week in the life ...
Here I am on Friday after THE most intensive week in a long time. On Monday, I took a trip to London - or rather went all around London - an outer circle - using 5 out of the six of the overground lines (and a riverbus).
On Tuesday, at the invite of our MP and GWR I met up with him and them in Portcullis House - across the road from the Houses of Parliament - and we had the most fabulous discussions on railway futures in Bradford-on-Avon, Melksham and Devizes. I have already followed up with a summary list of issues raised where the people we met can help, and I will be writing up further. 
On Wednesday, I joined station adoption group representatives online for a training and sharing session - learning for Melksham from Wool, Rayleigh, Broadbottom, Saltaire and various other places. Amazing how much there is to think about and perhaps take forward, and also how very different all stations and the communities around them are.
On Thursday, I attended the "MetroWest" event in Chippenham - for the Bath and Wiltshire area, run by Connected Cities. This is a very exciting project looking ahead for the area, where after years of various mixed ideas all the experts are coming toward a concensus on what we should be doing, and planning how we do it.
And today - Friday - some early follow ups on those three days, and a visit to the Melksham Spring Market. But there has been more too. At around 06:00 on Tuesday, one of our web servers - the one running the Great Western Coffee Shop forum got damaged by a power failure at our web service provider's network centre in Docklands. This is a rare event and usually the server comes straight back up, but in this case (rare event on top of rare event) the disc got corrupted and quite significantly. My email, message system, phone all buzzed with reports ... we have around 100 registered members each day, and perhaps a further 200 guests read us. First priority - let people know that we were aware of the problem and give them a timescale - initially - for news and then when we had analysed the damage for an estimated return to service, which was achieved by 19:00 the same day for reading, 13:30 the next day for new contributions and 18:00 that follow day for the associated image library. In the process of this work, lots of backups were unpacked and today I have been tidying up - reducing the disc usage back from 98% which was perilously close to full down to 83% again which is a reasonable running level. Our backup scheme meant that no posts were lost in the process.
The week has been positive and exciting - a chance to keep my server skills up to scratch and such fantastic things at three different events, all of which will be taken forward through the rest of the year. Even though I will soon be off the council I will not be short of things to do - quite the reverse as I can concentrate on the development and transportation issues.
A350 trunking - thoughts as written to the MIN
BackgroundThe current A36 / A46 trunk road route from the M4 to the South Coast is broken at Bath. There is only a few hundred yards between the two roads at Bathampton, and yet no acceptable solution to link them. Even if that were done, it would not be a total solution for providing a through route for a volume of "heavies". The proposal is for the A350, via Westbury, Melksham and Chippenham, to be used / upgraded in the future as the route north for fast and heavy traffic from Warminster, where the current snd future "trunked" routes come together, to the M4.
Thoughts
It would be so easy headline a complaint that the people of Bath are being NIMBYs ("Not in my back yard") and to some extent they are. But better to take a pragmatic look as as a whole at the routes, the requirements, and crucially the additional regional and local needs that a significantly improved A350 would bring - saying, perhaps, to the people of Bath "if you don't want the improvements this will bring, we will consider taking them - thank you"
Significant extra housing is being built and will be built over the next 15 years in Warminster, Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham and whilst we might want and expect to see a further massive improvement in passenger services in that corridor, it would put a huge pressure on some places on the existing road network. Westbury, Yarnbrook, and North Melksham / Beanacre come to mind. There is sense in making improvements at / past each of those places in order to relieve the traffic past them as well as to serve current and future businesses in each locstion.
Some more detailed ideas
for WESTBURY ... it has struck me for decades that a link from the West Wilts trading estate end of the town, parallel with the railway to the A36 at the place I know as "Frome Market" would make for a sensible bypass, and would also allow the "heavies" from the trading estate to get to the south coast (e.g. Southampton) without having to go through the town. I was logged at the Westbury Bypass Enquiry when a route below the White Horse was being consider as an objector, and I suppose I was, but only to the wrong route which it was for many reasons. "White elephant under the white horse" as far as some major traffic flows were concerned!
For MELKSHAM ... there is sense in building a section of road from the A350 just south of Lacock across the river and across the countryside to (and probably past) the A3102 Melksham to Calne Road. On southwards there are at least 4 options for the strategic traffic, and for the enhanced communities of Trowbridge, and Westbury and Warminster too to have a route to the M4 that does not take in the north Melksham / Beanacre pinch point.
This Melksham to Lacock link road would address concerns on the long (official) was round for traffic from the newer areas of the east of Melksham northward and westwards, would relive pressure on Bath Road in the Town Centre and the old bridge, and would also provide a very welcome alternative to the Woodrow / New Road "rat run" we already have and could be set to be far worse.
Note the benefits for Melksham of this plan - should we be embracing it, or shouting NIMBY and having limited input as to what comes and can be beneficial to us. I think we will do better as partners in a predominantly sensible for is all scheme rather than as protesters who "have to" be overcome.
For YARNBROOK ... I have fewer details having not studied it quite so closely. The West Ashton Crossroads and the Yarnbrook roundabout are significant pinch points; improvements at the roundabout would/will need to consider where the strategic route flows to the south as it heads for Westbury - vie the West Wilts trading area (looks best to me), via the Town Centre as at present or, heaven help us, to a relief road below the White Horse.
And finally - the wider picture
As Chippenham, Trowbridge and Melksham amongst other grow towards a more and more "connected city" the road and rail, private and public transport needs to take account. In addition to the road proposals in the current report, there are parallel rail and bus proposals and actual improvements. Just yesterday (21.3.2025) I spent some time with the Go-op expert (former Network Rail project manager for the area, now retired) looking at foot crossing improvements of the railway in the Melksham Area, and at a second track being put back for part of the way along the corridor. Sunday bus services returned last year, regular service is up to every 30 minutes during the week, and watch this apace for evenings.
There is a massive "flow" in and out of Bath and Bristol from Melksham and I am conscious that I have not mentioned it to this point. Relieving pressure on London Road into Bath would, as an aside, be helpful. An increased train service through Melksham with good connections at Trowbridge and Chippenham would do wonders for that commute - yesterday it took me just 40 minutes Bristol to Melksham by train and if this were the norm ... with a crystal ball, I can see direct trains from Melksham to Bristol but NOT as the next phase of improvement, and I can see a great deal enhanced city / town living using the old library and Cooper Tires sites, and with a station and bus hub being a natural part of the town as that wound of the A350 trunk road separating the town from its station is healed, with traffic passing to the east of Melksham. Remember the Melksham has a railway, just an 8 minute walk from the Town Bridge.
These are personal thoughts, though with a number of years of experience in these matters. You are welcome to emaciate the thoughts with me and indeed publicise my details for people to get in touch - Melksham Transport User Group, AGM, 13th May.
Published Tuesday, 25th March 2025
Foot crossing over the railway in Melksham
Level foot crossings over railway lines ... we have three in the Melksham area - two in Melksham Without (Beanacre ward) and one in Melksham Town (North ward). Consideration is being given to an increased train service along the line. That would be an extra 3 or 4 passenger trains each way calling at Melksham on top of perhaps 36 train of all sorts which pass through, up to 9 calling each way.
Questions asked - what is needed, if anything, to enhance the safety of these three crossings? It has been suggested that all three might be busy with foot traffic. Do we have any local evidence to confirm or deny this? What action needs to be taken to make the crossings safer? Are they used enough to make it sensible to spend money on them, and if so on what extra facilities? Is it such a big problem that no extra trains should be run and indeed the current train service curtailed? Is there any merit and closing or diverting the footpaths?
I am looking at the crossings north to south here - so in descending order
3. Crossing on the path between Beanacre and the Melksham electric substation
Wholly in the parish of Melksham Without
3.1 This crossing has recently been upgraded / refurbished with railings and new signage. There are long straight track sections on the approach to give good visibility. The refurbishment includes steps and a swing-gate style so the crossing is not wheelchair friendly. The line speed limit is 70 mph and it should be expected that trains will be travelling at close to that speed
3.2 From limited local evidence, pedestrian usage of this crossing is low. The crossing itself shows signs of last autumn's leaf mould still there, and the grass growing in the field leading to the gate to the crossing shows only a faint track indicating limited foot passage.
3.3 I am not aware of any planning applications or future developments "community side" that would result in a significant change in pedestrian use. I am aware of proposals so add a second track to some parts of the Chippenham to Trowbridge line, and if that were done past this point the crossing and static barriers would need rebuilding.
2. Crossing on the path between Beanacre and Shurnhold Field / Dunch Lane
In the parish of Melksham Without, footpath leads into Melksham Town
2.1 The crossing itself is modern but not the very latest of signage as there is at crossing No. 3. There are steps up meaning it is not suitable for wheelchairs, and also swing-gate styles. Trains here are travelling at about 40 mph as this crossing is on the edge of the change from the 70 limit to the north to the 40 limit through curves at Melksham Station.
2.2 Local evidence suggests that this is the busiest crossing of the three. The path approach is clearly worn, and this is the only one of the three crossings where I have encountered other user - not in my look yesterday to take photos (no-one else around) but in summer weather. However, although the "busiest" that does NOT mean I would describe it as busy - compared (for example) to the foot crossing in Poole I would suggest that the Poole crossing is used by more people in a typical daytime minute than use even this busiest Melksham crossing in a week! (note - data from https://abcrailwayguide.uk/ confirms this)
2.3 Planning applications have been submitted (not sure current status) for land to the south east of the crossing and they could result in a modest increase in foot crossings for people walking to Shurnhold Fields. However, a more logical route for these people to walk would be over the nearby Dunch Lane road bridge. Like the other crossings, work would be required should a second track be relayed here.
1. Crossing on the path behind Asda into fields to the west.
In the parish of Melksham Town. Path carries and divides giving access to parished of Melksham Without and Broughton Gifford, as well as back to a public road within Melksham Town.
1.1 This Crossing is currently closed (8th to 27th March) while Network Rail relay the railway. Looking though the fence, it is currently flat access and with fence to close to the track, level across, recent but not latest signage. Access to the crossing is across traditional styles, making it unsuitable for wheelchairs and indeed for anyone not fit enough to climb a style. Trains typically pass at around 40 mph due to the proximity of the curve through Melksham Station - the limit rises to 60mph at around this point.
1.2 Historically this has been the least used of any of the three crossings. I was unable to cross yesterday due to the closure, but I do note that I have not heard a single complaint about the 3 week closure and the very long diversion in a town that is very good at grumbling. The approach to the crossing from the Town side (behind ASDA) has recently been redone - it's now a brand new stone chipping walkway without any chance yet of evidence of passing feet. On a previous visit a couple of years ago, I had to fight my way through brambles and thistles to get to it. - This is the picture to the right1.3 Planning applications for the "upside" are possible but in the immediate proximity unlikely due to flood plain issues. Housing a little further away would likely lead to traffic over the A365 road bridge which is quite close by. It has been suggested in local plans that this crossing could form part of a strategic walking and cycling path from Melksham to Shaw Hill which is far more direct than the road, using the route of current moribund public footpaths. Also note that this crossing would need re-doing if a second track of railway was restored at this point.
In addition to these three level foot crossings in the Melksham area, the Network Rail Sectional Appendix shows three private user worked crossings to the south of Melksham, with telephones, probably for farm vehicles between fields, and I an aware of a further footpath crossing in the Broughton Gifford Parish to the north of the Pack Horse Bridge, providing the only public right of way access to the bridge from that side of the river. These crossings are outside the area of enquiry, but clearly need to be considered within the overall crossing regime.
I am drawing no conclusions here - just providing evidence. Foot crossings ARE dangerous and become more so as train numbers increase, train speeds increase, trains become quieter, foot passages over the crossings increase, and users of the crossings become less familiar with the crossings as they become rarities. There are multiple solutions available to reduce the risk but all have consequences, and there is no "one size fits all". The ABC Railway guide above tells me that tehre have been no accidents at any of the three crossings in the recent past (as of the date it was last updated) and I know of nothing very recent either - but that is not an excuse for us consider the riska ant take any preventative measures as a precaution. We should bear in mind that most of the options would involve substantial cost and might hinder or prevent service improvement.
Options to reduce the risk IF ANY NEEDED include
1. Better / more local publicity
2. Add warning lights that a train is coming (as done on Westbury avoider)
3. Add locking gates or barrier and with CCTV to signal box
4. Provide a footbridge
5. Require all trains to slow down
6. Divert or close the path
7. Limit the number of trains passing
8. Close the railway
And all of these would cost money and / or have dramatic other consequences
Published Saturday, 22nd March 2025
March, April, May 2025 and beyond - personal plan
* For the rest of this month (March 2025) I remain fully active as a Town Councillor, up to and including the full council meeting on 31st.
* In the month of April, we have two Economic Development and Planning meetings - 1st and 22nd - and I will attend and give my full attention to matters therein such as helping make MTC comments on planning applications. I will also be on hand to speak for and explain elements of the Neighbourhood Plan as it comes to referendum, for any steering group meetings, and for any immediate "case work" type stuff. Also in April, but no longer a Melksham Town Council working group, the Melksham Environment group meets (8th and 29th) and I'll be there.
* Come May, I become "just a resident". I WILL take an interest in some general Town stuff, but only to the extent of providing an appropriate community supporting voice to the new council. Much of my interest lies in planning for travel and transport as the town changes and grows, in the provision of that transport, and on the the use and tuning of travel (from walking and cycling to driving, buses and trains) and I hope to still be of some help from community roles in those areas over coming years. Good friends remain good freinds.
Here (intro / summary) the active local public transport groups - a newcomers's guide to how they fit together is useful - see (this) from my 11th January blog.
** On 19th March, I was re-elected to the committee of the West Wiltshire Rail User Group
** I am acting chair of the Melksham Transport User Group and expect to remain in a significant role after their AGM on 13th May
** In December last, I was elected to the Board of TravelWatch SouthWest and that's a three year term
** I am the Webmaster for the Great Western Coffee Shop Passenger Forum and would be surprised if that role is not renewed at AGM time this summer
Published Friday, 21st March 2025
Annual Melksham Town Meeting - 17.3.2025
"The Annual Town meeting is not a Town Council meeting. It is a meeting of the Town electors and must take place between 1 March and 1 June each year. Electors can contribute to the agenda and this meeting will celebrate local activities and debate current issues in the community." Agenda and full report pack ((here))First part - reports from the mayor, the chairs of the council committees, from Wiltshire councillors should they wish to take the opportunity, and from the police
Second part - electors are invited to contribute to the meeting, celebrate local activities and debate current issues in the community. Electors are also invited to raise any issues they want to bring to the attention of the Town Council for future consideration by the Town Council.
Third part - A chance to enjoy some refreshments, have a chat and watch a video collage of projects supported by Melksham Town Council grants.
This meeting is an "in person" one and starts at 7 p.m. in the Council Chamber of the Town Hall.
Published Monday, 17th March 2025
Proud of our town? keeping it clean?
I have heard it said "Not much good posting on Social Media - The Council won't see / read / act on it". It is certainly to inform Melksham Councils, and especially Wiltshire Council, to report things. Wiltshire Council has the MyWiltshire App to help you, and there's a form on the Melksham Town Council web site and an email contact on the Melksham Without site. But don't assume that by reporting something that it's blinding obvious to your mind that it will actually get done if you report it. update - 16.3.2025 - at base of the postHow long does it take to clean a bus stop?
Here are my requests / reports, as a Town Councillor ...
5th December 2024 - email to Town Clerk, deputy, and 2 other officers
"Two of the bus stops which will be much busier than normal - outside Avonside and outside Buds Bar look uncared for. The Avonside one is clearly branded “Melksham Town Council”. Is there a plan / would it be possible for the amenities team to tidy up these stops - showcases for the day"
10th December 2024 - council meeting, minuted as follows
199/24 Parish Steward
Graffiti on bus shelter in Blackmore Road.
Cleaning bus shelter at Avonside.
18th February 2025 - council meeting, minuted as follows
277/24 Parish Steward
A request was made for the bus stop at Avonside to be cleaned on the inside. It was noted this was the responsibility of Melksham Town Council.
11th March 2025 - council meeting, minuted as follows
295/24 Parish Steward
The bus shelters opposite McDonalds and by Avonside were mentioned. The
Committee Clerk advised that they were on the list but the Amenities Team were
currently stretched due to holiday and sickness.
So why am I posting on social media? Because I have raised this, officially, four times over in 3 months and got no-where, and I want to step aside from the embarrassment of having to answer to "why hasn't the council cleaned this". I will accept the criticism that I have been ineffective in getting this "silly little" job done. If I were running a business, I would long since have had someone fixed this myself or had some do it. I would certainly not have wasted far more time talking about it, minuting it in meetings and scheduling it than it would have taken to actually do it!!
Small-print – yes, of course the council has limited resources. I note
* We had three staff members in the Market Place to support the Vegan Market today
* We spent a lot of hours planting pansies and I wonder if bus stop time could have been found
* We laid off through redundancy our head of operations in January and, yes, we are now stretched as we have limited holiday and sickness cover!
I am so tempted to take a bucket of water down there in the morning and do the job I feel the council should have done sometime in the last three months!
Update - 07:30 on 16th March
I took a bucket of warm water, a soft brush and some gentle soapy disinfectant (the stuff I use when needed at the station) down there this morning and was able to ... make no noticeable difference. It appears to me that the dirt, disfiguration, mould is so built in that something stronger is needed - perhaps the panels are so far gone they even need replacing; it's taken too long to get to. There was only very limited dirt in my water when I finished which suggests that is HAS been cleaned at some recent time (perhaps under my or Saffi Rabey 's requests) but that's been too little, too late and the deeper problem has not been fed back to either of us leaving us nagging for what is apparently action that won't now achieve anything.
As I leave the council in 6 weeks, this isn't even in my ward, and Saffi Rabey has also been taking an interest, I'm stepping back and leaving it to her or to Phil Alford who is the other councillor for the ward.
Update - 17th March
I understand that prior to the relatively recent cleaning, the last known time was nearly 3 years previously (early summer 2022) and that's probably the period during which the deterioration set in. That would seem to tie in with the problems with the council notice board last autumn, where even when cleaned the 'glass' remained fogged and needed replacing - job done, but took a while!
Published Saturday, 15th March 2025
Town Councillor life - something for YOU?
The life of a Town Councillor and Transport Advocate - timed and diaried meetings with other things to be done between. I'm encouraging new blood to stand for council - but only if you are strong enough and your blood will not be spilled in the process!Red - items which come with my councillor duties (though I might well choose to go to some of them anyway) - largely cease on 30th April
Purple - Public Transport issues - to continue after 1st May
Black - My life!
So my diary next weeks (and other things will happen / be added!)
| 15th March 2025 | Melksham Vegan Market - 10:00 |
| 16th | free day |
| 17th | MTC Annual Town Meeting - 19:00 |
| 18th | Melksham Environment Group - 18:30 |
| Wilts and Berks Canal Trust - 19:45 | |
| 19th | WWRUG AGM is on 19th in Trowbridge - 19:00 |
| 20th | Bowerhill Village team - 12:30 |
| MTUG Committee 20th - 18:30 | |
| 21st | TWSW General Meeting in Taunton - 10:30 |
| Bus Partnership - 15:30 | |
| 22nd | free day |
| 23rd | free day |
| 24th | Day in London (Personal development) |
| 25th | Meeting with MP and GWR, Westminster |
| 26th | Modern Rail conference, Swindon |
| 27th | Assembly Hall Quiz Night |
| 28th | free day |
| 29th | free day |
| 30th | free day |
| 31st | Full Town Council meeting |
| 1st April | Economic Development and Planning |
| 2nd | WWRUG Committee |
What was I dealing with yesterday?
Learning about then declining to get involved in an accessablity web site project.
Insurance for WWRUG meetings .
Payment for work on Neigbourhood Plan.
Advising on acrid smoke from bonfire question
Sorting out bus campaigner issues.
Understanding MTC finances and staffing.
Setting up group to meet MP later this month.
Looking at parking / loading issues in the Market Place.
Watching over public transport news (and continues today):
- at 09:09: North Cotswold line delays and cancellations - 2025
- at 09:03: First Bus cuts through buses from Falmouth to Newquay
- at 08:56: Images show £140m revamp plan for Cardiff Central
- at 08:56: 2025 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
- at 07:31: FGW announce link with Singapore Airlines
- at 07:28: Night Riviera - merged posts, ongoing discussion
- at 06:32: Over the country towards Skye
- at 22:47: A move to longer trains?
- at 22:02: Engineering Work Swindon area weekends of 22/23 and 29/30 March
- at 20:52: Small rise in crime at Melksham Station
- at 19:59: Dangers of the underground
- at 19:18: Connectivity - north to south Wales
- at 19:00: HS2 - Government proposals, alternative routes and general discussion
- at 18:40: Pakistan army says 300 hostages freed from train - 11 March 2025
Published Thursday, 13th March 2025
Don't block the only way through
As far as I can see or recall, the planning application for 68 homes to the north of Berryfield hasn't come to the Town Council - and indeed why would I have expected it to, as it's not even adjacent to the town - it's about half a kilometre away. However, I took a look at what was planned and have added my own comment to the 100 or so public comments already made.My concern with this application in relation to Melksham Town is that the homes, if built, would block the otherwise open (and in many places protected) route of the Wilts and Berks Canal. And I believe that a canal, or canalised river, through Melksham, would/will be a wonderful facility bringing life to the town and river. I know that support is not universal, but the way for a decision to be made on this, against the canal, is not by default on some more local planning application that plonks a handful of houses onto the 70 mile waterway route.
Illustrative Map / ariel view - the route available for the canal past Berryfiels (shown in pink) and the proposed location of housing that would block it (the pushpin). No practical option to swing around ...
For the record - my input:
Planning Application PL/2025/00626
I am writing to OBJECT to this application as made, on the grounds that the proposals if implemented as shown would block the proposed route of the re-opened Wilts and Berks Canal which is otherwise protected in multiple policies all all the way from Semington to Abingdon in Oxfordshire.
A rerouted (via the protected proposed route) Wilts and Berks Canal would bring significant economic benefit to the town of Melksham and also extending further north to Lacock, Chippenham and beyond. The benefits to Melksham are major and enshrined in neighbourhood planning, and it would be perverse to allow the building of a handful of houses blocking the whole way. Much better (though outside the plans submitted for consideration) would be to build housing with a canal route and perhaps even channel through the site under consideration as a community benefit.
For the absence of doubt, adjacent land to the site in this planning application would not be available for safeguarding / use for the canal, and a single building would add a significant hurdle to the completion of the whole 70 mile through route. That is in addition to the damage done to the planned economic and community development brought by the canal through Melksham.
Published Tuesday, 11th March 2025
TWSW - the need to provide for and listen to the person travelling
Having a transport system fit for us to all to use to get around in 5 years, 10 years, 15 years and beyond will be key to our quality of life and our economic future. That's walking, cycling and scooting, private cars and taxis, trains and buses, and aircraft and ferries, and it's about linking them all up into an integrated network. It's planning too - where we'll be travelling too - having places we want or need to go near to, and linked to, places where we live or stay.Much of our transport system is historic - that road through a Town Centre or suburb that pushes heavy lorries and an endless stream of cars past people's doors, a railway line that is bursting at the seams with trains queuing to get through a single track, and a bus service that fails to go to the train station and finishes as the same time as people finish work because it's the end of the driver's shift too.
We already have a lot of travel and transport options. Many are good, but are they the best they could be, are they known about so that people make best use of them, and are they fit for the future? People who use the current travel options know them best - and those people are there in quantities far greater that the professional staff who specify or run these systems. So they are a valuable resource in both making the current systems known about, helping point out where they can be improved, and helping make their fellow travellers and newcomers be informed and feel (and be) safe and welcome.
We are at a time of great change - with new rail and bus structures coming in to place, and major planning and building changes too. But yet the consultations and plans are taking only limited note of those experts out there in huge numbers - the people who use the current system and are the millions of eyes and ears that know what is going on at each bus stop and each station even when there are no staff around. Now is the time when we can - and must if we want to make a difference - remind our governing bodies of the need to listen to the expertise that uses the system and will want to use it. And now is the time to take advantage of this expertise as one element in tuning the current system and helping it flourish and be fit to grow even better in the future.
It has been suggested that customer / user input is a nuisance, having to be answered many times (for there are lots of customers) to people who have limited knowledge of the complex systems (of course - when I turn on electricity in my home, I don't need to be a generation technician!) and that this input, currently split between many organisations, should be combined under a restructured Transport Focus. How that could work is - to put it mildly - important. As an agency of the Department for Transport, there is a concern that its remit could be limited, its resources inadequate, and its powers toothless. There are some really good people there and elsewhere and we need to ensure that our travel and transport system in the near, medium and longer term work for the passengers - their customers. The customer needs to be King.
I started writing this piece to encourage YOU to sign up for and come along on Friday of next week - 21st March 2025 - to TravelWatch SouthWest in Taunton. TravelWatch is - if you like - the user group's user group. Industry and government professionals, user groups and informed users and observers all come together to share best practise and to co-ordinate thoughts across the South West of England. A board of around 10 volunteer directors and a team of two co-ordinators run "TWSW" and the event, which is free to attend, staring at 10:30 in the morning - sorry, you will have to buy your own ticket to get there but I can promise you a very thoughtful session. I am one of those directors, elected onto the board last December, but very much learning just like you would if you come along, and I am somewhat in awe of the expertise and knowledge of those around me. I'll also say what an enormous pleasure all these people are to be working with and how enjoyable, and productive, it is working for the betterment of sustainable, public and private transport.
Links -
This week, sign up for the event via Eventbrite
and the following links are permanent:
See TWSW on Facebook
See TWSW on LinkedIn
See TWSW on Blue Sky
Also TravelWatch SouthWest resources - being revamped
Published Sunday, 9th March 2025
Looking forward - for people travelling around
I feel like I am coming out of a tunnel - or off a hiatus or sabbatical that has lasted for years. I see light at the end of my journey on Melksham Town Council. I am easing off a little - there is no point in starting projects that I won't be around to complete, and there is no point in self-publicising to help my re-election prospects. There are some on the staff and councillor team whom I have enjoyed working with and I will miss that, though still in touch on transport issues and available to help.For residents in my ward of Melksham South, thank you for all your support for these years. I hope I have helped - brought you some insight and helped move some things forward. I'm not going away - I'm changing and will still be around. In 2021, you had a choice between 7 of us for 4 places and I hope some of you feel you made a good choice in me. Come this way, I'm sure you'll have a wide range of chocie of fresh candidates for the next 4 year; I'm slowing, changing, and can't commit myself for that long. Out of the tunnel to things I enjoy much, much more and without the 48 month, 3 meetings a month, physically in Melksham Town Hall, commitment being a councillor asks.
So Last week I was in Scotland - 19 trains and a bus over four days, staring and finishing with a walk to Melksham Station for the train from here. On Friday, an invigorating TravelWatch SouthWest meeting where I have rejoined the board and am now looking after the online element. Today (Saturday) meeting up in Trowbridge with the chair of the West Wilts Rail User Group to prepare for a meeting with our MP and GWR in a couple of weeks at Portcullis House. Monday I'm putting the case for local support for the Melksham Transport User Group, with a committee meeting the following week and AGM next Month. And The Coffee Shop Passenger forum runs on still after 18 years.
I am coming back; the "Town Council Experience" is something I would not have missed - a truly learning and broadening time, but - wow - I am looking forward. It's - still - for Melksham, for our region, and for our population and our getting around.
Image - Regent's Canal, taken on Thursday as I walked along from Kings Cross to Paddington. Seeing the light ahead.
Published Saturday, 8th March 2025