Weeping for Wellingborough [2]

For Better, For Worse?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Cambridge guided busway starts 
 TODAY 
 (at last!) fbb will blog SOON 
  A PDF of the opening brochure is here
  It's a very big file!
Stagecoach times are here
Whippet times are here
Nice to see it's operated by Routemasters!

 

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

But, back to the blog.

fbb has been reminiscing about youthful visits to Wellingborough. Alas he has not visited that locality since his student days, but has passed through, at speed; initially on High Speed Trains ...

 

... and most recently on Stagecoach operated Meridian units.

The station itself is well kept ...

 

... indeed, in a much better state of repair than in fbb's youthful 1960s visits. Over the last 15 years or so, there has been a valiant attempt to provide some sort of interchange bus service. Back in 2006, the fortunate passenger travelling south from Leicester could connect with a service 38 not just up to the town but on to a number of villages.

Later attempts reverted (as in 1979) to just serving Station and Hospital. Here a 2010 version numbered W7 and operated by First Bus.

But it's all change these days, as explained by the ever helpful Northamptonshire County, seen here on 1st August 2011. This is the bus stop outside the station:- 

Below the notice is a long diatribe about cutbacks, shortage of money and the general sadness of things. So, either walk the 3/4 mile to the town centre or take a taxi?

WRONG!

Just round the corner on Elsden Road (about 2 minutes walk away, the station is just off to the left by the van) is a bus stop ...

... whither Uncle Brian's excellent Stagecoach service 45 will whisk you into town every 30 minutes; it will even connect with services westwards towards Northampton.

Uncle's leaflet even has a nice little map which shows you how close to the station it runs ...

In fact this service offers a better frequency than all the previous routes that tried to serve the station. 

Presumably the Council minion whose job it was to photocopy and post notices was not required to show any knowledge of local bus services in his (or her) CV. Equally the managers' consummate skill ("we'd better put up a notice; people might still wait there") does not extend to thinking what might be helpful to the public. 

So, at huge personal expense, fbb has prepared this notice for the stop outside the station building.

Now, County Council poster printer and putter-up person, all you have to do is to stick it up your ...

... self with a copy of the timetable and you will actually be telling the customer something useful. Go on, have a try! It's not difficult.

STOP PRESS from our Northampton correspondent. Regular readers will remember that, from September, Northamptonshire Council is replacing all those nasty, expensive subsidised buses with a new and innovative network of ...

a typical Northamptonshire Councillor at work? 

... nasty, expensive subsidised buses. Under this "cunning plan", so cunning and "innovative" that it would be a credit to Baldrick, the W4 service returns to the Station from September after a pointless gap of four months, during which time the few potential passengers will have found alternative arrangements. Well done all concerned.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Next week is DAGENHAM DOCK week 

 from the pen keyboard of fbb 

   -----------------------------------------------------------------------   

Next blog : due Monday August 8th