Every cloud and all that...whilst I might personally think the whole thing is going to be ineffective, that the Council are able to splash out such a significant sum on such an obscure issue clearly demonstrates austerity in local government is over. That's good news surely?

...or simply an example of a typical public sector box ticking exercise.

It's not an obscure issue to WBC - the Burger King roundabout is a major headache for them. Essentially they can't do a thing about it - so they grasp at straws, like this dream of persuading a significant proportion of South Newbury/Greenham residents to walk or cycle rather than drive into town. Even if the exercise is twice as successful as they dare dream it will have no significant effect on the air pollution at the roundabout.

Adding another 5,000 houses around Newbury won't help much either!

....but not one people are demonstrating outside Market Street offices about, or starting petitions, or filling the letters page at NWN about. As you rightly say, the real issue is something they can do nothing about. its a bit like when Lambeth declared themselves a nuclear free zone; utterly pointless. However, that just cost a few signs. So, again, I'd say local government have ended austerity and we are back to waste - fill yer boots lads!

Again, because the by-pass does not take the A339 traffic maybe a solution would be to force traffic using this road to onto it?
How I'm not sure but would probably mean forcing traffic to / from Basingstoke to use the Tothill junction.
Alternatively build an Eastern by-pass (as should have been done in the first place!) which would also eliminate the level crossing!!
Otherwise Newbury will remain forever a through route and BK Roundabout will be forever polluted!

Especially as a train with a Nuclear Flask on its way to Dungeness passed through the borough! (or was that Lewisham?)

I would also be interested to know how they ensure that no nuclear generated electricity reaches the Borough

or as I seem to recall, reinstate an earlier idea to have an elevated section from North of Fire Station to Tesco r/about?

Ironically, it would have been rather easier to get the then rail authorities to re route the flasks than it will be for WBC to reduce pollution. Still, £90 grand into the economy, can't be bad; specially coming from the party that abhors waste!

I haven't got a car myself, living as I do in the Town centre, I don't need one. It's a lifestyle choice though and frankly, even some of my neighbours think its weird, but it works for me. I can see why it wouldn't be so easy for people living in the suburbs as the bus services in Newbury aren't very good. Also, its hilly in some places, so a bike isn't always practical. Someone mentioned that Vodafone have a 'green' travel scheme which pays people not to use cars but apparently even that doesn't work too well. All this is pretty obvious, so it does seem very strange that the District Council think they will make a big change just by having a chat on the door step. Someone is giving them some pretty bad advice.

I worked on Hambridge Lane some years back and I would have liked to have cycled to work, but cycling to Hambridge Lane from Wash Common is, IMHO, relatively dangerous, and without showers at work I'd have been sitting at a desk sweaty all day.

More interestingly I could have done virtually all of my work from home but wasn't offered the option, and I think that's something WBC could invest some money in promoting to business rather than addressing their concerns to commuters.

Ties in with your new post!

I'd certainly agree, perhaps even a session at the Local Technical College would help. 'New Ways of Working' - properly explaining the benefits to both business and employee of working from home / elsewhere, how to do and manage it properly and how to remote conference properly etc. That might dispel some of the more obvious responses which usually kill off such initiatives Perhaps a degree of sponsorship from our own comms giant?

Anyway, not only has JSH had a pop at us, Ms Pam Bale has repudiated criticism of this project too, but you'll have to borrow or buy your own NWN to see what she says in the letters page, you tight wads!

Well she would, wouldn't she.

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/2014/council...r-journey-cards

Words fail me!

As this is clearly the first attempt, has anyone suggestions for other 'flash card comments'
such as 'what do you mean this is only for Vodafone people?' or 'can you check that, I only want to pay for the ride, not the bus'.

If we are really serious about getting us to use public transport, can we please employ people who know how to do that properly. What is emerging is patronising and amateur.

I do wonder about the residents of the area where the project was centered, Wash Common I believe, if the most popular request from those people interrogated was for a set of cards so that they can communicate with the bus driver. Is WBC for real. If the people are up to filling in the choice box, I suspect they would be perfectly capable of communicating their wishes.

Quite right to use the word patronising here and is this just a poor attempt at spin.

They all have incontinence...Look at the cards and how often does "The Toilet" fit.?
Wash Common for you?
ce

I think it shows that someone at the council has initiative?

I bet none of us could of come up with this idea to P*ss ratepayers money away could we?

I take it your comment is made as an able bodied person with no physical or mental impairment? I got on a bus behind someone with a severe stutter.... By the time the poor bloke had pushed the words out of his mouth so that the driver knew how much to charge I could have walked to where I wanted to go...

A card would at least h...h..hhh.. haaaa..hh..hh.. h.haaaaavv.vvv.vv.vvvvvvvvvvv..v.huvhel...ellll llll. ...helped..!

Why can they not just write the message on a piece of paper? Ahhh because it would be the same result but wouldn't spend any of the taxpayers money!