2012
Individuals
- Virtual travel to meetings is widely used for people working from home and international business people for whom the cost of air travel has become prohibitive. Public monies can no longer be claimed for international travel except by special application. People have more access to public representatives who become more locally based. A number of business people make use of the new fast SKYPE Across the Miles centres at post offices to have virtual meetings on camcorder and others have virtual family get to-gethers to save travel.
- ‘Lessening the Load’ car pimping is initiated by a local entrepreneur whose company will retrofit vehicles to reduce fuel consumption. Heavy doors and other parts can be replaced with lighter materials or removed altogether and turned into beach buggies. Brian Keener, who runs the company, plans to bring on stream his conversions of fuel cars to electric motoring in the next 2 years.
Community
- A Totnes and Dartington Car Pool Co-op is formed to support car pools and car clubs. They will share a website, coordinator and cars.
- Totnes Chamber of Commerce organises a meeting for all producers and retailers in the district to create a local good distribution network based on the new PSV + Goods transport being initiated by DCC & SHDC. The comprehensive plan is found to be very cost effective for all users who are delighted with the new services and a Goods Distribution Co-op is set up by the Chamber to work with the LA to help with tuning the services and timetables. The mail and other deliveries will also be distributed via new local Transit Hubs using this service
Policy Makers & Service Providers
- Work is underway on the first 8 travel hubs in the outer ring and the walking and cycling networks for everyday journeys across the district. The waiting rooms with cycle parks for transport at the new hubs are to be designed to provide comfortable waiting space and where new building is required, will be built using local building materials and incorporate solar heating and lighting. All waiting rooms will carry local transport and visitor information.
- Car parking at the rear of Civic Hall is reduced to 10 spaces to make way for the new covered market space being built. The Civic Square will become pedestrianised and no longer be open for vehicles to drive across. New bike parking facilities to accommodate 4 lots of 25 bikes are to be placed at the front and rear of the civic square.
- SHDC creates a Local Bus Consortium to link local buses companies and harmonise services and charging. Bus services are extended to cover social and commuter hours as part of a national initiative to provide more comprehensive transport services. PSVs are hybrids running on methane fuel from South West Water’s Totnes AD unit. Free local bus passes are issued to all local residents to get people using the new buses. The public respond with gusto.
- DCC agrees to set 10 mph speed limits on roads adjacent to schools for 60m each side of the school entrance, and rumble strips, road markings and traffic calming measures are to be installed this year. DCC adopts 50% plan initiated by SHDC to get its out of cars, measures and incentives are rolled out across the county including free travel passes for all public transport.
- Totnes is now linked to the national cycle route with links to the rest of the country, by an extension of the Totnes – Dartington route up the Dart Valley on to Buckfastleigh.
3 comments on “2012”
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Para 9.
Has the proposal for parking 100 bicycles in the Market Square been discussed with the Market traders Assoc? Whilst traders can use the car parking spaces on Fridays and Saturdays they would not be able to use spaces where racks were installed. We need to position cycle parking in ways that does not conflict with other uses of the space.
Permanent vehicle access across the square is not needed, but traders need to get vehicles on site to set up their stalls. Maybe hinged lockable bollards could enable such temporary access.
As we unfold the plan, it is anticipated that discussions will be held with all stake-holders and interested parties for these kind of actions. By including such proposals in the plan, it allows the bigger picture to be viewed and the benefits more clearly visible. As you suggest, more innovative hardware can offer greater flexibility.
Para 10
Public bus services are provided by the County Council, not SHDC. Likely funding cuts mean that in future an increasing proportion of such services may be provided by community-based social enterprises and volunteers – [possibly in some kind of partnership with the County Council?]