Agenda item

This report advises the Executive Member of a petition presented to Council earlier this year seeking retention of a bus service along Temple Lane, Copmanthorpe.

RESOLVED:           i) That the Executive Member requests Officers to give further consideration to ways in which the demand for public transport from Temple Lane, Copmanthorpe to York City Centre can be satisfied.

ii)Officers to prepare a report in relation to the above for consideration at a future Executive Member decision session, to include analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the following options:

a)     Requesting First York Ltd. to extend their commercial Bus Service 13 beyond its current terminus into Temple Lane, Copmanthorpe or

b)     Looping the number 21 service through the Temple Lane area either on a permanent or part time basis or

c)      Rerouting the number 21 permanently via Copmanthorpe

iii)That should all these options prove to be impractical or beyond available resources then Officers should recommend to the next meeting how a shared taxi or York Wheels service from Temple Lane to the City Centre, and return, on a limited number of days per week could be established.

iv)                That Officers, when considering how the best use of the additional Dial and Ride vehicle can be achieved, take into account the comments made by residents when consulted about this agenda item.

REASON:That this potentially offers the most cost effective means of providing a more convenient bus service for the residents of the Temple Lane area of Copmanthorpe than currently exists, as it is unlikely to involve the Council in additional expenditure disproportionate to the scale of the problem.

Consideration was given to a report, which outlined details of a petition presented to Council earlier in the year, which sought retention of a bus service along Temple Lane, Copmanthope. An additional Annex had been published with the agenda, which gave an analysis of passenger journeys on this route over a period of time.

It was confirmed that Officers were also carrying out preliminary investigations into the use of a shared private hire vehicle on up to three days per week from Temple Lane, Copmanthorpe to the city centre. Initial investigation of the legal aspects suggested that a vehicle would currently require pre-booking and that it could only be publicised to a residents club, which would need to be formed for the purpose. This was expected to be relaxed when revised Regulations, awaited under the Local Transport Act 2008 were implemented.

The Executive Member referred to further written representations he had received from:

• Local Members for Rural West York, who suggested investigation of modification of the Dial and Ride service or shared car hire or taxibus options;
• Councillor Healey, who requested that consideration be given to returning a scheduled bus service by the diversion of the No 21 service;
• Councillor Hudson, who supported examination of the shared taxi option;
• John Grogan, MP, concerning the large number of representations he had received from residents of Temple Lane, regarding the loss of the bus service. He asked for consideration to be given to the diversion of one C1 (now 21) bus a day in each direction;
• Comments submitted by Mr Nigel Brown, local resident, from bus users living around the Temple Lane area suggesting a number of alternative solutions and to the problems for elderly residents if no further action was taken;
• Response from First York in which they stated that if a number of problems could not be overcome that they were unwilling to undertake any changes to their services.

Nigel Brown, a local resident, made representations in support of the retention of a bus service which ran along Temple Lane. He referred to the additional information provided on passenger numbers and pointed out that this usage was a compelling reason for rerouting the bus, which would only involve a 6 minute detour. He stated that residents felt that the withdrawal of the No 21 bus service to Temple Lane discriminated unfairly against them.

Councillor Potter referred to the numerous emails the local MP had received from elderly resident in relation to the loss of this bus service. She requested the Executive Member to request Officers to further investigate the use of Dial a Ride and York Wheels in a proactive way.

Councillor Gillies expressed his support for the previous speakers. He stated that he supported the re-routing of the service along Temple Lane.

Councillor Healey confirmed that residents were in favour of re-routing the service to enable them to regain their independence. He questioned what options were available with the available resources.

Officers confirmed that a bus service could possibly be provided along Temple Lane, Copmanthorpe in one of the following ways, with each option having a cost, in many cases substantial, attached:

·        Provide a self contained 2 or 3 day a week link from Acaster Malbis to either Askham Bar or York City Centre

·        Extend First York Service 13, either in whole or part, to a new terminus in Temple Lane

·        Join First York Service 13 (Monks Cross – Copmanthorpe) to Service 11 (Ashley Park – Bishopthorpe) via Temple Lane and Appleton Road

·        Revise the new Service 21 to run via Bishopthorpe on some days and Copmanthorpe on others

·        Alternatively, the Council could decide to take no action to reinstate bus service provision along Temple Lane.

Officers confirmed that they were only able to negotiate with bus companies regarding changes to services and that they could not enforce a change.

Other suggested solutions put forward, which officers had already established, or considered, not to be feasible were:

·        Divert some or all Yorkshire Coastliner services from Hallcroft Lane/Top Lane via Copmanthorpe and Bishopthorpe to & from Tadcaster Road

·        Revise the new Service 21 to run along Temple Lane and return between Acaster Malbis and Bishopthorpe

·        Revise the new Service 21 to run some journeys each day via Bishopthorpe and some journeys via Copmanthorpe

The Executive Member confirmed that this was a difficult problem and that he wished to keep all available options open and to consider the matter in following receipt of further details.

RESOLVED:           i) That the Executive Member requests Officers to give further consideration to ways in which the demand for public transport from Temple Lane, Copmanthorpe to York City Centre can be satisfied. 

ii)Officers to prepare a report in relation to the above for consideration at a future Executive Member decision session, to include analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the following options:

a)     Requesting First York Ltd. to extend their commercial Bus Service 13 beyond its current terminus into Temple Lane, Copmanthorpe or

b)     Diverting the number 21 service through the Temple Lane area either on a permanent or part time basis or

c)      Rerouting the number 21 permanently via Copmanthorpe.

iii)That should all these options prove to be impractical or beyond available resources then Officers should recommend to a future meeting how a shared taxi or York Wheels service from Temple Lane to the City Centre, and return, on a limited number of days per week could be established.

iv)                That Officers, when considering how the best use of the additional Dial and Ride vehicle can be achieved, take into account the comments made by residents about the current service when consulted about this agenda item. ^1.

REASON:That this potentially offers the most cost effective means of providing a more convenient bus service for the residents of the Temple Lane area of Copmanthorpe than currently exists, as it is unlikely to involve the Council in additional expenditure disproportionate to the scale of the problem.