Watford Update

MP Richard Harrington was far from happy with the new-look Watford Junction bus station.

Taxi drivers were was far from happy with the new-look Watford Junction bus station.  No 3 son was far from happy with the new-look Watford bus station.

It was fine for buses ...

... but not so good for people.

Signs directing passengers to the correct stand were difficult to find (hidden amongst a bevvy of bicycles), too small to see and difficult to understand.

Well now, the chaps at Hertforshire County Council have responded quickly to this problem by removing the sign completely! Logic suggests that the old poster could be displayed elsewhere, say in the blank bit of the epip (the unreal time display), for example.

And the clever lads have, indeed, used that useful panel; useful in that it is easier to spot as you leave the station building. But, showing true perspicacity and a massive understanding of public transport, the lads have thrown away the marginally useful diagram and replaced it with a marginally useless one.

Yes, it's the much loved loathed Notwork Rail "Onward Travel" poster! And a flock of Gloucester Old Spots passing over the station will remind us how accurate these are, and how well they are kept up-to-date. The new poster reduces the information still further with an amorphous blob of stand numbers, rather than a representative diagram.

Lots of lovely but irrelevant railway tracks, though. And, as we would expect, the route information is out of date!

Notwork Rail

Hertfordshire

Nice work all concerned.

For why, pray, this dramatic development in information for the largely ignored travelling public. An "emergency services" layby has been constructed.

With profuse apologies from No 3 son for rubbish picture. It was snapped as he defied death by clicking from the crossing to stands 4, 5 and 6; with a nasty Arriva bus bearing down on his frail body!

Son also advises that there is always a police car therein when he commutes and suggests, "perhaps they like the coffee."

On final piece of update. In his recent "Watford" series, fbb appended a picture of a 142 bus parked on Woodford Road, opposite one of the bus station exits.

He was promptly taken to task by a comment writer.

No doubt this is correct as No 3 son was dispatched to snap 258s on their outside stand.

But he did also notice two bus stop poles complete with flags ...

... often with little knots of people waiting in the forlorn hope of boarding one of the three buses parked there. Surely, in the interest of the travelling public, these poles should be removed. They do carry the mystic label (in very small print) "bus stand only". Of course, that is where we stand to wait for the bus.

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   Advent   

  Calendar  

    12    
  the gang  

Jesus went to Galilee and preached the Good News from God. “The right time has come,” he said, “and the Kingdom of God is near! Turn away from your sins and believe the Good News!”

As Jesus walked along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw two fishermen, Simon and his brother Andrew, catching fish with a net. Jesus said to them, “Come with me, and I will teach you to catch people.” At once they left their nets and went with him.

He went a little farther on and saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in their boat getting their nets ready. As soon as Jesus saw them, he called them; they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and went with Jesus.

whoops, wrong Zebedee!

If we whizz forward 30 years from events that provoke the impending festivities we have a record of the start of Jesus' "ministry". He collected a gang of 12 followers including fishermen, a tax collector and a potential terrorist; a most unlikely bunch. Their job was to be Jesus' "roadies" as he preached the Good News.

We have the one-to-one experience of Peter who was advisor to gospel-writer Mark and some deeper theology from John; these as strong evidence of what was going on.

And there is again; that three letter word. A simple word for all that is wrong with humanity. Christmas was ultimately about dealing with "sin" [as in the last verse, below!].

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 Next bus blog : Saturday 13th December