OXFORDSHIRE County Council wants residents to take photographs of potholes (only if it’s safe to do so of course!) and report them, as part of its highways ‘spring clean’.
The council says that it has boosted its pothole repair programme as part of a highway ?spring clean? after a wet and icy winter that has taken its toll on the County?s 3,000 mile road network.
A new online reporting service has also been launched.
HADDENHAM and Thame Parkway station is to be among the first to offer free Wi Fi as part of a roll-out across 24 stations over Chiltern Rail’s network.
The first station, Warwick Parkway, has already been connected and the WiFi service is live from today with Warwick and Haddenham & Thame Parkway following next week.
WiFi at all connected stations will be free to all customers for up to an hour each day.
The stations that will receive the WiFi are: London Marylebone, South Ruislip, Northolt Park, West Ruislip, Wembley Stadium, Denham, High Wycombe, Gerrards Cross, Seer Green, Beaconsfield, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Stoke Mandeville, Wendover, Great Missenden, Haddenham & Thame Parkway, Bicester North, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Warwick and Warwick Parkway, Dorridge, Solihull and Birmingham Moor Street.
IMAGE: Courtesy of crunklygill via flickr
ON Friday, February 22 (TOMORROW) there will be an emergency closure of North Street in Thame due to urgent road repairs. This will apply only to the section between the High Street and Wellington Street. Buses will be affected.
Buses on services 40, 110, 200, 280, 120/123/124 will be diverted as per the usual diversions in place for Thame Fair, i.e. via Bell Street, and for service 40 via Wellington Street.
This means the main bus stops at Thame Town Hall and opposite outside Thame Co-op will not be served. The nearest stops for all, except the 40, will be further along the High Street at The Thatch and outside the museum. The 40 will stop in Wellington Street near the junction with North Street at the nearest suitable place to the junction.
A local rail users group that has complained to Chiltern Railways about overcrowding during peak times, this week allied with Thame Town Council when the council invited the rail operator to present their case and answer questions.
David Palmer, Secretary of the North Chiltern Rail Users? Group, speaking on behalf of Haddenham & Thame Parkway and Princes Risborough station users, spoke of the anger of commuters since recent timetable changes, particularly the loss of the popular, fast 17.19 service as well as overcrowding on the 17.49 now as a consequence. He said the changes had resulted in ?a negative impact on commuters? life-work balance.?
Mr Palmer acknowledged improvements of the last few years, saying that the service is unrecognisable from that in 1987, when there was one train to London every two hours and only two before 9am. Chiltern Railways, he said had transformed the service but the latest changes were of no benefit to H&TP or Risborough users. The ?off peak? journeys were now slower, he said, and ?what was a good service straight through to Birmingham is no more,? necessitating a change.
?ARE WE HEADING FOR A SECOND RATE SERVICE??
?What is the end game?? asked Mr Palmer. ?Are we heading for a second rate service, taking over 45 minutes to get to London, or do we believe that passengers deserve better??
Cllr Helena Fickling asked Mr Palmer what the evening service was like. He replied that there had been some changes. Trains are more evenly spread out but at either end, the train is too early and too late to be of much use to commuters, who get home later.
In reply to a question from Cllr Andy Gunn, Mr Palmer said that around 200 people from Thame use the service and that the number of commuters renewing Season Tickets had gone up 19%.
WHAT DID CHILTERN RAILWAYS HAVE TO SAY?
At the meeting on Tuesday (22/01), Chiltern Railways was represented by Richard Harper, responsible for Network Development, and the company?s Station Facility Manager. Mr Harper acknowledged the concerns expressed by local rail users and recognised the effects the timetable changes had caused to users of HT&P who catch the 7.49am. He said that Chiltern Railways had a contractual agreement to provide for a specific capacity and had to provide for 68 stations and 14,000 commuters each day.
HT&P station, he said, is ninth in their league table for revenue, taking
THERE’S good news for young people who have complained for years that a night out in Oxford has to end early because of a lack of buses back to Thame late at night.
The new Arriva timetable, to take affect from February 24, 2013, includes a new ‘Night Owl’ service with buses from Oxford station at 23.15, 00.15, 01.15 and 02.15 hrs.
THE ticket machines at Haddenham and Thame Parkway railway station remain out-of-order after thieves broke into them and stole cash, sometime in the early hours of Monday morning (26/11)
Until these machines are repaired or replaced, tickets can be obtained from the manned ticket desk inside the station, from the machine at Princes Risborough station or booked online. Extra staff with mobile machines will be on hand to help during morning peak times.
The police are currently examining CCTV camera footage and Chiltern Rail is increasing night security around its stations until Christmas, as a precautionary measure.
CURRENTLY very slow traffic on Tiddington to Thame road, due to excessive mud on the road left by farm traffic.
Delays of 40 mins being reported.
Due to 2012 Games football at Wembley Stadium, Chiltern Rail will be altering the lengths of some services between 1650 and 1930 on 31 July and 9 August in order to manage demand effectively between London Marylebone and Wembley Stadium.
These changes will affect the following services
1653 London Marylebone to Aylesbury via Amersham will be formed of two carriages instead of three
1727 London Marylebone to Aylesbury via Amersham will be formed of three carriages instead of four
1740 London Marylebone to Bicester North will be formed of five carriages instead of six
1759 London Marylebone to Aylesbury via Amersham will be formed of four carriages instead of five
1816 London Marylebone to Aylesbury via High Wycombe will be formed of four carriages instead of six
1833 London Marylebone to Aylesbury via Amersham will be formed of four carriages instead of five
1927 London Marylebone to Aylesbury via Amersham will be formed of four carriages instead of five
Other changes include:
1713 Marylebone to Aylesbury via High Wycombe will terminate at Princes Risborough for connecting services to Aylesbury.
1829 Marylebone to West Ruislip will terminate at Wembley Stadium station. Passengers travelling to Northolt Park or the Sudburys are advised to check our website for alternative Chiltern Railways services.
Chiltern Rail has apologised for the inconvenience this will cause.
FREE Saturday afternoon parking will continue to entice visitors to Thame and the rest of South Oxfordshire over the summer, aimed at boosting high-street trade.
The scheme, operated across all South Oxfordshire District Council off-street car parks, allows visitors to park for free in council off-street car parks on Saturday afternoons from either 2pm or 3pm, depending on the location.
In Thame, the Cattle Market and Southern Road Car Parks will be free from 2pm, in addition to the existing free period.
Having been in place since April, free Saturday afternoon parking has already proved very popular and has been welcomed both by traders and by visitors to South Oxfordshire?s towns.
MOTORISTS in Thame and across South Oxfordshire are set for a boost over the extended Diamond Jubilee weekend with free parking on offer in all district council car parks.
Those looking to join in the celebrations to mark Her Majesty the Queen?s 60 years on the throne will be able to park for free in Thame, Wallingford, Didcot, Goring and Henley, between Saturday, June 2 and Tuesday, June 5, inclusive.
Free parking over the Jubilee period comes less than two months after South Oxfordshire District Council launched two exciting and popular new parking initiatives designed to boost trade and tourism in the town centres. In April season tickets were slashed to half price, while short-term parking on Saturday afternoons was made free.
Cllr Judith Nimmo-Smith, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Property and Technical Services at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: ?The Jubilee promises to be a fantastic occasion across South Oxfordshire with dozens of communities holding street parties and other celebrations.
“While our parking charges and ongoing promotions already offer great value we wanted to ensure people could afford to join in the celebrations without worrying about having to pay additional costs. We look forward to seeing people taking advantage of this offer, whether it is to go to events in the towns or taking the time to explore the local shops and eateries.?
During the free parking period, no car park ticket will need to be displayed.