The page for enthusiasts in the Oxford Chilterns Area - News from you and news for you - pictures too  ~~~~   The page for enthusiasts in the Oxford Chilterns Area - News from you and news for you - pictures too  ~~~~   The page for enthusiasts in the Oxford Chilterns Area - News from you and news for you - pictures too  

Issue 121
(OBP-336)
Sunday 27th March 2005
next update week ending 2nd April 2005

Visit the "OXFORD BUS PAGE" Archive 1998 - 2002

Please note that any comments made in this news page are those of the Editors' and in no way constitute 
any official points of view from the bus companies mentioned,  or indeed any other official body. 
As a news page we reserve the right to make valid comments as seen from an editorial point of view.

If you wish to be included on a mailing list where I will advise of any mid-week news please let me know
malcolmhc@aol.com

The last week has seen a few days of much better weather and the chance to take some better photographs. Quite a lot has been happening and I should first of all make apologies that I got "the wrong end of the stick" relating to the Real Time bus information in Oxford. Robert Williams has written to correct me and I do apologise to everyone for this lack of correct facts on my part.

Robert says "Writing with my official hat on today....  I feel I should correct you on what you may have been told about the real time system.
 
The real time system is not yet live, but under test. A few minor issues need to be ironed out before the system goes live to the public in the coming months. When it does go live, the information screens (primarily along Banbury Road) will be activated and display information about the next buses due to depart based on their current locations. The routes included in the first phase are the 2, 7, 25, 27, 28, 29, 500, U1, U4 and U5. No doubt there will be press releases at the time.
 
Also, the display at Lewknor is not part of the real time system, but is part of the Taxibus project. The display, which is smaller than the real time displays, is linked to the Taxibus control office. Taxibus control will be able set it to show messages relating to the service, although again I think that there are some minor issues still to be sorted out.

I am indebted to Robert for this correction as I do feel strongly that errors annoy everyone and should not happen. Can someone please keep me updated on how matters are progressing.

I have looked several times at the site and the trials may in part account for my sighting of a route 7 bus in Didcot?

Readers can view the tests at http://oxfordshire.acislive.com/

Routemaster finale on route 19

Your Editor and friend Gavin Francis intend spending Friday looking at the final day of route 19 in London using Routemasters. I shall post a short report on next week's page and do hope the weather is kind to us.

Nigel Peach sent a picture of an RT at Binders Yard and we hope to have the chance to ride on an RT next Friday. Nigel says "RT1602 has recently changed hands, I believe and is seemingly at Ward Jones Commercials in Binders Yard for attention."

RT1602 basks in the spring sunshine last week, captured in this excellent picture from Nigel Peach.

Dark blues win

Well, sorry to those who support Cambridge but I have to record that the dark blues OXFORD won this years boat race. I understand that both operators of the London coach services from Oxford enjoyed a strong morning with supporters going up to London for the event. I am sure that those who made the effort to get up early found their sacrifice worthwhile. One should not forget that the clocks went forward by one hour - British Summertime started at 0200hrs - and so there would have been one hour less in bed.

Red Nose Day

Some of you will wonder where I was on Red Nose Day and how could I not realise what the "pink substances" was on many Arriva buses in High Wycombe. Well there it is, age or something worse is catching up and I didn't but I am grateful to Nigel Peach, Trevor Wilson and Stuart Turner who took time to e-mail me with the explanation.

Service 63 from Oxford - The Village Carrier

I recently posted a picture of a minibus on service 63 and asked what this route and operator was? Well Bill J writes to say "I was a bus spotter in London and Sussex 45 years or so ago and haven't really been seriously involved since. However, I always keep my eyes open and I have enjoyed your reports on Oxfordshire buses since I discovered your website some months ago. I have lived near Didcot for the past 25 years and still travel by bus quite frequently - often in association with long linear walks anywhere in the South East. 

That's why I can tell you a bit about Village Carrier 63, which you pictured in your 13 March report, and which I used once last autumn to get from Appleton to Oxford. You can find the route, timetable and operator details at: 

http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/windrush_63_3.0.pdf 

The route changed in the autumn. The service used to serve Millet's Farm in Frilford and the village of Garford, but the driver told me he had only had 3 passengers for these destinations in a period of around 9 months. So the timetable was simplified. Apparently some people commute regularly from villages such as Appleton to Oxford using the service. On my journey, a lady was en route to Heathrow, and the driver agreed to divert to Gloucester Green so she would not have to drag her suitcase round from Castle Street to catch the 'Airline'. That's the advantage of local services! 

I believe Windrush is basically a taxi company. They have just the one bus, and two drivers share the service (another passenger told me usually on a 'one week on, one week off' basis). The passenger also told me that the 63 is much more reliable then the Stagecoach 66, which often refuses to stop at the Appleton turn on the A420, and sometimes 'forgets' to go through the village for its morning and evening journeys (though this may have stopped after a lot of local publicity about a young girl who was left to walk home on her own in the dark from the A420 when the 66 missed the village last year).  

Hope that's of some interest and keep up the good work."

Thanks for that Bill, this is in my belief what this page is all about, Reader contributions do make such an important difference.

George Street roadworks

Roadworks in George Street have reached the point where it is once again possible for PSVs departing from Gloucester Green to make a right turn an avoid the long and often slow detour via Beaumont Street. However at present there is still no through access from the east end and as such all bus services still have to use the Beaumont Street routing.

Cyclists in Oxford

I often wonder why it is that cyclists in Oxford - including a wide selection of people, old, young and not so young- seem to believe that traffic lights and other rules are not for them?

Having stopped my vehicle at the pedestrian lights in The High earlier last week, a most respectable woman complete with a high visibility jacket riding a vintage bike rode by the inside of my vehicle and went straight through the red lights. whilst fortunately the pedestrians crossing stood back to let her "sail through" !!!

Drivers of vehicles, especially buses and coaches often come in for strong criticism about they consideration for cyclists and yet the large proportion of said cyclists seem oblivious to the basic rules of road. Indeed one is surprised if they DO STOP for traffic lights. I hasten to add that this is not a feature unique to Oxford but applies to cyclists all over the UK. However there are probably many more cyclists in Oxford than many other areas of the U.K.

I realise that I run the risk of being pilloried for such comments but I speak as I find.

Forthcoming events.

Now on to this week's News and photos. Thank you to everyone who has contributed this week. I have not received so much news this week and so the operator reports are predominantly photographic in nature. I do however realise that many of you enjoy the photos more than the text.

Malcolm Crowe - Sunday 27th March 2005

Trevor Wilson writes regarding my comments about First Slough reliability.