Topic 2 Transport
and accessibility
Vicki Hubert,
Senior Transport Planner at KCC talked
about how transport and accessibility can be improved to help older
people access vital local services.
In particular, the following
questions were asked;
Does public transport in this
area get you to the key services you need access to, such as
healthcare, food stores and social activities? Can you walk to the bus stop easily? Are there enough drop kerbs, benches, bus shelters
etc?
Issues raised
- Shorne Country Park
was discussed. The group were disappointed that no
public transport goes there. The
officer from KCC explained that there will be a new service, the
416 and the 417, which is a KCC subsidised route and will start on
1 February.
- Concerns were raised
about difficulty in getting to hospital. The group were advised that they could use the
North West Kent Dial-a-ride service.
This service can be used if the passenger has a medical condition
that makes travelling by public transport difficult, or by anyone
that lives more than 500m from a conventional bus
route. Many people had not heard
of the scheme and someone raised the issue that many people would
not fit the criteria and that the service was still too expensive
for many. Access to the travel websites
was also raised as an issue, as many older people do not have
access to the internet.
For queries about the Dial-a-ride service, please call KCC
Transport Integration team on 01622 605349.
- The Volunteer Centre
also has drivers who charge per mile.
- Several issues were raised about bus
passes, and how safe bus shelters were were. Some older people
were afraid to go out because of the behaviour of some young people
at the bus stops.
- The general consensus was that the
frequency of buses was in itself bad, but also that many buses were
cancelled without any notice or they just did not turn
up. Many older people could not get
onto the buses easily because of a lack of raised kerbs at the bus
stop. This issue also affects parents
with pushchairs. A lack of services back to villages later in the
day was also an issue. For example, the
latest return service for route 455 from Singlewell Road is 2:45 pm.
- Concerns were raised about the lack
of public transport to and from Higham
and the poor state of pavements in the village.
- The bus service to and from Chalk
was also mentioned as being poor, unless you are willing to walk
virtually out of Chalk and down to the Lion Garage to catch the
bus. The bus service does not run on
Sundays and stops early in the evenings. When people do not have access to private cars,
public transport is the only option.
Officers were asked whether KCC and the bus operators worked
together to improve services. Officers
responded that KCC do have an input and do assist in funding some
services that would not be commercially viable to run
otherwise.
- The group felt there
was a poor transport service in some of Gravesham’s more
rural areas. Enjoying an evening at
Woodville Halls is not possible for many, as the last bus leaves
Gravesend long before performances finish. Even though a lot of older people still drive,
many do not like driving in the dark. Also there is no
Sunday service. One member of the public felt that the buses on a
Sunday were always old and dirty, and that people in rural areas
were treated badly. They asked for someone from KCC and the bus
company to ride the bus at these times to see how bad it could
be.
- Comments were made about the fact
that the bus service for older people was free and that this was a
good thing. Fastrack was agreed to be
an improvement. Minibuses were not
popular as people with mobility problems were unable to board
easily.
- Bus shelters were seen by the group
as outdated and often vandalised or in a poor state. Many people said that the bus shelters should be
updated or replaced and that any bus shelters that had been
removed, (i.e. in Valley Drive) should be replaced, as some older
people found this unnerving. Shelters
were also a concern for the residents of Chalk.
- Someone asked about concessionary
prices on trains and if KCC had any influence here. The response was that KCC
approach the train companies regularly about this issue, but so far
have been unsuccessful.
- Other
concerns and suggestions:
- Pavements should be repaired so that people can walk safely for
all or part of their journey.
- People at work have problems getting
the bus from the station after 6pm.
- Cars parked at bus stops make it
difficult for the bus driver to bring the vehicle right to the
kerb. KCC are working on this by
installing bus clearways which prevent any vehicle but the bus
parking in that location
- One person commented that they lived
in the town and there was no problem with public transport