Time for a story on transport integration as we are nearly ten years into
the white paper.
In Surrey, a county in England on the borders of London, there is now almost
only one regular bus service, the 465. It goes past Surbiton station, one
of the really good fast connectors and concentrators in the region, and
hence to Dorking through some of the most beautiful countryside in the
world.
The National Trust has set up a bus called the Surrey Explorer, on a Sunday,
to allow visits to some of the sites. There is one bus doing a round trip
at about two hourly intervals. The Surrey Explorer arrives, according to
the time table, at the Burford Bridge (last meeting place of people like
Nelson and Byron) Hotel at xx.30. The 465 from Surbiton arrives at xx.35!
It all takes some explaining.
This level of transport organisation is just too difficult for transport
planning!
On the leaflet supporting the Surrey Explorer is mentioned East Horsley as a
dropping off point. Horsley Station has one train an hour between Guildford
and Surbiton (and London Waterloo which is a main line station).
These trains pass at Horsley at xx/53/54.
The bus calls here at irregular intervals but except for one, ensures you
miss by something between one and twenty minutes.
It all takes some explaining.
If the bus were centred on Horsley station at xx.50 with a ten minute say at
most wait time, then interchange would be achieved? Marketing could then
involve a larger group of parties? Or is there something I really don't
understand?
Green transport week is coming up in June. I wonder where I should exhibit
this :)
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