I have been touring Europe these last months - relieved of the responsibility of being a Town Councillor with the need to be in the Council Chamber perhaps 2 Mondays a month, and one Tuesday in three to phyically vote, and on other occassions for confidential working groups. It has been a huge relief personally not to have schedule things around often tense meetings, and especially frustrating when meetings have been cancelled, added or moved at late notice.

Water under the bridge - I am no longer a Town Councillor. And yet - once an advocate for my home town, always an advocate for my home town. And I saw so many things that I ask myself "would this work in Melksham" and "what lessons are there for home". Other posts will follow with public transport specific elements across a wider area - but here are some more general things that have me wondering "why not at home". Of course, I have stepped away from being on The Council and whilst in some ways it lessens my position, it also frees me up to think the unthinkable and make the silliest suggestions, and some of them may tread on toes or be here already. If just one of these 20 inspires or helps something be taken forward, I'll be delighted and be happy to be laughed at for some of the others.


Dry, secure storage for bicycles at the points / places where local cycling journeys connect with longer distance ones by public transport. In Melksham you can take your cycle on the train - but NOT on the bus (why not?)


Public open green spaces are much bigger in some of the places I visited and in several places including here in Mosjeon in Norway they are kept mowed by robot machines such as this one. Could such things be an efficient way of keeping our grass in check in Melksham parks and open spaces?


Clear but subtle marking and segregation of cycle lanes - helping people know where to walk, where to cycle - and reducing (as far as I could see) frictions and collisions between the various groupings on the street.


Recently planted trees fitted with water bags (and, yes, I saw the council filling them). There will always be some loss of newly planted trees that don't 'take' - that's nature, but could that loss be efficiently reduced in Melksham and in the UK by the use of further aids to survival such as these during early months or years?


We have some blue plaques on historic sites around the Town Centre - could we have more interprettation boards and could we have electonic links from them such as QR codes to help people learn a bit about the area they are in ... and while we are at it link to dynamic content about what's going on around there in events, planning applications, etc - and to reporting and direction information too?


Waiting for public transport with the children? Provide them with an educational environment at the bus stop or railway station - these could and should be so much friendlier places.


It's estimated that the new station at Okehampton with a single platform is to cost £15 million - and such pricing rules out the case for many smaller stations. This is in Sweden - one of many seen there but not unique to that country. Like buses, some of the trains has a button to request the train to stop, and if you're standing on the platform as the train comes through, it will stop for you. This example is small in the extreme - perhaps just a couple of dozen passengers on and off each day - so not for Melksham Central. But how about Lacock, Beanacre, Holt and Staverton?


A museum, even in the most out of the way places, showing the history of the area and also the flora, fauna, and what makes the place tick to this day too.


Zebra crossings make sense. Why is it in Melksham that they are required to have yellow flashing beacons on them, putting up the insatllation and running costs. Would not more crossings at a lower cost each help people move around?


Eating out in front of restaurants and bars in an area of the town and city centres where traffic is banned or reduced. I am not suggesting a statue of Elvis on a balcony above, but you never know


High chairs for adults and teenagers in the park - watch what's going on and provide variety too.


Flood gates which can be closed when waters rise and there's a risk of water damage to properties.


Sheltered seating in the park or on the beach to extend the season in which people can come out and enjoy the park.


Water feature running in the park at all times


Free to ride electric buses running around (this example, not unique, Colmar) from where people arrive in the town to the various attracitons and businesses within the town. Frequent and fast because there's no messing about with fare collection and ticket checking, and the vehicles are small with good doors so no long queuing at stops.


Music in the street


Duckfood dispenser - selling food that's good for the wildlife from a machine near the river. "Feed the birds - 2 euros a bag" according to Mary Poppins


And linked to the museum, why not offer an opportunity to guests and visitors to try out some of the old and long lost skills - in this case driving a railroad spike.


A map showing where the various routes go, and connections, at main bus stops


Heritage public transport also providing the regular daily services on a daily basis to the mutual benefit of traffic on both


If you click on any images and open them in a separate frame or window, you'll see them in more detail. And please feel free to ask me questions on any of them.