A: I asked questions about them at the special meeting of Surrey’s Woking Local Committee on Tuesday, since the meeting format allowed the usual quota of member and public written questions. 

The main meeting was about Woking’s ‘Cycling Town’ plan and programme. which I’ll put in a separate posting.

Alexandra Gardens

For years there has been a certain level of aggravation for residents from use of the Vyne car-park in Knaphill by youngsters to gather and socialise. This summer, for a variety of possible reasons, has seen this become more of a nuisance for residents. The local police held a meeting for residents, which was also attended by representatives from Woking Borough Council, but not from Surrey County Council, so I asked the following:

Is the Youth Development Service aware of the concerns residents and the local police tema have about the gatherings of young people that have taken place in the car park by Alexandra Gardens in Knaphill? Will the Youth Development Service provide support or outreach to these young people?  

Answer from Surrey County Council’s Youth Development Officer:

The Youth Development Service (YDS) are aware of the issues of young people gathering in the car park of Alexandra Gardens in Knaphill, this issue has been raised with community safety partners on the Joint Action Group.

Surrey Police colleagues are aware that a small number of individuals are to blame for incidents of anti-social behaviour and continue to work with this small group. The Police and YDS are confident that the majority of young people “hanging around” adjacent to Alexandra Gardens are not engaged in any anti-social and/or criminal activity. And as a result of consultation with young people, are working with partners to negotiate the possible lighting of the local MUGA during the evening for the benefit of the majority of young people in the area.

Currently our resources for Knaphill are devoted to the Youth Arts Centre which is running to full capacity at present, with the projects on offer being fully attended by over 100 young people each week. Nevertheless the YDS continue to look to ways to reach more young people, and are working with the voluntary organisation, “Outside Light”, to offer their volunteers basic youth work training to support engagement with young people in this area.

It would be a wholly positive step to see more local residents get involved with their community, something the YDS have successfully been doing with the youth for a number of years now. And to this end the YDS continues to offer help in training groups of volunteers, such as identified in Knaphill, to provide further opportunities to young people.

Real-time information

The last few times I’ve taken the ‘bus I’ve been disappointed by the lack of helpful ‘real-time’ information on the displays - they tend to show the timetable, with ‘real’ buses not showing up on the listings.  The new computer systems should have been working by now, so I asked the following:

Why is the ‘real-time’ information about bus arrivals still not working effectively? When will it reach its previous levels of usefulness? 

Answer from Surrey County Council’s Passenger Transport service:

 The present situation with the Real Time Passenger Information is: –    All Arriva/Safeguard & relevant Stagecoach/Countryliner buses are equipped and working on the system. There are a few ticket-machine issues that are in the process of being resolved, by either sourcing other ticket machines (Safeguard), or by development work being undertaken with regard to the interface configuration (Countryliner). –        On-street displays: high level of predictions shown, although a few problems still to be rectified. A few power issues to be resolved. (185 out of 207 displays operational)–        Training on Trapeze RTPI system still being given to some bus control room staff and Surrey staff to enable full monitoring of the system.–        SCC staff in regular communication with bus operators to encourage their drivers to log on correctly & for staff to report equipment faults.–        Forthcoming roadworks, particularly in the Guildford area, leading to diversions from the regular bus routes, are likely to cause some minor problems to the effectiveness of the RTPI system.

–        A few issues still to be “ironed out”, e.g. finding a total interchange solution at Guildford Bus Station.

Rather than be simply negative, since it looks as if at least part of the issue lies with the drivers, I asked in follow up whether they could please be told how much passengers appreciate it when the information is there on the boards.

Finally, road closures in the town centre, which also tend to play havoc with the buses, which in its turn can seriously affect the disabled and elderly:

Does the Local Highways Manager anticipate that there will be any need for road closures in the centre of Woking during the next three years that would necessitate the re-routing of buses, as happened with the building and repair to the station approach canopy?

Answer from Surrey County Council’s Local Highways Manager:

I am aware that the A320 Victoria Way will be closed to through traffic for highway resurfacing works. For eastbound vehicles from Century Court to the Roundabout (at junction with Chertsey Road) on 29/30 September between 2000 to 0600hr and for westbound vehicles between A3046 Chobham Road to A324 Lockfield Drive from 1 to 5 October, again between 2000 and 0600hr The bus companies have been informed of this closure.

At the time of responding, I am not aware of any other closures within the town centre area, however in the future the County Council may receive funding to carry out highway works that necessitate a road closure, the utilities may serve a Notice on the County Council indicating that they wish to carry out works to their apparatus or install apparatus that would need a road closure to carry out the works safely.
Development related works might also require sections of road to be closed. In an emergency the highway network within the town centre could be closed for a number of reasons, including utilities such as gas or water leaks, major highway defect, or a police incident.

This seemed to me a little cautious, but I could get no further reassurance, and only a fairly general undertaking to take into account the difficulties of the disabled and elderly, with a reminder that Surrey had not expected the long delays over the Canopy outside the station.