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Published on: 01/05/2018 02:32 PMReported by: roving-eye
Labour campaigners pressing for a bus route to be reinstated on the Kew Estate have persuaded the Chair of Merseytravel to look into the case.
The estate lost its previous service around four years ago as bus company Arriva rerouted it along Town Lane. This by-passed the large housing development entirely and left many residents facing a walk of 400 metres or so to reach the closest bus stop.
After hearing just how dissatisfied they were and the difficulties it had caused, Labour's Kew candidate Janis Blackburne contacted Merseytravel Chair, Liam Robinson, to invite him to the estate to see the problem for himself.
Janis Blackburne explained she'd picked up on the issue while canvassing for the local elections and decided to take action:
"This has caused real hardship for some local residents. Four hundred metres might not sound much but if you are elderly or say a mum with kids and are bringing home the shopping, it can be."
"This problem kept cropping up in my discussions with people on the estate who said their current Lib-Dem ward councillors had failed to get anything done about it. Some residents had apparently even been told that it was down to buses not being able to turn on Ovington Drive, which seemed bizarre and more like an excuse for inaction."
"Sure enough, when I looked into this it instead appeared to be based upon a rule that as the estate was within 400 metres of the bus stops on Town Lane it meant the service could be scrapped. Since that ruling though, a whole new part of the estate has been constructed beyond the 400-metre zone which I believe nullifies the basis for the decision and should mean the reinstatement of the service."
"I asked Liam Robinson to come up and then drove him around the estate to see for himself, I'm delighted to say he agrees and we will now be contacting Arriva to lobby to have the service reinstated."
Merseytravel Chair Liam Robinson says that she presented a strong case:
"It quickly became apparent that Janis firmly believes that the service restored and I think she is correct in her opinion as due to the expansion of the development there's a strong case to reinstate the service. She's proved a very capable advocate for Kew residents on the estate."
The Labour candidate for the ward says she's delighted to have the Merseytravel Chair's support:
"It's a major step forward for residents and hopefully Arriva will now listen to the case we have to make and the backing we have and Kew estate residents will get their route back."
Photo caption - Labour's Kew candidate, Janis Blackburne, with Merseytravel Chair Liam Robinson, at one of the decommissioned Kew estate bus stops.
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said says:01/05/2018 06:24 PM
I thought the Cumfy Bus service served Kew. Why did the residents not contact them - I am sure they would have laid on a service if asked.
"If you’ve got any comments or suggestions about the services shown in this timetable, please contact the bus company who runs the service:
Cumfybus 178 Cambridge Road, Southport PR9 7LW 01704 227321"
As someone else commented on this site - I looked twice at the guy I now know to be Liam Robinson - I bet he gets called out a lot!
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Gwhizz says:01/05/2018 07:33 PM
Originally Posted by said
Yes, it does make a change - it is usually the other party candidates.
...you are not only putting in words there were not in my comment but as you live in Chester Marvin, quite frankly who cares what spin you try to put on things.
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dav says:01/05/2018 08:01 PM
Another pile of the steaming stuff from Labour press release land. The Labour candidate is praised by the Labour councillor who chairs the Labour-run Merseytravel. Do give yourselves a pat on the back comrades. It's the Labour equivalent of a circle jerk.... with Labour's Gwhizz supplying the tissues.
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Gwhizz says:02/05/2018 07:25 AM
Originally Posted by dav
Another pile of the steaming stuff from Labour press release land. The Labour candidate is praised by the Labour councillor who chairs the Labour-run Merseytravel. Do give yourselves a pat on the back comrades. It's the Labour equivalent of a circle jerk.... with Labour's Gwhizz supplying the tissues.
What a charming turn of phrase you have Dav... I'll leave you to your greater knowledge on the subject.
... but if you mean yet another example of how local labour candidates can cooperate with regional colleagues to get things done for local residents, then yeah... and if you don't, then you should.
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abbeyroad says:02/05/2018 07:27 AM
Originally Posted by dav
Another pile of the steaming stuff from Labour press release land. The Labour candidate is praised by the Labour councillor who chairs the Labour-run Merseytravel. Do give yourselves a pat on the back comrades. It's the Labour equivalent of a circle jerk.... with Labour's Gwhizz supplying the tissues.
Well said, Sir. They'll be telling us they're not anti-Semitic next.
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dav says:02/05/2018 10:33 AM
Originally Posted by Gwhizz
What a charming turn of phrase you have Dav... I'll leave you to your greater knowledge on the subject.
... but if you mean yet another example of how local labour candidates can cooperate with regional colleagues to get things done for local residents, then yeah... and if you don't, then you should.
All this sticky "co-operation" when, of course, it is Labour's original choice about which bus services to subsidise that led to the cancellation in the first place. As usual, Labour causes the problem and then feigns outrage and pretends to solve it. Not that they've promised anything at all here apart from soundbites. There is no commitment to restore the service even though they hold the purse strings. Just cynical election spin.
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