Tuesday, March 29, 2005
On the sick; still.
Two weeks ago on the 15 March I pulled the deltoid muscle in my right arm. I had to go off duty it was that painful. So I went to the doctor and he gave me a sick note for 2 weeks.
Well it's still not right and I had to go to the doctor to day and he has given me an other 2 weeks off. I have been climbing up the walls for the last two weeks bored out of my head; what are the next two weeks going to be like? To make matters worse it is raining cats and dogs here in beautiful Torquay.
News in the Budget.
On Wednesday we had the Budget, The Chancellor Gorden Brown stated that from next year every one over 65 would get free bus travel. Pensioners already get free travel in Wales and London - and Scotland is soon to introduce the move too. Most other areas of the UK offer only half-price fares.
Now Mr Brown wants it rolled out to all over-65s nationwide - it will also be available to all disabled people.
The move, which will cost the Department for Transport £420m a year, only applies to off-peak journeys.
The Transport 2000 group welcomed the move but said pensioners may find their could not travel free outside their local areas.
A government spokesman said many councils were doing deals with their neighbours to allow this to happen. ( From the BBC web site)
Now us in the bus trade will find this a boost. At present it costs a pensioner living in say Roselands in Paignton or in Sandygate in Newton over £2.00 to come and play Bingo in Torquay. Now they will be able to travel free so they will make the trip more often.
The Bus Company will be paid a set fee for each pensioner travelling. A pensioner travelling 5 or 6 times a week will generate more income than the same pensioner travelling once and paying half price.
There will be more pensioners on the buses but now they won't take as long to get on the bus because they won't have to pay.
We have a lot of old people living here in the bay who will be gratefull to Mr Brown but the chance of them voting in a Labour MP here in Torbay are slim.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Quiet Days
quiet is how you would describe February and March in Torquay. Christmas has gone and Easter is only ten days away. This quietness is reflected on the number of people travelling on the buses but the season is not far off. Quiet days are nice but eventually they get boring and I look forward the rush that spring and summer bring. By the end of September I will be fed up of the holidaymakers and looking forward to quiet days again.
Yesterday (Tuesday) was quiet and I expected today to be just as uneventful. Problem is I woke with a bit of a pain in my arm and when I got to work I was beginning to realise that I had a pulled muscle in my right arm. I mentioned it to the controller asked him if there was a spare driver. Fortunatly there was because After an hour of trying to drive one handed I gave up and signed off.
Past experience with pulled muscles suggests that the next 3 weeks will be quiet days. Still There is still some decorating to finish and the garden needs lots doing to it. Shame I won't be able to do any painting or digging for the next few weeks.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Second Crash of 2005
A second crash in less than a week, what am I doing wrong?Well this one was Not my fault, honest. I was stationary at a bus stop and had been for about a minute. Due to the fact that an other bus was stopped in front of me the back of my bus was close to a traffic island. There was room for cars to get through with care and several did. but this boy racer apparently did not use care and went through the gap so fast that by the time I had heard the bang and looked round he had gone.
Just a slight scrape to the bus but the wing mirror cover of the car was lying in the road. Proves that some people just have to get past the bus.The problem with incidents like this is the waste of time involved. I have to fill in a form for the company and because details were not exchanged I had to report the matter to the Police.
After the hit and run I continued into Brixham. A passenger boarded the bus and was paying his fare when an other person came on the platform. The second person looked like he had been thrown out of a New Age Traveller's Camp for being too scruffy. But he started threatening my passenger and I was forced to call for Police assistence.Before they arrived ( and they did arrive very quickly ) an alleged assult had taken place on the bus and one person ended up on the ground with 3 Policemen holding him down while they Handcuffed him. Me, I had lifted the security Screen and was quite safe in the cab.When my passenger left the bus in Preston he remarked that it had been an interesting evening. Later that evening I had to make a wittness statement. At the moment the whole thing is Sub Judica but if I hear any more I will let you Know ..
Incidents like this are very rare thank goodness but they do give us something to talk about in the canteen.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Baby buggies
Since we got the new low floor double deckers the sight of a baby buggy waiting at a bus stop has lost it's horrors. In the old day's, more than a year ago, the buses had two steps and no way could the buggie be wheeled on the bus. To get on the bus, mother had to remove the baby from the buggy together with a weeks groceries, fold the buggy up and struggling with baby and groceries and buggy climb on the bus, put baby, buggy and groceries down some where and pay fare and sit down. To get of the bus mother had either to abandon baby, buggy and groceries or go through the whole process in reverse. All this took time. Now I press a buuton and the platform goes down a few inches and buggy is wheeled on and parked in an area designed for the buggy, baby and groceries with little effort. Getting of is even easier; no fare to pay.
So why did the sight of a baby buggy fill me with horror yesterday?
Well, I wasn't working and I was in a pub with my partner having a quiet drink. There are lots of pubs in Torquay, some have signs saying "Family Room" or "Children Welcome" or "Large Screen Sky Sports". We tend to give these places a miss. We were in the Cider Press, a nice warm pub with lots of seats, no TV, beck's Larger and a sign at the door saying " No one under 14 allowed in this Bar".
Then, half way through second pint in walked a couple, mother pushing a buggy with baby and groceries. A 5 year old child was also in attendance. They sat down and ordered drinks. We went to the Bar and asked for our money back. The manager was called and said they were family and what could he do. I pointed out that Children under 14 were not allowed in the bar area of a pub and I suggested that he could politly ask then to go some where with a sign at the door saying "Baby Buggies welcome".
He did give us our money back but it would have been nicer if he had taken my advice. If I want to listen to babies crying I will nip up to the Maternity Ward in Torbay hospital except that since MRS. A Started working there they wont let you in.
Monday, March 07, 2005
First Crash of '05
The tittle suggests that I expect more crashes this year, I don't but you never know. My last crash was in Feb 2004 and that wasn't my fault. What makes this one different was that this crash was my fault. Actually to call it a crash is a bit over the top, it was more a bump.
It happened in Paignton Bus station. There we drive the bus into a bay and load up and reverse out. Normally no problem, just move back a few feet and swing the wheel round as fast as possible. Buses have great turning circles for their size. The problem this time was an other bus had been parked very close to me and I was going at 2 mph, concentrating on not hitting the back of the bus next to me bus and I forgot to watch the back of my own bus. It hit the garage that was situated in a most inconvenient place; right behind the bay I was reversing from. The damage to the garage was nil, to the bus slight, to my pride, enormous.By the way The garage is used to being hit. I'm not the first and so long as it is there I won't be the last (hint, hint Stagecoach).
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Road Works
This is just a list of the current roadworks on the 12 Route.
On Monday the Road work started between Laywell Lane and Monks Bridge in Brixham. The plan is to widen part of the road, knock part of Adrian's wall down and construct a nine foot wide carriageway for cycles and pedestrians in the valley below the road. It was expected to take 12 weeks which would take us through Easter and into early summer. Now it seems that it will take an extra 3 weeks. On wednesday 3 way traffic lights were set up and long delays ensued. There are small side roads into Brixham and most of the locals have started using them so delays to day were slight. Trouble is they are too small for the buses and holiday makers don't know them. As the summer starts the trip times into and out of Brixham could get very long. We will have to wait and see.
Other road works on the 12 route include making Abbey Road two way and narrowing Union Street. These two roads are in the centre of Torquay and are part of a plan to improve traffic flow through the centre of town. Union Street is being narrowed so that only buses and taxis can use it. A fine idea if it works; i.e. if it is policed. Past experience suggests that this is unlikely.
A burst water main in Sherborne Rd in Newton Abbot Bus Station which is right next to the 12 bus stop is causing problems and will continue till some time next week.
Road works at the entrance to Paignton Bus station are minor and not causing problems though the Road sign warning of the road works was. It was placed in the road and we had to drive over the white line to pass it and it was just on a sharp bend. Some nice person has moved it. The Dept of Transport have guide lines for such signs, they must be so far from the work and they are placed there even if, as in many cases the signs are more dangerous than the roadworks they are warning about.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Hop a long the pigeon
David Attenborough has his gorillas, Steve Irwin has his Crocodiles and Paignton has it's pigeon.
This is Hop a Long. She got some thing wrapped around her feet and was in a bad way. The canteen staff at Paignton Bus station managed to free her but she was still very upset. The other pigeons were picking on her and she wasn't getting any food.
So now each day she gets food and water put down for her and though she still looks a little bedraggled she seems to be getting by.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Horlick's adverts.
When a bus turns up late and you ask the driver why he is late you expect an answer such as, "Roadworks, Heavy traffic, Bus broke down, Had the running board upside down, Stopped for a coffee, etc." Well I have a new reason. I watched an advert on the TV last night.Recently there have been a some adverts on TV by the Horlick company. The opening shot is of a Traffic Warden standing over a car parked on a meter. The meter clicks and the Penalty Flag jumps up. The Traffic Warden intantanously slaps a ticket on the car and walks away with a slight, but pleased smile on her face.A voice over then asks the question, "How does she sleep at night?"We then find out as the scene changes to the warden at home with a mug of Horlicks.Last night there was a new ad, this time a bus driver sees a woman with shopping bags running up to catch the bus. He waits until she is level with the back of the bus, closes the doors and slowly drives away. Same question, same mug of Horlicks.Well today I was at a stop in Newton Abbot and as I was about to pull away I noticed a woman with 6 Tesco shopping bags running up to catch the bus. Not wanting to be pelted with mugs of Horlicks (sorry Horlicks, I can't stand the stuff), I opened the doors and waited. When she got on she thanked me for waiting. Now it is a well known fact that people who run up and catch a bus at the last second never have their money ready in their hand. Neither do some people who have been waiting 20 minutes for a bus, but that is an other story. This lady put her shopping bags down and tried the side pockets of her coat, then the inside pockets , then opened her coat to reveal a jacket (been very cold the last few days). She then tried the side pockets, no luck, the inside pockets, still no luck. I was begining to regret looking in my left mirror and I imagine so were the 20 passengers already on the bus. At this point I did think about switching of the engine under the Three Minute Rule.A large shoulder bag was now the place of investigation. The room where I keep the computer has less junk in it than this shoulder bag half of which was removed in an attempt to find some money. Still no luck. Then the inside of each of the plastic Tesco bags was looked at before the pockets of coat and jacket were tried once again. By this time I had decided that in future, when pulling away I would never again look in the left mirror and during my lunch break I would need to go and buy a jar of Horlick.Then a look of hope appeared on the lady's face, her trousers pockets. She hadn't tried there. A flicker of hope appeared on my face too. I might get to Paignton in time to buy the Horlicks and eat my lunch. No chance. No money in said pockets either.Finally she gave up the idea of travelling on my bus and decided that she must have left her purse back in Tesco's and got of the bus to return to Tesco's in the hope that she could find it.By this time several more people were waiting to get on the bus and it had started to rain. Only 2 people can wait on the platform out of the rain so lots of people were probably going to buy a jar of Horlicks. The last person to get on the bus was the lady with the shopping. She had found her purse in the pocket half way down her trouser leg. She also said, untruthfully, "But I never put anything in there." By the time I got going I was over 5 minutes down, this was from being on time. Oh, and she only went 3 stops.Now once you are running late you start picking up passengers who should be getting on the next bus so you do more work and run even later. Eventually the next bus overtook me which meant the driver was doing some of my work. By the time I got to Brixham and loaded I was still several minues late and I ended up stopping at Churston Grammer School and loading 60 school children. Had I been on time I would have missed them. So I was even later still.Well I didn't get the jar of Horlicks and I will continue to wait for people running up the side of the bus, but please if you are running for a bus try and have the correct money ready.
Wednesday, 30 March 2005
Monday, 28 February 2005
All of Feb 2005
Friday, February 25, 2005
Parking in Torbay
For years it has been imposible to park your car on a yellow line in Torquay. Not because it was illegal but because some one else had got there first. I have been in Torquay almost 7 years and in that time I have watched people park their cars any where they wanted to, blocking roads and pavements with out a care in the world. Traffic Wardens would walk by with an attitude that suggested that illegally parked cars where noting to do with them. A former Chief Inspector of Police in the Bay confessed to me that his wardens carried out their duties with common sense. They did too; they did as little work as they could get away with. A couple of Torbay Council officers admitted that they were powerless to force the police authority to make Traffic Wardens carry out their duties in a way that made sense. That is to stop people parking their cars just about any where and to make sure that traffic flowed smothly through the streets of the bay. Well now that is about to change. Torbay Council have for some time been promising that they would take over the policeing of on street parking and the illegal parkers would be driven of the streets and out of the way of those of us who wanted to drive through the town.Torbay Council seemed to be suggesting that they would run the Parking Attendants but know it turns out that they have appointed NCP to run the scheme. I just hope that they have more control of NCP than they did of the police. The problem with a private company running things is that they will want their staff to issue as many tickets as possible. The more tickets issued the bigger their cut. It is a fine line between enforcing parking regulations and making loads of money.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Back from holiday to find that they are pulling Adrian's Wall down
Well I have just had 2 weeks holiday and on my way into Brixham to day I saw the kind of notice that fills every driver's mind with visions of hell. So I though I would spread hell about a bit and I took this picture. Click Here For PhotoThree months of road works takes us through Easter and into the start of the Summer season. Nice timing Torbay Council. This is the only road into Brixham from Paignton so long delays can be expected.Worse still, it turns out that they are knocking down Adrian's Wall. No, don't worry not Hadrian's Wall, Adrian's Wall.Adrian was a 12 driver and one evening he was driving out of Brixham. A little way past Monk's Bridge this wall sticks out into the road making it just wide enough for two large vehicle to pass provided they are very very careful. Adrian was very careful but the Petrol Tanker driver wasn't. Adrian had a choice, he could hit the tanker which was two feet over the centre of the road or hit the wall. Hitting the tanker would have produced a fireball that would have been visible in Exeter 30 miles away and probably have melted the tanker and the bus and the road way. As I have said this is the only road into Brixham so Adrian not wanting to cut Brixham of from the rest of the world choose the wall.The ensuing slight scrape did £15 000 worth of damage to the bus and didn't even mark the wall. The wall has been know as Adrian's Wall ever since.And now it's coming down to widen the road and provide a foot path.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Fox Hunting
I was watching the news on TV this evening and there was an item on Fox Hunting. It occurred to me that, thought I at one time lived in a small country village and that Torquay, where I live now, is not that far removed from the country side, I have never seen a Fox Hunt in action. Well I guess it's too late now.
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
First Dandelion of the Spring
It's the 15 of February and here is the first dandelion of the year.If I remenber I will do the same next year and every year after; as long as this blog shall live.Makes a change from daffodils.
Monday, February 14, 2005
Stopping a bus
Stopping a bus from the outside.
IF YOU WANT ME TO STOP:- PUT YOU HAND OUT.
No, not you dear reader, the person at the bus stop.
I don't want to stop, I want to keep going so I can get to the terminus and have a smoke. Stopping means I face the probability of being asked hard to answer questions like 'How much is it to Brixham?' or 'What time is the last bus?'or 'Where were the last 3 buses?' The passengers on the bus don't want me to stop, they just want to get where they are going as quickly as possible without some vastly overweight person who smells getting on the bus and sitting next to them in the only empty seat on the bus. The car drivers behind don't want me to stop as they will have to check their mirrors, slow down, signal to the drivers behind and the pull out in the face of car drivers coming the other way who also don't want me to stop. The car drivers half a mile back down the road don't want me to stop as it means the will have to risk life, limb and the nearside of their car trying to get past me as I put on a right turn signal and pull straight out in front of them with total disregard for the fact that they have speeded up to 50 mph in a misguided attempt to get in front of me. Who can blame them, even I don't like travelling behind a bus?
So you are the only person on the face of the planet who wants me to stop. Put some effort into getting me to stop. Lie in the road, take all your clothes off and hold a big sign with 'Please Stop' written on it, or just put your hand out.
PS These methods of getting the bus to stop are not guaranteed. There are some bloody minded bus drivers out there who will find any excuse to stare in the rear view mirror from the moment they see you at the stop until they are well past you. Sorry about that.
Nice Words About Stagecoach
Arthur of Newton Abbot
Writes on the BBC Devon Soapbox Page
I used to use the trains to commute between Newton Abbot and Exeter Central every day and to put it mildly the service was atrocious, it was very rare the trains would run on time and to charge £23 a week when I had to make sure I got a train due to arrive into exeter at least 45 minutes before my shift started was ridiculous. I now use the buses which is only £16 a week and so far have had no problems, the buses always run on time or a maximum of 5 minutes late and the staff are extremely helpful, considering they have traffic to content with as well I think Stagecoach runs a very good service compared to all of the train companies that run between Newton Abbot and Exeter and I will definitely be using the buses from now on!!!
Well thank for the kind words Arthur of Newton Abbot. Some one likes us. I like the bit about helpful staff the best.
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Other Jobs.
Doing an other job
Now and then I think, not too seriously, about getting an other job. The last time I actually filled in an application form was two years ago. I didn't get the job and I rang the firm up and asked the boss why he hadn't hired me. After promising that I wasn't a reporter and the phone wasn't bugged he admitted that the idea of employing some one aged 58 didn't seem a good idea. I asked him how long the last person had held the position I was after. 4 years. I pointed out that had he employed me I would almost certainly have worked for him until I retired which was 7 years away. I haven't bother much about changing jobs since.
This week I am on holiday and it seemed like a good idea to do some decorating. In the past we have usually moved house sooner than do any decorating but we like where we are and carn't be bothered moving. Well after spending most of the day rubbing down some paint work and then painting about 1/5 of what needs painting, I retired hurt to the pub vowing never again to pick up a paint brush. Fat chance , there are 3 walls and the door and the skirting boards and window frame and a couple of built in cupboards and I know when I go to bed I will dream I am painting Stagecoach's entire fleet of buses by hand. Next time I have a holiday and there is decorating to do I will do a couple of weeks supply teaching and pay some one to decorate for me.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Prince Charles
Well done Charles, you have my full support. Set a good example to the youth of to day and make an honest woman out of ......??? what's her name?
Torquay is nice at this time of year, or any time of year and has plenty of good hotels if you fancy your honeymoon down here. It has lots to offer and a good bus service.
Best Wishes to you both; and to your mum of course.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
On Holiday
Well it's Wednesday now and I have been on holiday since Sunday. I'm not going any where this time and so made lots of plans re decorating a couple of rooms. You know the sort of thing, strip the paper from the walls, rub paint work down, fill in holes with Polyfiller, get more paper, hang it, decide I don't like it, paint over it, decide I don't like that and so on. Well the paper has been stripped..............................
So much for plans.
One thing that did happen though. The loft has been insulated. Took about an hour. Torbay Council were on Radio Devon a few weeks ago about Loft Insulation, very cheap loft INSULATION. the COUNCIL GIVE A GRANT THESE DAYS SO PEOPLE WITH OUT INSULATION CAN GET IT DONE VERY CHEAPLY OR EVEN FOR FREE. so GO ON YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL'S WEB PAGE AND CHECK IF YOU CAN GET IT DONE.
South West Water came last night at about 6:30 and repaired a burst water main in the street 5 metres up the road from the front door. It is about the 5th or 6th time they have repaid this main in this spot. Now a new leak has appeared 5 metres down the road. In the past I have sent South West Water an email re any leaks. They went along the lines of, "hi, there is a water leak out side my house at such and such and address". Now there is a choice of forms you have to fill in.
Is the leak on your property? Click here.
Is the leak on some one else's property? Click Here
If it is on some one else's property do they know? Click Here
If the leak is on someone else's property and they don't know, what is their Name?
This is just the first few lines. Each "click here" takes you to an other webPage and the whole thing takes 10/15 mins to fill in. I am sure the person who created this mess feels very good about it but Has not used it to report a leak Him self. Maybe it's a plot by S.W.W. to stop people reporting water leaks and then they would not have to fix them.
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Route Learning
Unlike most bus companies, we are at present over stocked with bus drivers. The problem is that our Exeter Depot was short of drivers because there were more employment prospects in Exeter than here in Torbay. This is no longer true but the company had continued recruiting drivers like they were hen's teeth. And now we have too many. Not a situation that will last for ever but what do you do with drivers that have no buses to drive? You send them out Route Learning.
Route Learning is not the best way to spend a day. People usually travel on a bus because they do not have any other form of transport and rarely spend much more than 40 mins on the bus and that is enough for most people. It is much harder being a passenger on a bus than driving a bus. But route learning you are passenger on the bus and are usually there all day. Then it may be months before you are needed to drive on the new route by which time you have forgotten most of it. So if you get on a 66 one day and I am driving you could end up any where.
One time I was asked to drive a route I had not even learnt. All I had was a set of hand written directions on the X40 from Exeter (not a place I know very well) to Newton Abbot. After I had loaded the bus up I explained that I had never driven the route and if I suddenly asked which way the bus was supposed to go I was being serious. I wasn't part of the in flight entertainment. We got to Newton with only one small diversion through a pub car park. Another time going down to Kingswear (if you are ever in Torbay spend an afternoon at Kingswear) I was told by the controller to ask the passengers if I wasn't sure of the way. Well I had only two passengers, one was an elderly gent and the other was a beautiful dog, a German Shepherd. The elderly gent's Guide Dog. And neither of them, none of us really had ever been to Kingswear.
Worth it when we got there.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Brian
There is a rumour going round at work that Brian is coming down from Head Office in Scotland for a visit. Brian is the Top Man, The Boss, The Major Shareholder and worth millions. 135 last time I heard.
Now my plan is to go up to him when he arrives and suggest that if he gives me a million it will change my life style completely but make not the slightest difference to his. I realise that this is not a strong Begging Speech.
so I thought of pointing out to him that I was one of his top drivers, I am always nice to the passengers, never crash his buses and always turn up for work on time and I am full of enthusiasm and love the job. Then I realised that applied to 98% of the drivers at work so that idea has been discarded.
I have now run out of ideas so if you have any please let me know as soon as pos. 10% cut for the best ideas.
Provided I get the million of course.
Parking in Torbay
For years it has been imposible to park your car on a yellow line in Torquay. Not because it was illegal but because some one else had got there first. I have been in Torquay almost 7 years and in that time I have watched people park their cars any where they wanted to, blocking roads and pavements with out a care in the world. Traffic Wardens would walk by with an attitude that suggested that illegally parked cars where noting to do with them. A former Chief Inspector of Police in the Bay confessed to me that his wardens carried out their duties with common sense. They did too; they did as little work as they could get away with. A couple of Torbay Council officers admitted that they were powerless to force the police authority to make Traffic Wardens carry out their duties in a way that made sense. That is to stop people parking their cars just about any where and to make sure that traffic flowed smothly through the streets of the bay. Well now that is about to change. Torbay Council have for some time been promising that they would take over the policeing of on street parking and the illegal parkers would be driven of the streets and out of the way of those of us who wanted to drive through the town.Torbay Council seemed to be suggesting that they would run the Parking Attendants but know it turns out that they have appointed NCP to run the scheme. I just hope that they have more control of NCP than they did of the police. The problem with a private company running things is that they will want their staff to issue as many tickets as possible. The more tickets issued the bigger their cut. It is a fine line between enforcing parking regulations and making loads of money.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Back from holiday to find that they are pulling Adrian's Wall down
Well I have just had 2 weeks holiday and on my way into Brixham to day I saw the kind of notice that fills every driver's mind with visions of hell. So I though I would spread hell about a bit and I took this picture. Click Here For PhotoThree months of road works takes us through Easter and into the start of the Summer season. Nice timing Torbay Council. This is the only road into Brixham from Paignton so long delays can be expected.Worse still, it turns out that they are knocking down Adrian's Wall. No, don't worry not Hadrian's Wall, Adrian's Wall.Adrian was a 12 driver and one evening he was driving out of Brixham. A little way past Monk's Bridge this wall sticks out into the road making it just wide enough for two large vehicle to pass provided they are very very careful. Adrian was very careful but the Petrol Tanker driver wasn't. Adrian had a choice, he could hit the tanker which was two feet over the centre of the road or hit the wall. Hitting the tanker would have produced a fireball that would have been visible in Exeter 30 miles away and probably have melted the tanker and the bus and the road way. As I have said this is the only road into Brixham so Adrian not wanting to cut Brixham of from the rest of the world choose the wall.The ensuing slight scrape did £15 000 worth of damage to the bus and didn't even mark the wall. The wall has been know as Adrian's Wall ever since.And now it's coming down to widen the road and provide a foot path.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Fox Hunting
I was watching the news on TV this evening and there was an item on Fox Hunting. It occurred to me that, thought I at one time lived in a small country village and that Torquay, where I live now, is not that far removed from the country side, I have never seen a Fox Hunt in action. Well I guess it's too late now.
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
First Dandelion of the Spring
It's the 15 of February and here is the first dandelion of the year.If I remenber I will do the same next year and every year after; as long as this blog shall live.Makes a change from daffodils.
Monday, February 14, 2005
Stopping a bus
Stopping a bus from the outside.
IF YOU WANT ME TO STOP:- PUT YOU HAND OUT.
No, not you dear reader, the person at the bus stop.
I don't want to stop, I want to keep going so I can get to the terminus and have a smoke. Stopping means I face the probability of being asked hard to answer questions like 'How much is it to Brixham?' or 'What time is the last bus?'or 'Where were the last 3 buses?' The passengers on the bus don't want me to stop, they just want to get where they are going as quickly as possible without some vastly overweight person who smells getting on the bus and sitting next to them in the only empty seat on the bus. The car drivers behind don't want me to stop as they will have to check their mirrors, slow down, signal to the drivers behind and the pull out in the face of car drivers coming the other way who also don't want me to stop. The car drivers half a mile back down the road don't want me to stop as it means the will have to risk life, limb and the nearside of their car trying to get past me as I put on a right turn signal and pull straight out in front of them with total disregard for the fact that they have speeded up to 50 mph in a misguided attempt to get in front of me. Who can blame them, even I don't like travelling behind a bus?
So you are the only person on the face of the planet who wants me to stop. Put some effort into getting me to stop. Lie in the road, take all your clothes off and hold a big sign with 'Please Stop' written on it, or just put your hand out.
PS These methods of getting the bus to stop are not guaranteed. There are some bloody minded bus drivers out there who will find any excuse to stare in the rear view mirror from the moment they see you at the stop until they are well past you. Sorry about that.
Nice Words About Stagecoach
Arthur of Newton Abbot
Writes on the BBC Devon Soapbox Page
I used to use the trains to commute between Newton Abbot and Exeter Central every day and to put it mildly the service was atrocious, it was very rare the trains would run on time and to charge £23 a week when I had to make sure I got a train due to arrive into exeter at least 45 minutes before my shift started was ridiculous. I now use the buses which is only £16 a week and so far have had no problems, the buses always run on time or a maximum of 5 minutes late and the staff are extremely helpful, considering they have traffic to content with as well I think Stagecoach runs a very good service compared to all of the train companies that run between Newton Abbot and Exeter and I will definitely be using the buses from now on!!!
Well thank for the kind words Arthur of Newton Abbot. Some one likes us. I like the bit about helpful staff the best.
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Other Jobs.
Doing an other job
Now and then I think, not too seriously, about getting an other job. The last time I actually filled in an application form was two years ago. I didn't get the job and I rang the firm up and asked the boss why he hadn't hired me. After promising that I wasn't a reporter and the phone wasn't bugged he admitted that the idea of employing some one aged 58 didn't seem a good idea. I asked him how long the last person had held the position I was after. 4 years. I pointed out that had he employed me I would almost certainly have worked for him until I retired which was 7 years away. I haven't bother much about changing jobs since.
This week I am on holiday and it seemed like a good idea to do some decorating. In the past we have usually moved house sooner than do any decorating but we like where we are and carn't be bothered moving. Well after spending most of the day rubbing down some paint work and then painting about 1/5 of what needs painting, I retired hurt to the pub vowing never again to pick up a paint brush. Fat chance , there are 3 walls and the door and the skirting boards and window frame and a couple of built in cupboards and I know when I go to bed I will dream I am painting Stagecoach's entire fleet of buses by hand. Next time I have a holiday and there is decorating to do I will do a couple of weeks supply teaching and pay some one to decorate for me.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Prince Charles
Well done Charles, you have my full support. Set a good example to the youth of to day and make an honest woman out of ......??? what's her name?
Torquay is nice at this time of year, or any time of year and has plenty of good hotels if you fancy your honeymoon down here. It has lots to offer and a good bus service.
Best Wishes to you both; and to your mum of course.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
On Holiday
Well it's Wednesday now and I have been on holiday since Sunday. I'm not going any where this time and so made lots of plans re decorating a couple of rooms. You know the sort of thing, strip the paper from the walls, rub paint work down, fill in holes with Polyfiller, get more paper, hang it, decide I don't like it, paint over it, decide I don't like that and so on. Well the paper has been stripped..............................
So much for plans.
One thing that did happen though. The loft has been insulated. Took about an hour. Torbay Council were on Radio Devon a few weeks ago about Loft Insulation, very cheap loft INSULATION. the COUNCIL GIVE A GRANT THESE DAYS SO PEOPLE WITH OUT INSULATION CAN GET IT DONE VERY CHEAPLY OR EVEN FOR FREE. so GO ON YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL'S WEB PAGE AND CHECK IF YOU CAN GET IT DONE.
South West Water came last night at about 6:30 and repaired a burst water main in the street 5 metres up the road from the front door. It is about the 5th or 6th time they have repaid this main in this spot. Now a new leak has appeared 5 metres down the road. In the past I have sent South West Water an email re any leaks. They went along the lines of, "hi, there is a water leak out side my house at such and such and address". Now there is a choice of forms you have to fill in.
Is the leak on your property? Click here.
Is the leak on some one else's property? Click Here
If it is on some one else's property do they know? Click Here
If the leak is on someone else's property and they don't know, what is their Name?
This is just the first few lines. Each "click here" takes you to an other webPage and the whole thing takes 10/15 mins to fill in. I am sure the person who created this mess feels very good about it but Has not used it to report a leak Him self. Maybe it's a plot by S.W.W. to stop people reporting water leaks and then they would not have to fix them.
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Route Learning
Unlike most bus companies, we are at present over stocked with bus drivers. The problem is that our Exeter Depot was short of drivers because there were more employment prospects in Exeter than here in Torbay. This is no longer true but the company had continued recruiting drivers like they were hen's teeth. And now we have too many. Not a situation that will last for ever but what do you do with drivers that have no buses to drive? You send them out Route Learning.
Route Learning is not the best way to spend a day. People usually travel on a bus because they do not have any other form of transport and rarely spend much more than 40 mins on the bus and that is enough for most people. It is much harder being a passenger on a bus than driving a bus. But route learning you are passenger on the bus and are usually there all day. Then it may be months before you are needed to drive on the new route by which time you have forgotten most of it. So if you get on a 66 one day and I am driving you could end up any where.
One time I was asked to drive a route I had not even learnt. All I had was a set of hand written directions on the X40 from Exeter (not a place I know very well) to Newton Abbot. After I had loaded the bus up I explained that I had never driven the route and if I suddenly asked which way the bus was supposed to go I was being serious. I wasn't part of the in flight entertainment. We got to Newton with only one small diversion through a pub car park. Another time going down to Kingswear (if you are ever in Torbay spend an afternoon at Kingswear) I was told by the controller to ask the passengers if I wasn't sure of the way. Well I had only two passengers, one was an elderly gent and the other was a beautiful dog, a German Shepherd. The elderly gent's Guide Dog. And neither of them, none of us really had ever been to Kingswear.
Worth it when we got there.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Brian
There is a rumour going round at work that Brian is coming down from Head Office in Scotland for a visit. Brian is the Top Man, The Boss, The Major Shareholder and worth millions. 135 last time I heard.
Now my plan is to go up to him when he arrives and suggest that if he gives me a million it will change my life style completely but make not the slightest difference to his. I realise that this is not a strong Begging Speech.
so I thought of pointing out to him that I was one of his top drivers, I am always nice to the passengers, never crash his buses and always turn up for work on time and I am full of enthusiasm and love the job. Then I realised that applied to 98% of the drivers at work so that idea has been discarded.
I have now run out of ideas so if you have any please let me know as soon as pos. 10% cut for the best ideas.
Provided I get the million of course.
Monday, 31 January 2005
All of Jan 2005
Monday, January 31, 2005
Local Hero
In the week or two after the Tsunami people began turning up at their workplaces with cardboard boxes with slots cut in the top and the words"Please Give Generously" written on them in Felt tip pen. Local Heroes all. Thousands up and down the country and hundreds of thousands round the world. Each helping to boost the amount of money reaching those who need it and giving all of us the chance to give something and feel good about it.
This is Pauline, a bus driver in Paignton who for the last few weeks has been Stagecoach Torbay's own Local Hero. With the help of a few other drivers she has collected lots of money which the Company will match £1 for £1 to double the amount. The Money will go to help children inSri Lanka. Well done Pauline and all who helped.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Engines are still running
Recently a letter appeared in the Local Paper, the Herald Express.It was from some one who lived near a bus terminus and he was fed up with bus engines being left running for several minutes while buses were waiting time.This is a problem and my advice is not to phone the company but write and include in your letter a note to the effect that if the matter is not resolved shortly a letter would be sent to the Traffic Commission asking them to look into the matter.I try not to leave an engine running while I am waiting time mainly because I once lived near a Bus Terminus and know first hand the disruption to normal living caused by a bus engine is similar to having a DIY enthusiast or a budding Rock Group living next door.There are notice in the Office saying that engines must be switched off at Termini, so come on drivers, switch your engines off. With a bit of luck they won't start again and you can miss a couple of trips while the fitters get to you.
Parking in Torquay
From The Law West of Ealing Broadway
(A Magistrate's Blog)
Unexpected Nasties
For a while now courts have had the power to disqualify from driving for any offence, rather than just endorsable traffic offences as previously. The higher courts are ruling from time to time on how far this can go, but disqualification is eminently suitable if driving is essential to the offence, such as fly-tipping rubbish, kerb-crawling to pick up prostitutes, or illegal taxi-touting. We dealt with a couple of fly tippers the other day after they were caught on video dumping ten tons of rubbish in a quiet street. Apart from hefty fines and costs we disqualified them for three months apiece, which took them and their lawyer completely by surprise.
Ed's note:-
As driving is essential to parking a car one way to stop people parking illegally would be to Ban them from driving for a week for parking on a yellow line,a month for parking on a Bus Stop and 6 months for parking on the pavement.. There wouldn't be many cars left on the road in Torquay if this happened.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Mike Keeting
Mike Keeting has been a controller at Torquay for many years. He was there when I started in 1998 and gave the impression that he had been there since the days of horse drawn omnibuses.
to day he left.
The Company recently decided that it had too many controllers and Michael gallantly flung himself forward and said if you make me a good redundancy offer I will volunteer to be one of the controllers to go.
I know he had a habit of upsetting drivers now and then, me included, but he will be missed.
He has plans to move to Spain in the near future.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
In the Pub
Imagine being Me or Tony Blair or David beckham or George Bush and having a day off. After you have done those bits and pieces around the house and felt confidant that you had not left the washing up in the sink and you had changed the cat lit tray and taken the overdue library books back, what would you do? Well I know, lets nip down to the pub for a quiet drink.
Imagine George, whilst checking the place out for terrorists. "Hi George, Liked your speech, when ya gona invade Iran?"
Imagine David, franticly checking the place out for photographors. "Hi Dave, Like your wife, when ya gona learn to take Penalties?"
Imagine Tony, Without much hope, checking the place out for wmd's. "Hi Toni, like YOUR HOLIDAY VILLA, WHEN YOU GONA GET STABBED IN THE BACK?"
IMAGINE me, checking the place out for a decent pint. "You're a Stagecoach Bus Driver aren't you. When's the 18:21 from Newton going to make it the Harbour like it should?"
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Is this bus jinxed
In March last year we took delivery of 23 Transbus Trident Double DECKERS. When the first of those buses was being driven down to Torquay a motorist lost control of her car and side swiped the bus at 60 mph.
Four months ago a drunk driver in a Jag came round the Penn Inn Roundabout at 60 mph and lost control and smashed into the side of the bus stopped on the bus stop.
Yesterday a bus and a tipper came in to contact in a big way. (see below for full story. Click here for some photos)In each case it was Bus Number 18078.
Passengers survived a freak accident in Brixham when their double decker bus was sliced open by a tractor in two sections.Occupants were treated for shock after the tractor's metal bucket ripped into a top section of the bus before a lower deck was punctured by the vehicle's giant back wheel. Glass and metal shattered on impact as the bus's momentum dragged the tractor a short distance before it toppled over and wedged itself between a lamp post and brick wall of a garden.One witness said after yesterday afternoon's bizarre accident in New Road: "It's a miracle nobody was badly hurt."Faye Vandenberg, 19, and Verity Markey, 16, also saw the drama.Faye said: "We couldn't have been more than a metre away. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was all a bit of a blur. After the smash we went to see if everyone was OK."She added: "The woman bus driver was really upset. She looked really shocked by the whole thing. There was an elderly woman who was on the bus together with a girl who was sitting at the back. We went inside the house opposite and helped to make tea for them all. We did what we could."Verity added: "I'm just glad there weren't too many people on the bus. If it had happened a little later on then it would have been packed full of Bus Crash in Brixham GREAT ESCAPE From the Herald Express18 January schoolchildren."Tractor owner Dave Berlyn, from Marldon, was reducing tree sections into chippings when the accident happened just before 1pm.His nine-year old border collie, Nell, was the only occupant in the new tractor when the accident happened."She was in the front. She always comes with me to work. I was around the back at the time and I just turned around and it wasn't there any more. I got Nell out straight away," he said.He added: "Thankfully there was an opening at the back window. She was scrabbling around trying to get out and I just reached down and picked her up. The engine was going when it happened. But there's an auto cut-off and the tractor stopped. Nell was fine. She didn't seem bothered about it at all. It's lucky really. Another few feet and I would have been standing there."Two fire crews from the port were at the scene within minutes to separate the wrecked vehicles and mop up the spilt diesel.They also managed to right the tractor and remove its huge wheel which had been buried in glass at the back of the bus.Station Officer Steve Connor said: "When we got here all the passengers had got off. Everybody seemed to be OK. There were just a few scratches. I am very pleased with how the operation went.We used cutting equipment on the back of the bus as we were unable to free the wheel. We weren't sure when we released the bus whether or not it would tip over. We train for these kinds of things and use all different scenarios. It could have been worse. There are normally a lot of people who use the pavement. And the bus route is busy."Stagecoach boss Chris Hilditch said: "This was a very nasty accident."He said the Bayline Trident bus would be repairable."Somehow the bus came into contact with the tractor which ripped into the lower aluminum section of the top deck. The bus's forward momentum then pulled the tractor around and pushed it against a lamp post, causing it to topple over between the post and the bus," said Mr Hilditch."I know the driver who is an excellent employee. It must have been very upsetting for her and the others involved. Fortunately no one was badly hurt."A police spokesman said the accident happened at 12.47pm.He confirmed that no one was injured, although two passengers on the bus were treated for shock.It took nearly three hours to clear wreckage from the scene.Congestion built up as police diverted traffic as several attempts to move the bus was made.The police spokesman said details were still being gathered about the cause of the accident, which may have involved a third car.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Titan
If you are a bus driver then Titan is a type of double decker bus. If you are a Greek scholar then he is some kind of Deity but for the next few days Titan is a Moon of Saturn, probably the most famous moon around at the moment.
The European Space Agency sent a probe to Titan which landed with pin point accuracy after a journey of 7 years. It has sent back over 350 pictures of the moon, plus loads of other interesting data. Titan is 750 million miles or 1 and a quarter light hours from Torquay. Well done all concerned.
Shame the company can not get the 18:21 from Newton Abbot to Torquay every Monday to Saturday. Newton Abbot is 6 miles or 0.000032 light seconds from Torquay.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Mars Rover
No, it's not an all day bus ticket. It's a machine that roves around Mars. I was looking at that Iceberg that's set to hit a Glacier in the Antarctic on Saturday, pictures from NASA. I had a quick surf and came across this item about the Mars Rover:-
Between Day 292 and 298, Spirit completed its studies of the rock called "Uchben" and drove west about 2 meters (almost 7 feet) to a rock called "Lutefisk."
God, that's fast. Almost 7 feet in 6 days.
Eye Test
To day I went to the options for an eye test. I have recently noticed that things in the distance were looking a little blurred and having to slow down to 5mph at every bus stop just to see if any one was there has been getting a little inconvenient. Well I ended up with my first pair of glasses. The optician said I would only need them for distance work and as I walked round town this afternoon I could notice a slight improvement. I could read number plates at 45 yards instead of 30 yards.
Then at Half eleven at night I went out and looked up.
So many stars, Bright, sharp pin pricks of light had replaced fuzzy things that had been there before.
Worth every penny.
Saturday, January 08, 2005
High winds
Friday 7th January 2005
The wind speed picked up as the day went on. We have wind speeds of up to 50mph forecast for overnight and early in the morning.
We had a junction on the boundary of Paignton and Brixham that is known as windy corner and it is well named. I went through at 6pm and it was very hard to keep the bus in a straight line and the wind has got stronger as the evening worn on. there are 15 more buses due through windy corner to night, I hope they make it OK.
Out side in the back garden it sounds like an express train is going though.
Up in Manchester where my brothers live the speed is forecast the be 70mph with gusts up to 95 mph.
An other sign of Global Warming or just one of those evens that happens
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Gone Quiet till Easter
Christmas and New Year have gone, the children will all be back at school to morrow and only the most hardy holiday makers get down to Devon in January and February. So for the next couple of months it will be quiet on the buses.
Just about to get a pay rise though. At the moment we are on a 39 Hour contract. I do work on average 39 1/2 hrs a week, not counting overtime. From this month we are all going on a 41 hr contract so I will get an extra one and a half hours pay without having to work extra for it. Nice one Stagecoach; and the Union. Thanks very much. I hope no one notices.
Brixham Car Park has been closed and will be pulled down after having threatened to fall down several times in the last few years. How any one could have built such a mess right in the town centre of what the Brochure discribes as a quaint Fishing Village is beyond me. I think Money and large brown envelopes must have been involved. Lets hope the next effort is an improvement.
Local Hero
In the week or two after the Tsunami people began turning up at their workplaces with cardboard boxes with slots cut in the top and the words"Please Give Generously" written on them in Felt tip pen. Local Heroes all. Thousands up and down the country and hundreds of thousands round the world. Each helping to boost the amount of money reaching those who need it and giving all of us the chance to give something and feel good about it.
This is Pauline, a bus driver in Paignton who for the last few weeks has been Stagecoach Torbay's own Local Hero. With the help of a few other drivers she has collected lots of money which the Company will match £1 for £1 to double the amount. The Money will go to help children inSri Lanka. Well done Pauline and all who helped.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Engines are still running
Recently a letter appeared in the Local Paper, the Herald Express.It was from some one who lived near a bus terminus and he was fed up with bus engines being left running for several minutes while buses were waiting time.This is a problem and my advice is not to phone the company but write and include in your letter a note to the effect that if the matter is not resolved shortly a letter would be sent to the Traffic Commission asking them to look into the matter.I try not to leave an engine running while I am waiting time mainly because I once lived near a Bus Terminus and know first hand the disruption to normal living caused by a bus engine is similar to having a DIY enthusiast or a budding Rock Group living next door.There are notice in the Office saying that engines must be switched off at Termini, so come on drivers, switch your engines off. With a bit of luck they won't start again and you can miss a couple of trips while the fitters get to you.
Parking in Torquay
From The Law West of Ealing Broadway
(A Magistrate's Blog)
Unexpected Nasties
For a while now courts have had the power to disqualify from driving for any offence, rather than just endorsable traffic offences as previously. The higher courts are ruling from time to time on how far this can go, but disqualification is eminently suitable if driving is essential to the offence, such as fly-tipping rubbish, kerb-crawling to pick up prostitutes, or illegal taxi-touting. We dealt with a couple of fly tippers the other day after they were caught on video dumping ten tons of rubbish in a quiet street. Apart from hefty fines and costs we disqualified them for three months apiece, which took them and their lawyer completely by surprise.
Ed's note:-
As driving is essential to parking a car one way to stop people parking illegally would be to Ban them from driving for a week for parking on a yellow line,a month for parking on a Bus Stop and 6 months for parking on the pavement.. There wouldn't be many cars left on the road in Torquay if this happened.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Mike Keeting
Mike Keeting has been a controller at Torquay for many years. He was there when I started in 1998 and gave the impression that he had been there since the days of horse drawn omnibuses.
to day he left.
The Company recently decided that it had too many controllers and Michael gallantly flung himself forward and said if you make me a good redundancy offer I will volunteer to be one of the controllers to go.
I know he had a habit of upsetting drivers now and then, me included, but he will be missed.
He has plans to move to Spain in the near future.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
In the Pub
Imagine being Me or Tony Blair or David beckham or George Bush and having a day off. After you have done those bits and pieces around the house and felt confidant that you had not left the washing up in the sink and you had changed the cat lit tray and taken the overdue library books back, what would you do? Well I know, lets nip down to the pub for a quiet drink.
Imagine George, whilst checking the place out for terrorists. "Hi George, Liked your speech, when ya gona invade Iran?"
Imagine David, franticly checking the place out for photographors. "Hi Dave, Like your wife, when ya gona learn to take Penalties?"
Imagine Tony, Without much hope, checking the place out for wmd's. "Hi Toni, like YOUR HOLIDAY VILLA, WHEN YOU GONA GET STABBED IN THE BACK?"
IMAGINE me, checking the place out for a decent pint. "You're a Stagecoach Bus Driver aren't you. When's the 18:21 from Newton going to make it the Harbour like it should?"
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Is this bus jinxed
In March last year we took delivery of 23 Transbus Trident Double DECKERS. When the first of those buses was being driven down to Torquay a motorist lost control of her car and side swiped the bus at 60 mph.
Four months ago a drunk driver in a Jag came round the Penn Inn Roundabout at 60 mph and lost control and smashed into the side of the bus stopped on the bus stop.
Yesterday a bus and a tipper came in to contact in a big way. (see below for full story. Click here for some photos)In each case it was Bus Number 18078.
Passengers survived a freak accident in Brixham when their double decker bus was sliced open by a tractor in two sections.Occupants were treated for shock after the tractor's metal bucket ripped into a top section of the bus before a lower deck was punctured by the vehicle's giant back wheel. Glass and metal shattered on impact as the bus's momentum dragged the tractor a short distance before it toppled over and wedged itself between a lamp post and brick wall of a garden.One witness said after yesterday afternoon's bizarre accident in New Road: "It's a miracle nobody was badly hurt."Faye Vandenberg, 19, and Verity Markey, 16, also saw the drama.Faye said: "We couldn't have been more than a metre away. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was all a bit of a blur. After the smash we went to see if everyone was OK."She added: "The woman bus driver was really upset. She looked really shocked by the whole thing. There was an elderly woman who was on the bus together with a girl who was sitting at the back. We went inside the house opposite and helped to make tea for them all. We did what we could."Verity added: "I'm just glad there weren't too many people on the bus. If it had happened a little later on then it would have been packed full of Bus Crash in Brixham GREAT ESCAPE From the Herald Express18 January schoolchildren."Tractor owner Dave Berlyn, from Marldon, was reducing tree sections into chippings when the accident happened just before 1pm.His nine-year old border collie, Nell, was the only occupant in the new tractor when the accident happened."She was in the front. She always comes with me to work. I was around the back at the time and I just turned around and it wasn't there any more. I got Nell out straight away," he said.He added: "Thankfully there was an opening at the back window. She was scrabbling around trying to get out and I just reached down and picked her up. The engine was going when it happened. But there's an auto cut-off and the tractor stopped. Nell was fine. She didn't seem bothered about it at all. It's lucky really. Another few feet and I would have been standing there."Two fire crews from the port were at the scene within minutes to separate the wrecked vehicles and mop up the spilt diesel.They also managed to right the tractor and remove its huge wheel which had been buried in glass at the back of the bus.Station Officer Steve Connor said: "When we got here all the passengers had got off. Everybody seemed to be OK. There were just a few scratches. I am very pleased with how the operation went.We used cutting equipment on the back of the bus as we were unable to free the wheel. We weren't sure when we released the bus whether or not it would tip over. We train for these kinds of things and use all different scenarios. It could have been worse. There are normally a lot of people who use the pavement. And the bus route is busy."Stagecoach boss Chris Hilditch said: "This was a very nasty accident."He said the Bayline Trident bus would be repairable."Somehow the bus came into contact with the tractor which ripped into the lower aluminum section of the top deck. The bus's forward momentum then pulled the tractor around and pushed it against a lamp post, causing it to topple over between the post and the bus," said Mr Hilditch."I know the driver who is an excellent employee. It must have been very upsetting for her and the others involved. Fortunately no one was badly hurt."A police spokesman said the accident happened at 12.47pm.He confirmed that no one was injured, although two passengers on the bus were treated for shock.It took nearly three hours to clear wreckage from the scene.Congestion built up as police diverted traffic as several attempts to move the bus was made.The police spokesman said details were still being gathered about the cause of the accident, which may have involved a third car.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Titan
If you are a bus driver then Titan is a type of double decker bus. If you are a Greek scholar then he is some kind of Deity but for the next few days Titan is a Moon of Saturn, probably the most famous moon around at the moment.
The European Space Agency sent a probe to Titan which landed with pin point accuracy after a journey of 7 years. It has sent back over 350 pictures of the moon, plus loads of other interesting data. Titan is 750 million miles or 1 and a quarter light hours from Torquay. Well done all concerned.
Shame the company can not get the 18:21 from Newton Abbot to Torquay every Monday to Saturday. Newton Abbot is 6 miles or 0.000032 light seconds from Torquay.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Mars Rover
No, it's not an all day bus ticket. It's a machine that roves around Mars. I was looking at that Iceberg that's set to hit a Glacier in the Antarctic on Saturday, pictures from NASA. I had a quick surf and came across this item about the Mars Rover:-
Between Day 292 and 298, Spirit completed its studies of the rock called "Uchben" and drove west about 2 meters (almost 7 feet) to a rock called "Lutefisk."
God, that's fast. Almost 7 feet in 6 days.
Eye Test
To day I went to the options for an eye test. I have recently noticed that things in the distance were looking a little blurred and having to slow down to 5mph at every bus stop just to see if any one was there has been getting a little inconvenient. Well I ended up with my first pair of glasses. The optician said I would only need them for distance work and as I walked round town this afternoon I could notice a slight improvement. I could read number plates at 45 yards instead of 30 yards.
Then at Half eleven at night I went out and looked up.
So many stars, Bright, sharp pin pricks of light had replaced fuzzy things that had been there before.
Worth every penny.
Saturday, January 08, 2005
High winds
Friday 7th January 2005
The wind speed picked up as the day went on. We have wind speeds of up to 50mph forecast for overnight and early in the morning.
We had a junction on the boundary of Paignton and Brixham that is known as windy corner and it is well named. I went through at 6pm and it was very hard to keep the bus in a straight line and the wind has got stronger as the evening worn on. there are 15 more buses due through windy corner to night, I hope they make it OK.
Out side in the back garden it sounds like an express train is going though.
Up in Manchester where my brothers live the speed is forecast the be 70mph with gusts up to 95 mph.
An other sign of Global Warming or just one of those evens that happens
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Gone Quiet till Easter
Christmas and New Year have gone, the children will all be back at school to morrow and only the most hardy holiday makers get down to Devon in January and February. So for the next couple of months it will be quiet on the buses.
Just about to get a pay rise though. At the moment we are on a 39 Hour contract. I do work on average 39 1/2 hrs a week, not counting overtime. From this month we are all going on a 41 hr contract so I will get an extra one and a half hours pay without having to work extra for it. Nice one Stagecoach; and the Union. Thanks very much. I hope no one notices.
Brixham Car Park has been closed and will be pulled down after having threatened to fall down several times in the last few years. How any one could have built such a mess right in the town centre of what the Brochure discribes as a quaint Fishing Village is beyond me. I think Money and large brown envelopes must have been involved. Lets hope the next effort is an improvement.
Friday, 31 December 2004
All of Dec 2004
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Earthquake
Yesterday I heard a brief item on the radio about an earthquake in the Indian Ocean that had caused some damage and loss of life from the resultant Tidal Waves.
I didn't think a great deal about it at the time. Earthquakes are fairly common and the Indian Ocean is a long way away.
Now as the size of the disaster starts to become apparent. There can not be a person on the planet who does not know about this.
I feel I should write something but I really just don't know what.
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Stagecoach Half Price Offer.
Explorer Offer Between Friday 24th December 2004 and Tuesday 4th January 2005 Adult Explorer tickets will cost just £3.00 instead of the normal £6.00.
That's it!
You weren't expecting more were you?
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Tip of the Day (1)
If you are the driver of a bus with 20 people on board and you have sparks coming from the engine and you can not turn the engine off then don't sit about wondering what to do.
Instead, Turn to your passengers and ask the quietly and calmly would they, merely as a sort of better to be safe than sorry sort of thing, mind getting off the bus. When they are off the bus, then you can sit about wondering what to do.
You may feel a bit of a prick when the bus doesn't explode in a roar of flame but not as big a prick as you would feel trying to answer such questions as, "Didn't you used to be a bus driver?"
P.S. The bus didn't, in the end, burst in to flames, with or without a roar.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
If you are a Police Office in Torquay Please Read
Fleet Walk in Torquay is a Pedestrianised Street but buses and some other vehicles are allowed to drive down it. However lots of other people drive down and park there illegally. Please Devon and cornwall Police read the following and have a bright idea.
From The Herald Express
Monday 13 Dec o4.
POLICE BLITZ ON ROAD ROGUES
A blitz on motorists abusing a one-way road system in Kingsteignton netted 15 offenders in one three-hour police operation - and all those nabbed were local. Officers lay in wait for transgressors openly flouting the one-way and access-only restrictions in operation in Golvers Hill and Fore Street.The watchful eye of the law focused on the culprits last Tuesday after concerns were raised by parish councillors and local residents.
Director of Operations.
Well on Tuesday Mr Stevens, who is the Operations Director for the company, came down to Torquay to address drivers. He was coming to give a talk on where the company is going and to answer question put to him by the drivers at the meeting.
He is in effect the 2nd most important person in the company. So I rushed home from work, had my diner and rushed down to the Torquay Rugby Club with my pen and trusty notebook so I could report back to my readers on our company's expectations for the future.
Well I wish I could report that Mr Stevens was full of optimism, that the company is about to embark on a series of expansion programs that will secure all our futures, with big fat rises for the drivers and the shareholders.
But I can't.
I would like to have been at least able to report that things were running smoothly and though no big fat pay rises were foreseeable in the near future things did at lest seem secure and that none of us would be looking for work 3 days before Christmas.
But I can't.
Fortunately I can't report that we are about to go bust and Christmas is cancelled; though that may be the case for all I know.
In fact the only thing I can report is the fact that I was not allowed into the meeting. I am not in the Union and this was a Union meeting. So even though I had made the effort top get to the meeting I was refused admission by the senior union official present and could not listen while the Director of Operations explained which way the company was going. No Union business was held but only union members could attend. And 20 of them did. Out of 200.
Monday, December 13, 2004
Pre Christmas Farce.
Usually it is pantomime at Christmas but with us it is Farce; an expensive farce at that.
The Company decided to expand their bus routes into Plymouth and registered a new route with the Traffic Commission 6 weeks ago as per the rules. The Traffic Commission had no problem so Timetables were printed, newspaper and radio ads were placed, drivers were route learned, buses had stickers stuck on the sides to show the new routes, timetables were fixed to bus stops new flags were put up with the route number, 152, boldly displayed and this morning the drivers chosen to drive on the new route on the first day all proudly turned up for work and it is probable that passengers stood at bus stops waiting for them to turn up with their new destination blinds optimistically proclaiming Plymouth City Centre. Well the drivers sat around doing nothing all day and I hope the passengers didn't do the same because the bus didn't run. What's more it will never run.
An other bus company objected because part of our route followed part of one of their routes and it was decided by some one to withdraw the service before it had even turned a wheel.
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Jury's Corner and the Burst Water Main.
WELL AFTER A FEW WEEKS OF CALM ON THE ROADS WITH REGARD TO ROAD WORKS TO DAY WE HIT A VERY LARGE BRICK WALL. WE HAD BEEN PROMISED WEEKS OF MISERY WITH KINGS ASH IN PAIGNTON BEING DUG UP AND THE FIRST WEEK SLOWED US DOWN A BIT BUT NOW WE BARELY NOTICE IT. JW GLENDINNINGS COMPANY RESURFACED THE ROAD AT LAY WELL ON THE WAY DOWN TO BRIXHAM AND THEY WERE EXCELLENT. A MAN AT EACH END CONTROLLING THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS MADE SURE THE TRAFFIC FLOWED SMOOTHLY AND DELAYS WERE NEVER MORE THAN 5 MINS AND THE WORK WAS COMPLETED VERY QUICKLY.
THIS MORNING A WATER MAIN WENT BANG AND THE ROAD DIGGERS MOVED IN AND EVERY THING ELSE STOPPED. EXTRA TRAVELLING TIME TO AND FROM NEWTON OF 45 MINS WERE EXPERIENCED ALL DAY AND AT THE EVENING RUSH HOUR IT TOOK ME 2 HOURS TO DO A JOURNEY IT USUALLY TAKES 30 MINS. WHEN I GOT TO PAIGNTON AT 7:15 ON THE WAY TO BRIXHAM I SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT HOME EATING MY DINNER. THE BUS BEHIND ME WAS DUE OUT OF BRIXHAM AT 6:10 AND HE STILL HAD TO GET TO BRIXHAM, AN OTHER 20 MINS AWAY. WHAT THE REST OF THE NIGHT ENDED UP LIKE I DON'T KNOW.
AND THE ROAD WORKS ARE STILL THERE; waiting for us tomorrow!!!!
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Happy Campers
BLOKE IN HIS 50'S GOT ON THE BUS IN TORQUAY AND SAID, "PAIGNTON" NOW A SINGLE TO PAIGNTON IS £1.75 BUT A RETURN IS £2.75 SO IF HE WAS COMING BACK IT IS CHEAPER TO GET A RETURN SO I SAID, "SINGLE OR RETURN?" AS I ALWAYS DO.
HE SAID, "TO THIS DUMP. I'VE SEEM ENOUGH OF TORQUAY THANK YOU." ALWAYS ONE TO DEFEND MY HOME TOWN I TOLD HIM THAT TORQUAY WAS BEAUTIFUL. "YOU'VE BEEN READING TOO MANY BROCHURES MATE." AND STOMPED OF DOWN THE BUS.
YOU CAN'T WIN THEM ALL!
Thursday, December 02, 2004
A Tale of Two Passengers
PASSENGER ONE :-
WAS IN TORQUAY AND HAD BEEN TOLD TO GET A NUMBER 12 WHICH RAN EVERY 10 MINS AND TOOK 5 MINS TO GET TO TORQUAY RAIL STATION WHERE HE WAS TO CATCH A TRAIN TO NEWTON ABBOT TO CATCH A CONNECTION TO SHEFFIELD. HE HAD 40 MINS. HE WAS ALSO ON CRUTCHES. HE SAW A NUMBER 12 AND BY THE TIME HE HAD HOBBLED UP TO THE STOP IT HAD GONE. NO PROBLEM, WAIT 10 MINS, 5 MINS TO STATION STILL GOT 25 MINS. WHEN HE GOT ON THE BUS HE WAS TOLD ' SORRY MATE THIS BUS IS GOING TO NEWTON. YOU WANT THE BUS TO BRIXHAM. ROUND THE CORNER OVER THE ROAD AND 2ND BUS STOP DOWN.' WHILE WAITING FOR THE LIGHTS ON THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING TO CHANGE THE BRIXHAM BUS WENT BY. STILL NO PROBLEM, AN OTHER TEN MINS WAIT, 5 MINS TO STATION 10 MINS TO SPARE. NEXT BUS CAME PAID HIS FARE,£1.00 AND ASKED THE DRIVER TO GIVE HIM A SHOUT WHEN THEY GOT TO THE STATION. DRIVER PROMISED FAITHFULLY TO GIVE HIM A SHOUT. DRIVER FORGOT AND ONLY REMEMBERED WHEN THE BUS STOPPED AT LIVERMEAD CLIFF HOTEL 3/4 MILE PAST STATION AND MAN ON CRUTCHES SAID, 'ARE WE THERE YET.?' DRIVER USED RADIO TO SEE IF THERE WAS A NEARBY BUS GOING THE OTHER WAY. NO CHANCE; NEXT BUS WAS STILL IN PAIGNTON 15 MINS AWAY. THAT WOULD BE TOO LATE.
SO DRIVER TURNED HIS BUS AROUND AND TOOK THE PASSENGER BACK TO THE RAIL STATION. HE DID A LEFT HAND REVERSE INTO A SIDE ROAD. REMEMBER ON YOUR DRIVING TEST DOING A LEFT HAND REVERSE, QUIET ROAD, SMALL CAR, PLENTY OF TIME. THINK ABOUT DOING IT IN A 30 FOOT LONG, 8 FOOT WIDE BUS ON THE BUSIEST ROAD IN THE BAY AND TIME RUNNING OUT. THE PASSENGER CAUGHT HIS TRAIN AND THE BUS GOT BACK ON TIME EVENTUALLY.
PASSENGER TWO :-
GOT ON A 12 IN PAIGNTON BUS STATION WITH A RETURN TICKET FOR PRESTON SHELTER WHICH IS 8 MINS AWAY AT A LITTLE BEFORE MIDDAY. WHEN THE BUS GOT TO VICTORIA PARK IT TURNED LEFT AT THE MILK BOTTLE. IT SHOULD HAVE GONE STRAIGHT ON. PRESTON SHELTER IS A 15 MIN WALK FROM HERE. THE BUS CONTINUED UPTO THE RING ROAD AND FOLLOWED THE DIVERSION USED WHEN THE SEA FRONT IS CLOSED. THE NEXT STOP IS IN TORQUAY 30 MINS LATER. PRESTON IS HALF WAY TO TORQUAY. THE PASSENGER THEN HAD TO GET A 12 GOING BACK TO PAIGNTON WHICH WAS ABLE TO DROP HER IN EUGENE RD PRESTON WHERE SHE WANTED TO BE. THE WHOLE TRIP HAD TAKEN ALMOST AN HOUR AND A HALF INSTEAD OF 8 MINS BECAUSE THE DRIVER OF THE BUS SHE BOARDED IN THE FIRST PLACE HAD NOT TOLD HER THAT THE BUS WASN'T GOING TO PRESTON SHELTER AS THERE HAD BEEN A CRASH AT THE GAS WORKS AND THE ROAD HAD BEEN CLOSED BY THE POLICE.
PASSENGERS SOME TIMES REALLY HAVE REASONS TO REMEMBER THEIR BUS TRIPS.
Earthquake
Yesterday I heard a brief item on the radio about an earthquake in the Indian Ocean that had caused some damage and loss of life from the resultant Tidal Waves.
I didn't think a great deal about it at the time. Earthquakes are fairly common and the Indian Ocean is a long way away.
Now as the size of the disaster starts to become apparent. There can not be a person on the planet who does not know about this.
I feel I should write something but I really just don't know what.
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Stagecoach Half Price Offer.
Explorer Offer Between Friday 24th December 2004 and Tuesday 4th January 2005 Adult Explorer tickets will cost just £3.00 instead of the normal £6.00.
That's it!
You weren't expecting more were you?
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Tip of the Day (1)
If you are the driver of a bus with 20 people on board and you have sparks coming from the engine and you can not turn the engine off then don't sit about wondering what to do.
Instead, Turn to your passengers and ask the quietly and calmly would they, merely as a sort of better to be safe than sorry sort of thing, mind getting off the bus. When they are off the bus, then you can sit about wondering what to do.
You may feel a bit of a prick when the bus doesn't explode in a roar of flame but not as big a prick as you would feel trying to answer such questions as, "Didn't you used to be a bus driver?"
P.S. The bus didn't, in the end, burst in to flames, with or without a roar.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
If you are a Police Office in Torquay Please Read
Fleet Walk in Torquay is a Pedestrianised Street but buses and some other vehicles are allowed to drive down it. However lots of other people drive down and park there illegally. Please Devon and cornwall Police read the following and have a bright idea.
From The Herald Express
Monday 13 Dec o4.
POLICE BLITZ ON ROAD ROGUES
A blitz on motorists abusing a one-way road system in Kingsteignton netted 15 offenders in one three-hour police operation - and all those nabbed were local. Officers lay in wait for transgressors openly flouting the one-way and access-only restrictions in operation in Golvers Hill and Fore Street.The watchful eye of the law focused on the culprits last Tuesday after concerns were raised by parish councillors and local residents.
Director of Operations.
Well on Tuesday Mr Stevens, who is the Operations Director for the company, came down to Torquay to address drivers. He was coming to give a talk on where the company is going and to answer question put to him by the drivers at the meeting.
He is in effect the 2nd most important person in the company. So I rushed home from work, had my diner and rushed down to the Torquay Rugby Club with my pen and trusty notebook so I could report back to my readers on our company's expectations for the future.
Well I wish I could report that Mr Stevens was full of optimism, that the company is about to embark on a series of expansion programs that will secure all our futures, with big fat rises for the drivers and the shareholders.
But I can't.
I would like to have been at least able to report that things were running smoothly and though no big fat pay rises were foreseeable in the near future things did at lest seem secure and that none of us would be looking for work 3 days before Christmas.
But I can't.
Fortunately I can't report that we are about to go bust and Christmas is cancelled; though that may be the case for all I know.
In fact the only thing I can report is the fact that I was not allowed into the meeting. I am not in the Union and this was a Union meeting. So even though I had made the effort top get to the meeting I was refused admission by the senior union official present and could not listen while the Director of Operations explained which way the company was going. No Union business was held but only union members could attend. And 20 of them did. Out of 200.
Monday, December 13, 2004
Pre Christmas Farce.
Usually it is pantomime at Christmas but with us it is Farce; an expensive farce at that.
The Company decided to expand their bus routes into Plymouth and registered a new route with the Traffic Commission 6 weeks ago as per the rules. The Traffic Commission had no problem so Timetables were printed, newspaper and radio ads were placed, drivers were route learned, buses had stickers stuck on the sides to show the new routes, timetables were fixed to bus stops new flags were put up with the route number, 152, boldly displayed and this morning the drivers chosen to drive on the new route on the first day all proudly turned up for work and it is probable that passengers stood at bus stops waiting for them to turn up with their new destination blinds optimistically proclaiming Plymouth City Centre. Well the drivers sat around doing nothing all day and I hope the passengers didn't do the same because the bus didn't run. What's more it will never run.
An other bus company objected because part of our route followed part of one of their routes and it was decided by some one to withdraw the service before it had even turned a wheel.
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Jury's Corner and the Burst Water Main.
WELL AFTER A FEW WEEKS OF CALM ON THE ROADS WITH REGARD TO ROAD WORKS TO DAY WE HIT A VERY LARGE BRICK WALL. WE HAD BEEN PROMISED WEEKS OF MISERY WITH KINGS ASH IN PAIGNTON BEING DUG UP AND THE FIRST WEEK SLOWED US DOWN A BIT BUT NOW WE BARELY NOTICE IT. JW GLENDINNINGS COMPANY RESURFACED THE ROAD AT LAY WELL ON THE WAY DOWN TO BRIXHAM AND THEY WERE EXCELLENT. A MAN AT EACH END CONTROLLING THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS MADE SURE THE TRAFFIC FLOWED SMOOTHLY AND DELAYS WERE NEVER MORE THAN 5 MINS AND THE WORK WAS COMPLETED VERY QUICKLY.
THIS MORNING A WATER MAIN WENT BANG AND THE ROAD DIGGERS MOVED IN AND EVERY THING ELSE STOPPED. EXTRA TRAVELLING TIME TO AND FROM NEWTON OF 45 MINS WERE EXPERIENCED ALL DAY AND AT THE EVENING RUSH HOUR IT TOOK ME 2 HOURS TO DO A JOURNEY IT USUALLY TAKES 30 MINS. WHEN I GOT TO PAIGNTON AT 7:15 ON THE WAY TO BRIXHAM I SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT HOME EATING MY DINNER. THE BUS BEHIND ME WAS DUE OUT OF BRIXHAM AT 6:10 AND HE STILL HAD TO GET TO BRIXHAM, AN OTHER 20 MINS AWAY. WHAT THE REST OF THE NIGHT ENDED UP LIKE I DON'T KNOW.
AND THE ROAD WORKS ARE STILL THERE; waiting for us tomorrow!!!!
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Happy Campers
BLOKE IN HIS 50'S GOT ON THE BUS IN TORQUAY AND SAID, "PAIGNTON" NOW A SINGLE TO PAIGNTON IS £1.75 BUT A RETURN IS £2.75 SO IF HE WAS COMING BACK IT IS CHEAPER TO GET A RETURN SO I SAID, "SINGLE OR RETURN?" AS I ALWAYS DO.
HE SAID, "TO THIS DUMP. I'VE SEEM ENOUGH OF TORQUAY THANK YOU." ALWAYS ONE TO DEFEND MY HOME TOWN I TOLD HIM THAT TORQUAY WAS BEAUTIFUL. "YOU'VE BEEN READING TOO MANY BROCHURES MATE." AND STOMPED OF DOWN THE BUS.
YOU CAN'T WIN THEM ALL!
Thursday, December 02, 2004
A Tale of Two Passengers
PASSENGER ONE :-
WAS IN TORQUAY AND HAD BEEN TOLD TO GET A NUMBER 12 WHICH RAN EVERY 10 MINS AND TOOK 5 MINS TO GET TO TORQUAY RAIL STATION WHERE HE WAS TO CATCH A TRAIN TO NEWTON ABBOT TO CATCH A CONNECTION TO SHEFFIELD. HE HAD 40 MINS. HE WAS ALSO ON CRUTCHES. HE SAW A NUMBER 12 AND BY THE TIME HE HAD HOBBLED UP TO THE STOP IT HAD GONE. NO PROBLEM, WAIT 10 MINS, 5 MINS TO STATION STILL GOT 25 MINS. WHEN HE GOT ON THE BUS HE WAS TOLD ' SORRY MATE THIS BUS IS GOING TO NEWTON. YOU WANT THE BUS TO BRIXHAM. ROUND THE CORNER OVER THE ROAD AND 2ND BUS STOP DOWN.' WHILE WAITING FOR THE LIGHTS ON THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING TO CHANGE THE BRIXHAM BUS WENT BY. STILL NO PROBLEM, AN OTHER TEN MINS WAIT, 5 MINS TO STATION 10 MINS TO SPARE. NEXT BUS CAME PAID HIS FARE,£1.00 AND ASKED THE DRIVER TO GIVE HIM A SHOUT WHEN THEY GOT TO THE STATION. DRIVER PROMISED FAITHFULLY TO GIVE HIM A SHOUT. DRIVER FORGOT AND ONLY REMEMBERED WHEN THE BUS STOPPED AT LIVERMEAD CLIFF HOTEL 3/4 MILE PAST STATION AND MAN ON CRUTCHES SAID, 'ARE WE THERE YET.?' DRIVER USED RADIO TO SEE IF THERE WAS A NEARBY BUS GOING THE OTHER WAY. NO CHANCE; NEXT BUS WAS STILL IN PAIGNTON 15 MINS AWAY. THAT WOULD BE TOO LATE.
SO DRIVER TURNED HIS BUS AROUND AND TOOK THE PASSENGER BACK TO THE RAIL STATION. HE DID A LEFT HAND REVERSE INTO A SIDE ROAD. REMEMBER ON YOUR DRIVING TEST DOING A LEFT HAND REVERSE, QUIET ROAD, SMALL CAR, PLENTY OF TIME. THINK ABOUT DOING IT IN A 30 FOOT LONG, 8 FOOT WIDE BUS ON THE BUSIEST ROAD IN THE BAY AND TIME RUNNING OUT. THE PASSENGER CAUGHT HIS TRAIN AND THE BUS GOT BACK ON TIME EVENTUALLY.
PASSENGER TWO :-
GOT ON A 12 IN PAIGNTON BUS STATION WITH A RETURN TICKET FOR PRESTON SHELTER WHICH IS 8 MINS AWAY AT A LITTLE BEFORE MIDDAY. WHEN THE BUS GOT TO VICTORIA PARK IT TURNED LEFT AT THE MILK BOTTLE. IT SHOULD HAVE GONE STRAIGHT ON. PRESTON SHELTER IS A 15 MIN WALK FROM HERE. THE BUS CONTINUED UPTO THE RING ROAD AND FOLLOWED THE DIVERSION USED WHEN THE SEA FRONT IS CLOSED. THE NEXT STOP IS IN TORQUAY 30 MINS LATER. PRESTON IS HALF WAY TO TORQUAY. THE PASSENGER THEN HAD TO GET A 12 GOING BACK TO PAIGNTON WHICH WAS ABLE TO DROP HER IN EUGENE RD PRESTON WHERE SHE WANTED TO BE. THE WHOLE TRIP HAD TAKEN ALMOST AN HOUR AND A HALF INSTEAD OF 8 MINS BECAUSE THE DRIVER OF THE BUS SHE BOARDED IN THE FIRST PLACE HAD NOT TOLD HER THAT THE BUS WASN'T GOING TO PRESTON SHELTER AS THERE HAD BEEN A CRASH AT THE GAS WORKS AND THE ROAD HAD BEEN CLOSED BY THE POLICE.
PASSENGERS SOME TIMES REALLY HAVE REASONS TO REMEMBER THEIR BUS TRIPS.
Tuesday, 30 November 2004
November 2004
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Police at Work on Paignton Bus Station.
Monday 28th November 2004 2:00pm
Four men walked through the bus station. Suddenly two police officers appeared giving chase. They stopped and questioned the men and then searched them. The men were then handcuffed and taken to a police van that had arrived during the search. One of the other drivers said he though they had been shop lifting but it could have been a drug bust. C
Going into Brixham
As you drive down new road into brixham there is a bend to the right, not very sharp, no real need to slow down a great deal. On the left there are a few shops, a doctor's surgery and....... A dentist's surgery. On the right is a forty foot high wall.
So far no problem, on both sides of the road there are double yellow lines which in the uk mean no waiting at any time; except in torbay. Here traffic wardens use a common sense approach to work. They don't do any. And everyone knows this and they park almost any where. I haven't seen anyone park against the wall yet but the day will come. I have however seen thousands of cars (not all at the same time) parked outside the shops and the surgeries.
To pass these idiots means going on the wrong side of the road on a blind bend and i usually pray to the god of blind bends whilst i am on the wrong side of the road. The prayers are simple, blow the horn repeatedly. Note the highway code says i should give audible warning of approach in this situation.
Well the other day the company got a nice letter from the dentist. In it he noted the problem with the blind bend and it's dangers but also pointed out that bus horns are very loud and in the surgery they were totally unexpected. Should, he went on, be drilling in the mouth of an elderly person this unexpectedness could cause the patient to jump with predictable consequences.
Now he felt he could get away with charging for an extra filling now and then but trying to sell the idea that tongue piercing was cool for the over seventy's; especially when done with a dentist drill, was pushing his luck a little too far.
So i expect i will have to pray to the blind bend god silently from now on and hope that i don't make the patients jump with the unexpected sound of a very loud crash.
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Monitoring Road Works
COURTS FINE UTILITY FIRMS
FROM THE HERALD EXPRESS
23 November 2004
Fines and costs totalling £18,281.92 have been imposed by magistrates on utility companies for offences in relation to roadworks in Devon.Gas company Transco was fined a total of £3,700 and ordered to pay a total of £4980.67 in costs for 10 offences including being fined £1,300 plus costs of £3,185 for three offences. South West Water was fined a total of £1,100 plus £1,658.75 for five offences.Devon County Council environment councillor David Morrish said: "With the appointment of a street works enforcement officer, the county is now in the strongest position ever to investigate offences and bring them to the notice of the courts."We currently have many cases pending and can assure the utility companies that we will not rest until they take responsibility for their actions. Our message to the utility companies is get it right or face the consequences."
torbay council should take note and appoint their own street works enforcement officer. many of the road works in torbay ( many run by firms mentioned above) have serious defects in traffic management. many a motorist has sat at temporary traffic lights in a queue of vehicles stretching as far as the eye can see for up to 15 mins only to get through the road works and discover that there are only 3 cars waiting on the otherside of the road works. Traffic management is not a science that has reached the west country yet.
Thursday, November 18, 2004
Right Time, Wrong Place.
Wednesday 17 november 04
Work rest day
I put my name down to work a rest day and got duty 3510 which is a coast duty. It is know as a coast duty as you drive up the coast to exeter and back two or three times. At our end there is the 85 from torquay harbour and the 85a from newton abbot. Both end up in exeter. As the duty started in the middle of the day i had to take over a bus from an other driver and i looked at the running board which started with the line, "travel passenger on service 12 bus". Usually when taking over a live bus we drive a shuttle bus which is much better than travelling on a service bus which take 3 times as long.
Well i got to newton and went to the 85a bus in sherbourne road. The driver said no he wasn't coming off and i looked at my running board more carefully and released that i should have been in torquay, 35 mins away to take over an 85 in 10 mins.
Hari kari was definitely an option.
Instead i rang control and told them i was in newton and i should have been in torquay. Now this has happened before though not to me. They got on the radio and told the driver coming off in torquay and he, one richard boston, a hero, agreed to drive the bus to exeter while i went back to the depot, got a spare bus and chased after him. I caught him up in exminster, which saved him the chore of going all the way into exeter.
Now richard didn't have to do what he did, he could have left all the people waiting for me and just brought the bus back to the depot and gone home. But that would have meant a lot of people waiting an hour for the next bus and like many of our drivers richard didn't want that to happen. Well done richard and thank you. Me, i'm dead upset that i could make such a stupid mistake.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
South Devon College
No, I am not writing about the possible lack of buses to south Devon college when they move in September. I am talking about a bus that goes to the College which shouldn't.
Between 18:00 and 19:00 the number of 12's on the road falls from 17 to 8 as the service changes from a 10 minute service to a 20 minute service. some of the buses get to Brixham or Newton and run dead back to the depot. Two go from Newton to Paignton and one (at 18:01) goes only to the depot. However One, the 18:21 from Newton runs to Torquay Harbour and then dead back to the depot arriving there at 19:05. Some drivers, not all, don't go to the Harbour.
They only put South Devon College up on the destination blind and then return to the depot from the College. this saves them about 15 minutes. It also means that anyone wanting to go to the Harbour has to wait an extra 17 minutes for the next bus which does go to the Harbour.
No buses are at present scheduled to terminate at South Devon College.
So if you are waiting for a bus some where between Newton and torquay between 18:21 and 18:50 and a bus comes along with South Devon College on the destination Blind, get on and insist that the driver takes you to the harbour.
A Little more on the 34 route
NO ATTEMPT TO FIND A SOLUTION
From Herald Express13 November 2004
I would like to reassure Danny Ferguson (Your View, November 10) that I fully understand that, if bus drivers are being threatened physically, then action has to be taken to protect their safety.The main concern I have is that no effort seems to have been made to bring together Stagecoach, the council, the police and other agencies to discuss this problem.If they had been brought together then a solution may have been found, which would not have deprived* people of their 34 bus service.I look forward to working with Stagecoach and the police to find a solution to this problem.Cllr GORDON JENNINGSWatcombe WardTorquay
*Comment. The people have not been deprived of the 34 Service, just a small section of it. Which shows that people, not only councillors, will shamelessly manipulate facts for their own ends. Desfordave
Friday, November 12, 2004
Torbay Council V RMT Union and Stagecoach.
Torbay council's comments on changes to be made to the 31 and 34 routes.
below is the rmt union's response
SQUARING UP FOR BATTLE OF THE BAY BUS ROUTES BY GLENN PRICE
Torquay herald Express
28 October 2004
The fight is on to save one of Torquay's established bus routes.Councillors say they are outraged by Stagecoach's decision to alter the 34 service covering East and West Pafford Avenue and Willow Avenue on the Watcombe estate. They believe that by changing the route to incorporate Halstead Road, many people in Watcombe will be cut off from key destinations in Torquay.Cllr Steve Darling said: "This would disadvantage many people on the estate, and we have asked Stagecoach to reconsider their actions. Their proposals will be particularly hard on older residents and those who may be disabled, who will find it difficult climbing the hill from Fore Street in Barton to their homes on the estate. We won't roll over. The fight will continue."Stagecoach said one of the main reasons for the change is because of incidents of violence against its drivers and vehicles.Chris Hilditch, Stagecoach managing director, said: "We've had a lot of trouble up there - buses stoned and residents blocking drivers' routes with badly parked cars. The drivers don't like going there. So we think the change is a vast improvement."However, Cllr Gordon Jennings disputed this, saying that Stagecoach's decision was based on financial gain, not fears of antisocial behaviour.He added: "We've got policemen who are willing to go on the buses. They're keen to look at the issue and approach any offending youngsters. But Stagecoach isn't interested. We have been in touch with the sergeant who covers that area and, while he is aware of isolated incidents, he is not aware of Stagecoach informing the police of endemic antisocial behaviour."Stagecoach said the new 34 route would provide diversity and improvements to passengers, bringing more advantages than drawbacks.It will be linked with the 31 services to form a circular service which will join Barton and Hele with St Marychurch. However, the new services will no longer serve Shirburn Road, Studley Road and Watcombe estate.Mr Hilditch added: "With this route we're tying Watcombe and Barton. This will give a service to Halstead Road, so passengers will have a link with St Marychurch. Also, people in town will be able to get to Watcombe or Barton more quickly, with waits only being seven and a half minutes instead of 20 minutes. It gives customers more options and a better service. Not many people will be disadvantaged - a few will. We're giving the best service we can."We're trying to keep the customer base we've got while generating more customers. The councillors have an issue, but I think that when they really think about it they'll see this is for the better. It's a commercial bus service, no public money is put into it. We'll look at how the change goes, but I don't think we'll reconsider in the near future."
Thursday, November 11, 2004
RMT Respond to Torbay Council
SAFETY BEHIND SERVICE WITHDRAWAL From Readers Letters, the herald express. 10 November 2004
I feel it my duty to respond to the article about the loss of the 34 service through the Watcombe estate (Herald, Oct 28).Councillor Gordon Jennings claims Stagecoach have withdrawn the service purely on a financial gain. I beg to differ. The service was withdrawn for safety reasons because of the amount of trouble drivers had to contend with on a regular basis.Drivers were being threatened and robbed. Threats and intimidation became the norm.It was particularly bad in the evenings with youths throwing missiles at the buses. This was endangering the same members of the public that councillors represent.Two years ago we stopped the buses taking their lay over time at Willow Avenue, because of the trouble drivers had to contend with. Things have got no better since this was implemented.The last straw was the assault and robbery of a driver by a gang of youths. As for the police volunteering to travel around on the buses, we can't even get them to attend a robbery within a reasonable time, never mind travel on the buses.We used to meet the police on a regular basis to discuss hot spots, which included Watcombe estate, but alas this does not happen any more.As my members' representative, my union has a duty of care towards its members, as does Stagecoach. That's why this decision was taken, not for financial gain as intimated.I trust the decent law- abiding residents of Watcombe estate understand the reason why this has happened.DANNY FERGUSONRMT Senior Staff Representative & Health and Safety Representative Regent Close,Torquay
South Devon College
From an item in the Herald Express
South Devon College Principal Heather Maxwell disputed recent claims that the new site in Paignton would be inaccessible by public transport.Stagecoach boss Chris Hilditch feared students would be unable to get to the new Long Road site.But Ms Maxwell said: "I don't want people to think it's going to be difficult to get to. I know a regular bus service and the site is only four miles from Torquay."She added the college had been approached by a number of private transport organisations and said potential transport schemes were in the pipeline.
Well I am glad that's sorted out
Friday, November 05, 2004
Still Getting the Blame
BUS BLACKSPOT SOLUTION SOUGHT
From the Herald ExpressBY ABI PARKES11:00 - 01 November 2004
A solution to bridge the Bay's public transport blackspots is being investigated by Torbay Council.They believe a new quality bus partnership could be the way forward in getting better coverage and services for the public. Currently Stagecoach carries 97 per cent of the resort's bus passengers and will only operate commercially viable routes.Some services were cut and streamlined last year following strike action by drivers.The rest of this news item can be read by clicking here but abi parkes of the Herald Express seems to live on a different planet than the rest of us.
Monday, November 01, 2004
31 and 34
I stopped at castle circus going up union street heading for newton this evening when a lady boarded the bus and asked why she had been waiting for 1 hr 45 mins for a 31 and why had 2 thirty fours gone past her. The 34 should not go up union street past castle circus. It would appear that not only did the passengers not know any thing about the new route but some of the drivers didn't either. Lack of route learning is my guess. Will they get any? Latter, in abbey road i was called a ******** by some one who had been waiting a long time.
It can only get better; i hope.
Police at Work on Paignton Bus Station.
Monday 28th November 2004 2:00pm
Four men walked through the bus station. Suddenly two police officers appeared giving chase. They stopped and questioned the men and then searched them. The men were then handcuffed and taken to a police van that had arrived during the search. One of the other drivers said he though they had been shop lifting but it could have been a drug bust. C
Going into Brixham
As you drive down new road into brixham there is a bend to the right, not very sharp, no real need to slow down a great deal. On the left there are a few shops, a doctor's surgery and....... A dentist's surgery. On the right is a forty foot high wall.
So far no problem, on both sides of the road there are double yellow lines which in the uk mean no waiting at any time; except in torbay. Here traffic wardens use a common sense approach to work. They don't do any. And everyone knows this and they park almost any where. I haven't seen anyone park against the wall yet but the day will come. I have however seen thousands of cars (not all at the same time) parked outside the shops and the surgeries.
To pass these idiots means going on the wrong side of the road on a blind bend and i usually pray to the god of blind bends whilst i am on the wrong side of the road. The prayers are simple, blow the horn repeatedly. Note the highway code says i should give audible warning of approach in this situation.
Well the other day the company got a nice letter from the dentist. In it he noted the problem with the blind bend and it's dangers but also pointed out that bus horns are very loud and in the surgery they were totally unexpected. Should, he went on, be drilling in the mouth of an elderly person this unexpectedness could cause the patient to jump with predictable consequences.
Now he felt he could get away with charging for an extra filling now and then but trying to sell the idea that tongue piercing was cool for the over seventy's; especially when done with a dentist drill, was pushing his luck a little too far.
So i expect i will have to pray to the blind bend god silently from now on and hope that i don't make the patients jump with the unexpected sound of a very loud crash.
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Monitoring Road Works
COURTS FINE UTILITY FIRMS
FROM THE HERALD EXPRESS
23 November 2004
Fines and costs totalling £18,281.92 have been imposed by magistrates on utility companies for offences in relation to roadworks in Devon.Gas company Transco was fined a total of £3,700 and ordered to pay a total of £4980.67 in costs for 10 offences including being fined £1,300 plus costs of £3,185 for three offences. South West Water was fined a total of £1,100 plus £1,658.75 for five offences.Devon County Council environment councillor David Morrish said: "With the appointment of a street works enforcement officer, the county is now in the strongest position ever to investigate offences and bring them to the notice of the courts."We currently have many cases pending and can assure the utility companies that we will not rest until they take responsibility for their actions. Our message to the utility companies is get it right or face the consequences."
torbay council should take note and appoint their own street works enforcement officer. many of the road works in torbay ( many run by firms mentioned above) have serious defects in traffic management. many a motorist has sat at temporary traffic lights in a queue of vehicles stretching as far as the eye can see for up to 15 mins only to get through the road works and discover that there are only 3 cars waiting on the otherside of the road works. Traffic management is not a science that has reached the west country yet.
Thursday, November 18, 2004
Right Time, Wrong Place.
Wednesday 17 november 04
Work rest day
I put my name down to work a rest day and got duty 3510 which is a coast duty. It is know as a coast duty as you drive up the coast to exeter and back two or three times. At our end there is the 85 from torquay harbour and the 85a from newton abbot. Both end up in exeter. As the duty started in the middle of the day i had to take over a bus from an other driver and i looked at the running board which started with the line, "travel passenger on service 12 bus". Usually when taking over a live bus we drive a shuttle bus which is much better than travelling on a service bus which take 3 times as long.
Well i got to newton and went to the 85a bus in sherbourne road. The driver said no he wasn't coming off and i looked at my running board more carefully and released that i should have been in torquay, 35 mins away to take over an 85 in 10 mins.
Hari kari was definitely an option.
Instead i rang control and told them i was in newton and i should have been in torquay. Now this has happened before though not to me. They got on the radio and told the driver coming off in torquay and he, one richard boston, a hero, agreed to drive the bus to exeter while i went back to the depot, got a spare bus and chased after him. I caught him up in exminster, which saved him the chore of going all the way into exeter.
Now richard didn't have to do what he did, he could have left all the people waiting for me and just brought the bus back to the depot and gone home. But that would have meant a lot of people waiting an hour for the next bus and like many of our drivers richard didn't want that to happen. Well done richard and thank you. Me, i'm dead upset that i could make such a stupid mistake.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
South Devon College
No, I am not writing about the possible lack of buses to south Devon college when they move in September. I am talking about a bus that goes to the College which shouldn't.
Between 18:00 and 19:00 the number of 12's on the road falls from 17 to 8 as the service changes from a 10 minute service to a 20 minute service. some of the buses get to Brixham or Newton and run dead back to the depot. Two go from Newton to Paignton and one (at 18:01) goes only to the depot. However One, the 18:21 from Newton runs to Torquay Harbour and then dead back to the depot arriving there at 19:05. Some drivers, not all, don't go to the Harbour.
They only put South Devon College up on the destination blind and then return to the depot from the College. this saves them about 15 minutes. It also means that anyone wanting to go to the Harbour has to wait an extra 17 minutes for the next bus which does go to the Harbour.
No buses are at present scheduled to terminate at South Devon College.
So if you are waiting for a bus some where between Newton and torquay between 18:21 and 18:50 and a bus comes along with South Devon College on the destination Blind, get on and insist that the driver takes you to the harbour.
A Little more on the 34 route
NO ATTEMPT TO FIND A SOLUTION
From Herald Express13 November 2004
I would like to reassure Danny Ferguson (Your View, November 10) that I fully understand that, if bus drivers are being threatened physically, then action has to be taken to protect their safety.The main concern I have is that no effort seems to have been made to bring together Stagecoach, the council, the police and other agencies to discuss this problem.If they had been brought together then a solution may have been found, which would not have deprived* people of their 34 bus service.I look forward to working with Stagecoach and the police to find a solution to this problem.Cllr GORDON JENNINGSWatcombe WardTorquay
*Comment. The people have not been deprived of the 34 Service, just a small section of it. Which shows that people, not only councillors, will shamelessly manipulate facts for their own ends. Desfordave
Friday, November 12, 2004
Torbay Council V RMT Union and Stagecoach.
Torbay council's comments on changes to be made to the 31 and 34 routes.
below is the rmt union's response
SQUARING UP FOR BATTLE OF THE BAY BUS ROUTES BY GLENN PRICE
Torquay herald Express
28 October 2004
The fight is on to save one of Torquay's established bus routes.Councillors say they are outraged by Stagecoach's decision to alter the 34 service covering East and West Pafford Avenue and Willow Avenue on the Watcombe estate. They believe that by changing the route to incorporate Halstead Road, many people in Watcombe will be cut off from key destinations in Torquay.Cllr Steve Darling said: "This would disadvantage many people on the estate, and we have asked Stagecoach to reconsider their actions. Their proposals will be particularly hard on older residents and those who may be disabled, who will find it difficult climbing the hill from Fore Street in Barton to their homes on the estate. We won't roll over. The fight will continue."Stagecoach said one of the main reasons for the change is because of incidents of violence against its drivers and vehicles.Chris Hilditch, Stagecoach managing director, said: "We've had a lot of trouble up there - buses stoned and residents blocking drivers' routes with badly parked cars. The drivers don't like going there. So we think the change is a vast improvement."However, Cllr Gordon Jennings disputed this, saying that Stagecoach's decision was based on financial gain, not fears of antisocial behaviour.He added: "We've got policemen who are willing to go on the buses. They're keen to look at the issue and approach any offending youngsters. But Stagecoach isn't interested. We have been in touch with the sergeant who covers that area and, while he is aware of isolated incidents, he is not aware of Stagecoach informing the police of endemic antisocial behaviour."Stagecoach said the new 34 route would provide diversity and improvements to passengers, bringing more advantages than drawbacks.It will be linked with the 31 services to form a circular service which will join Barton and Hele with St Marychurch. However, the new services will no longer serve Shirburn Road, Studley Road and Watcombe estate.Mr Hilditch added: "With this route we're tying Watcombe and Barton. This will give a service to Halstead Road, so passengers will have a link with St Marychurch. Also, people in town will be able to get to Watcombe or Barton more quickly, with waits only being seven and a half minutes instead of 20 minutes. It gives customers more options and a better service. Not many people will be disadvantaged - a few will. We're giving the best service we can."We're trying to keep the customer base we've got while generating more customers. The councillors have an issue, but I think that when they really think about it they'll see this is for the better. It's a commercial bus service, no public money is put into it. We'll look at how the change goes, but I don't think we'll reconsider in the near future."
Thursday, November 11, 2004
RMT Respond to Torbay Council
SAFETY BEHIND SERVICE WITHDRAWAL From Readers Letters, the herald express. 10 November 2004
I feel it my duty to respond to the article about the loss of the 34 service through the Watcombe estate (Herald, Oct 28).Councillor Gordon Jennings claims Stagecoach have withdrawn the service purely on a financial gain. I beg to differ. The service was withdrawn for safety reasons because of the amount of trouble drivers had to contend with on a regular basis.Drivers were being threatened and robbed. Threats and intimidation became the norm.It was particularly bad in the evenings with youths throwing missiles at the buses. This was endangering the same members of the public that councillors represent.Two years ago we stopped the buses taking their lay over time at Willow Avenue, because of the trouble drivers had to contend with. Things have got no better since this was implemented.The last straw was the assault and robbery of a driver by a gang of youths. As for the police volunteering to travel around on the buses, we can't even get them to attend a robbery within a reasonable time, never mind travel on the buses.We used to meet the police on a regular basis to discuss hot spots, which included Watcombe estate, but alas this does not happen any more.As my members' representative, my union has a duty of care towards its members, as does Stagecoach. That's why this decision was taken, not for financial gain as intimated.I trust the decent law- abiding residents of Watcombe estate understand the reason why this has happened.DANNY FERGUSONRMT Senior Staff Representative & Health and Safety Representative Regent Close,Torquay
South Devon College
From an item in the Herald Express
South Devon College Principal Heather Maxwell disputed recent claims that the new site in Paignton would be inaccessible by public transport.Stagecoach boss Chris Hilditch feared students would be unable to get to the new Long Road site.But Ms Maxwell said: "I don't want people to think it's going to be difficult to get to. I know a regular bus service and the site is only four miles from Torquay."She added the college had been approached by a number of private transport organisations and said potential transport schemes were in the pipeline.
Well I am glad that's sorted out
Friday, November 05, 2004
Still Getting the Blame
BUS BLACKSPOT SOLUTION SOUGHT
From the Herald ExpressBY ABI PARKES11:00 - 01 November 2004
A solution to bridge the Bay's public transport blackspots is being investigated by Torbay Council.They believe a new quality bus partnership could be the way forward in getting better coverage and services for the public. Currently Stagecoach carries 97 per cent of the resort's bus passengers and will only operate commercially viable routes.Some services were cut and streamlined last year following strike action by drivers.The rest of this news item can be read by clicking here but abi parkes of the Herald Express seems to live on a different planet than the rest of us.
Monday, November 01, 2004
31 and 34
I stopped at castle circus going up union street heading for newton this evening when a lady boarded the bus and asked why she had been waiting for 1 hr 45 mins for a 31 and why had 2 thirty fours gone past her. The 34 should not go up union street past castle circus. It would appear that not only did the passengers not know any thing about the new route but some of the drivers didn't either. Lack of route learning is my guess. Will they get any? Latter, in abbey road i was called a ******** by some one who had been waiting a long time.
It can only get better; i hope.
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