What does it all Mean?

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less."
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master; that's all."

For reference, when reading what comes next, here is a picture of the old Milton Keynes Coachway ...

... with a couple of Stagecoach X5s (Cambridge to Oxford) manoeuvering. Most National Express services call here whence a shuttle route, plus a number of local services, whisk passengers into the big city. It lies just off the M1 at junction 14, just across the road from the sewage works.

Service 300 runs every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime and every 30 evenings and Sundays.

The buses are posh Arriva and branded Platinum.

And this is the new Milton Keynes Coachway.

And this is a motion (amended slightly but passed) from a recent Northampton Borough Council meeting:-

Councillor Stone proposed and Councillor Marriott seconded:
“This Council notes that Victoria Street has been designated the location for the arrival and departure for the National Express and other long distance buses. This Council therefore resolves to utilise part of the car park in Victoria Street to develop amenities such as a transit area, information board, disabled friendly access and facilities and toilets for the bus users. This Council furthers resolve to investigate the possibility to adapt an empty unit on the Drapery to provide a passenger centre and transit area.”

We cannot be entirely sure whether the proposals for the Drapery are for National Express buses (sic) or town services not using the bus station; but we are impressed, are we not, with the determination of the Council to turn a badly placed inadequate coach stop into a badly placed barely adequate coach stop? Sorry, it will be turned into a badly placed "transit area". Oh goody!

Oh, yes, we are! Hugely impressed.

BUT THE WORK HAS ALREADY BEGUN.

A reminder, yet again, of the current National Express stop in Victoria Street, a quarter of a mile from facilities at the bus station.

After five months of the luxury waiting experience, the Council has installed, at vast expense, some direction signs. And here is one of them.

Please trust fbb; this is NOT a joke; this is not a paste up of bits from Milton Keynes and Northampton; this is a genuine and utterly daft sign in Northampton. It directs innocent and sadly misled National Express passengers to their shelter.

"When I use the word coachway" he said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less."

Thus speaks Councillor Mackintosh; or was it Humpty Dumpty?

     Humpty Dumpty        :      Councillor Mackintosh

Beyond belief.

Information (and the Humpty link!) supplied by our Northampton correspondent. Many thanks.

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Good Impressions from

Best Impressions

Today (Monday 4th August) fbb is off to a Cornwall timetable meeting with Best Impressions at their offices close to Shepherds Bush. The Company web site offers a PDF page packed with instructions.

fbb travels SouthWest Trains from Axminster to Clapham Junction ... 

... then Overground to Shepherds Bush where there are bus stops outside the station.

The instructions are clear and thorough ...

... for a short ride on route 237.

fbb doesn't think it goes to Chertsey Station any more! From Askew Road it is just a short walk to the creative bear pit that is Best Impressions HQ.

The not very imposing offices are here, on Starfield Road.

But the best bit is their instruction for getting there by car.

car
Since we work in public transport,

we don’t encourage you to try and
drive here – if you must,

you’ll have to find your own way!
Pay & Display parking

is available on Starfield Road.

That's the way to do it!

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 Next bus blog : Tuesday 5th August