Category: travel

THAME Town Council is to commission a parking survey in the town, in stage one of a two-part report into the town’s traffic and parking problems.
A town council report to councillors said: “Following the Lockwood Report (which looked into the health of Market towns) and 21st Century Thame’s Parking for All survey, parking and traffic management have become a high priority for the town council, particularly now that Decriminalised Parking is being introduced.
“The town council agreed that its firtst action should be to look at residents’ parking. However, before being in a position to do this, the town council needs tohave all the necessary information so that an informed approach can be taken for the whole of Thame and not just the centre.”
At a meeting of the council’s Planning committee last Tuesday, Cllr Nigel Champkin-Woods said:”Some very good work was done by 21st Century Thame, but a professional survey would add legitimacy to its findings.
“I would like to point out though, that Jacobs, the company that would undertake this survey, will not be able to offer any solutions to the problems.”
The Town Clerk said that South Oxfordshire District Council had indicated that it would finance 50% of the initial survey, which it has been estimated would cost in the region of

EVER stood at a bus stop wondering when the next bus will be coming along? Well now you can get Real Time Information about when your bus will be arriving, using your mobile phone. Here?s what you have to do:
1. Find the number of the stop you want. They are written on the stops themselves. Just type in your service number to get a stop list for that route and codes appear alongside the bus stop names. You can then save them on your phone.

2. Text the code to TIMES (84637) and within a few seconds you receive a message containing real time bus arrival information.

Outward texts are charged at Standard Network Rate, and the return text will cost you a maximum of 12p.

The service is not yet available for bus routes to and from Thame, but it should be available next year. Here’s what a spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council’s Transport Development team told ThameNews.Net today:
“I?m sure that many residents of Thame will benefit from all these services, particularly if they drive to the Park & Ride car parks whose connecting bus services are all covered by OxonTime.
“I understand that the Arriva cross country buses, including the 280, are all to be fitted with real-time data systems in about twelve month?s time. As this is the Buckinghamshire County Council?s remit, not ours, I?m unable to be more specific about it. When it happens, however, we are planning that the OxonTime computers will be able to communicate cross-county with the Bucks system to extract the relevant data which we?ll be able to display on our street displays, on the OxonTime internet service and on our existing SMS service.”

Currently OxonTime real-time bus information covers:

CHILTERN Railways is operating a normal weekday service through Banbury, Bicester North and Haddenham & Thame Parkway, and Virgin CrossCountry is running a special shuttle service between Oxford, Banbury, Leamington Spa and Birmingham only.

For full travel information, visit:
LINK

CHILTERN Railways is among train interests being put up for sale as the PFI specialist, John Laing, undergoes major restructure.
John Laing is to sell its train operating interests as part of a restructure of the business.

John Laing?s train operating interests include Chiltern Railways, which lost

DUE to severe weather conditions, rail passengers are being advised to avoid travelling unless their journey is essential as services are currently subject to disruption, including trains through Haddenham and Thame Parkway station.
See the Chiltern Railways website for detailed and up-to-date information. Link

THIS weekend – Saturday 21 and Sunday 22nd July – Chiltern Railways are running a normal service on the Birmingham Snow Hill/Moor Street and Stratford-upon-Avon to London Marylebone via High Wycombe line.

A reduced service of one train per hour will operate all this weekend between Aylesbury and Great Missenden calling at Stoke Mandeville, Wendover and Great Missenden. This is due to important engineering works. Buses will run between Great Missenden, Amersham and Beaconsfield for connecting Chiltern Railways trains to/from London Marylebone. Additional trains will run via an alternative route between Aylesbury and Marylebone (AM) and Marylebone and Aylesbury (PM).

For local stations on the Metropolitan Line, buses will operate between Amersham and Harrow-on-the-Hill. London Underground Metropolitan Line services will connect with these buses at Harrow-on-the-Hill and run to/from London Baker Street.

Passengers travelling to London Marylebone from Aylesbury are advised to travel via High Wycombe. Additional trains will operate between Aylesbury and London Marylebone via High Wycombe.

For more information on the above weekend alterations to train services, and for full timetable details for this weekend and for future weekends, visit www.chilternrailways.co.uk/timetablechanges.

CHILTERN Railways is urging parents to give rail safety information to Children before the start of the summer holidays.
With school holidays now upon us, Chiltern Railways is urging parents to warn their children of the fatal consequences of playing on or near railway lines.
Trespass and vandalism on the railways is one of the biggest potential threats to safety and can have catastrophic consequences.
Two weeks ago, a 16 year-old boy was killed after falling on to live rails at Hamworthy station, in Dorset, seconds after he had been play fighting with friends, and just yesterday, A 16-year-old was taken to hospital with a fractured skill and burns, after falling from a bridge while daubing graffiti on the railways in Kent.

It is a criminal offence to trespass on the railway, an offence that can attract a fine of up to

THE A329 between Milton Common and Thame, is closed both ways because of a police incident.
Police Forensic officers are reported to be carrying out a detailed search in a farm entrance on the road.
Further details when available.

DUE to Wembley events taking place this weekend, Chiltern Rail will be strengthening and additionally stopping at Wembley Stadium Station.
On Saturday, July 7, the Live Earth Music Concert will be starting at 13.00 and finishing at 22.30. Passengers are advised to be aware that travelling during 11 and 12.30 and 22.00 and 23.00 will be busier than normal.
On Sunday, the Metallica Concert will be starting at about 14.30 and finishing at 22.00. The advice to passengers is to be aware that travelling during 13.00 and 15.00 and 21.00 and 23.00 will be busier than normal.

THIS weekend, Saturday, July 7, Chiltern Railways will be running a normal service on Saturday on the Birmingham Snow Hill/Moor Street and Stratford-upon-Avon to London Marylebone via High Wycombe line but, all this weekend, buses will replace trains between Aylesbury – Amersham-Beaconsfield for connecting trains to/from Marylebone. This is due to important engineering works and we are therefore advising passengers that they may face a longer journey time.

They will also be operating additional and amended trains between Aylesbury and Marylebone via High Wycombe.

For more information on the above weekend alterations to train services, and for full timetable details for this weekend and for future weekends, visit www.chilternrailways.co.uk/timetablechanges

OXFORDSHIRE County Council is teaming up with Thames Valley Police to catch people who don?t wear a seatbelt – but instead of a fine, some ?offenders? will be shown graphic images of incidents where people died as a result of not wearing a seatbelt.
Drivers and passengers who are caught in a series of roadside checks in Witney today, July 3, can choose between a