Kelvindale Community Council

Photo credit – The Evening Times.

The Evening Times article this morning –

“A VITAL bus service is under threat just five months after it was introduced.

The M4 service, run by First bus, was put on late last year to plug gaps in the route after they removed part of the 4A’s journey.

Now the bus giant says it is losing money on the service, which runs hourly from Anniesland and Partick bus station via Kelvindale and Hyndland.

When it was introduced in October, it was anticipated the service would take passengers on around 2000 trips a week, meaning they would break even in terms of costs.

However bosses say they are only able to cover around 50 per cent of the route’s running costs, and are subsiding it with around £1100 a week.

The route for the service was altered in December, and First Bus agreed to continue it for a six month trial period, which is due to finish in a month’s time, after which point first say they will have to review their options.

A letter seen by the Evening Times from the firm states “given the continued significant low use of the service, it seems very likely that the service will be deregistered and discontinued following the de registration period (10 weeks).”

First Bus have vowed to contact transport firm SPT to discuss options for the route, and whether it could be eligible for support under social guidelines.

SNP MSP Bob Doris, who has been carrying out a consultations with locals on the M4 service in the hope of extending it, said: ” I was in the process of arranging a meeting with First Glasgow to discuss the results of my parliamentary consultation on local bus services when the news emerged that First Glasgow were looking to axe the M4 service in around 10 weeks.

“That is a premature decision by First Glasgow and I have urged them to reconsider. Given around 400 constituents have contacted my office sharing their views on how the route could be improved I would hope the company will engage in a meaningful way.

“I have been working hard to retain a bus service in Kelvindale since First Glasgow decided to withdraw the previous 4A service.

“Following representations First Glasgow pledged to trial a new M4 replacement service but with a frequency of only an hour and some issues over the route and timetabling it always looked quite fragile.”

A First Glasgow spokesman said: “First Glasgow committed to a trial period of six months for the current revised M4 service and during this trial phase we promised to keep those stakeholders updated on passenger numbers, which we have done.

“Despite committing resource and effort to this service, and the subsequent public attention during this trial period, we are disappointed that the service continues to fall well short of the minimum number of passengers required to make it sustainable for the future.

“Our most recent email to stakeholders was part of this commitment, and highlighted that passenger uptake has not been to the level that we all hoped for. Prior to any decision regarding the future of the service, we will again meet with Mr Doris, other local stakeholders and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, to discuss available options.” ”

Report by –  Exclusive by Hannah Rodger, Senior Reporter / @hannahwritesHT

TRAIN services between Glasgow Queen Street and Anniesland have been cancelled for a week following a landslip.

Scotrail say their engineers will now work on repairing the damage the landslip caused to a footbridge in the area.

The line will be closed until Wednesday, April 12 and the move will also impact the West Highland line services.

A bus replacement service put in place for all affected routes Work is underway to stabilise the slope and assess the damage to the footbridge, which will need to be temporarily removed and then reconstructed before the line can be safely reopened.

As a result of this work all rail services between Glasgow Queen Street and Anniesland have been cancelled for seven days. A full bus replacement service will be in place for the half hourly service although customers are reminded that calls to intermediate stations will take longer.

Rail services between Glasgow Queen Street and Crianlarich have also been cancelled for the next seven days. A full bus replacement service will be in place to all intermediate stations.

Rail services for the West Highland line will begin at Crianlarich and continue to all intermediate stations for Oban, Fort William and Mallaig.

Scotrail say this temporary operational plan is under daily review and may be subject to changes.

A ScotRail Alliance spokesman said: “Our team has been on site since Tuesday morning assessing the damage and making plans to repair the line.

“We will be working around the clock to get the railway open as soon as possible, but extensive structural repairs will be needed to fix the significant damage caused to the footbridge.

“We are grateful to customers for their patience during the disruption. More service information can be found on our customer information system, our website and through the ScotRail App.

“In particular, we are looking at the best way to help holiday-makers travelling on the West Highland line with extra luggage, to make their journeys as smooth as possible. We ask everyone to plan ahead and arrive at the station in plenty of time for their journeys.”

Customers affected by this issue can use ScotRail’s Delay Repay compensation scheme, which kicks in for services that are delayed for 30 minutes or longer. Full details on this can be found at scotrail.co.uk/delay-repay

The above article courtesy of Stacey Mullen, Reporter, Glasgow Evening Times, Image by Ken Windsor.

Councillor Martin Rhodes has received the following e-mail from First Bus.

” Hello. Further to my note of 20th January regarding the M4 trial service. At that time we noted a minimum weekly customer expectation of 2000 trips per week, at which point the costs of the service would largely be covered and a break even position would exist. This would allow us to continue to seek additional patronage going forward. At that time we continued to sustain significant losses, with only around 50% of costs being covered.
I have set out below the current position below and have to report that this poor performance continues, with the service now covering only around 52% of costs. The effect of this is that this service requires to be subsidised to the tune of over £1,100 per week.
Our commitment given in December was that we would retain the service for a period of 6 months after which, based upon performance, we would decide on our actions with regard to its future. As we are now only five weeks away from that date, and given the continued significant low use of the service, it seems very likely that the service will be deregistered and discontinued following the deregistration period (10 weeks).
I will also notify SPT of this situation. The service, though clearly not commercial, could be considered under ‘social’ guidelines for tender support.
Please let me know if you have any queries.

Paul.Coupar@firstgroup.com

Councillor Rhodes has assured us that, in his eyes, this situation is unacceptable and that he will be pursuing all possible solutions to maintain a bus service for Kelvindale. We are also sure that all our other elected representatives feel the same.

However, as residents of the area you are of course entitled to write directly to Mr Coupar expressing your concerns.  We know that one of the major points raised with us over the past few months was the “possible distortion of passenger number figures caused by the fact that the M4 and 94 services through Kelvindale have been timed to leave from Anniesland at exactly the same time each hour”.

As a Community Council we will, once again, be formulating our own response to First Bus.

On behalf of our Board of Trustees we would like to invite you to a Pre-Planning Application meeting of our Charity to review our latest project – The Depot. We are proposing to undertake a Building Extension at SMPC to include a new “Eco” theatre, museum and documentation centre.

Over the past quarter of a century SMPC has hosted a large variety of groups and organisations  to deliver shows, workshops, courses, master-classes and birthday parties to promote masks, puppets and associated art forms. The current Centre provides an extraordinary atmosphere in which to learn, discover and celebrate the arts and is the only dedicated space of its kind in Scotland (www.maskandpuppet.co.uk). It has, however, become too small to accommodate existing demand and in order to remain sustainable and to protect our legacy we now need to grow and expand.

In partnership with Up-Front Arts and The Architects Design Ltd we now wish to provide an improved visitor experience while improving the facilities, outward appearance, car parking provision and landscaping of the existing building.

Our plan involves building forwards of our existing stores with a flexible timber frame building connected by a glass atrium corridor to our current cafe/foyer. The theatre space will have a gallery at first floor height to allow for puppet bridges in many positions. There will also be a pit in the floor to allow rod puppets to be operated at the same height as marionettes. The sloping roof shape is to allow for lighting bars and is designed for the acoustic of the space.

There will also be a lift to the first floor which will access the Museum Gallery, Documentation Centre and Interpretation Spaces plus an internal staircase/fire escape,

We shall be presenting our plans, drawings and ideas for your consideration under the terms of The Town and Country Planning Regulations 2008. You are most welcome to attend.

RSVP Wine and Cheese. Please reply by Sunday 12th March 12.00pm.

Dr. Malcolm Y. Knight, FRSA

Executive Director

At a recent meeting our local Police Officers gave us an insight into what happens when they actually catch offenders with stolen items. Very often, further investigations reveal many more items in their possession which they cannot prove ownership of but which cannot be traced back to their rightful owners. They are therefore promoting this great UK National Property Register which can help return items to victims of burglary and also of course help to convict offenders.

https://www.immobilise.com/

From the Evening Times today –

Warning issued over Glasgow health lottery scam which could be targeting the elderly.

THE public is being warned about a health lottery scam circulating Glasgow which could be targeting the elderly.

Letters are being sent out from ‘Health Lottery UK’ telling recipients they have won large sums of money from an ‘unticketed’ draw.

One man was told he had won £300,000 and was asked to call the company and pay a “remittance fee” to claim his prize.

The letter states the company is based at Zenith House, 216 Bishopsgate in Liverpool. Prize winners are told that if they do not claim their money by February 26, funds will be returned to ‘the board of internal revenue.’

The Evening Times called the number listed on the letter but the firm disconnected the line when we asked them to respond to allegations they are committing fraud.

A spokeswoman for the Health Lottery said it was aware of the scam and said legitimate prize winners would not be contacted by letter.

Gary Caldwell, who received a letter, said: “This is clearly a scam however elderly people may well be susceptible to these things.

“I telephoned the genuine Health Lottery who said they were aware of the scam, had contacted the police and had received a number of calls in relation to this.”

A spokeswoman for the Health Lottery said: “The Health Lottery have been made aware of reports of attempts to defraud members of the public through the use of letters claiming to be from the Health Lottery.

“These fraudulent letters state that the recipient has won a prize from the Health Lottery and instructs the recipient to contact the number on the letter in order to claim the prize.

“The Health Lottery never sends letters to inform customers that they have won a prize. Anyone who receives a letter claiming to be from the Health Lottery stating that they are a Health Lottery winner, should not attempt to contact the number or any contact details on the letter.

“f anyone has contacted the number and provided any personal details or have become a victim of fraud they should immediately contact Action Fraud UK by calling 0300 123 2040.”

Image copyright Ken Windsor.

A date for your diary – 18th March, 2017.  It is not that often when a major event comes to our area – so please give it your support.

https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/events/red-bull-neptune-steps-uk

The Evening Times article today – which of course impacts on all local residents.

If you see an environmental problem which you feel falls within the remit of the GCC Environmental Task Force – then please contact them.

To report incidents of fly-tipping, litter, graffiti and dog fouling use Twitter, the pink My Glasgow app or phone 0300 343 7027.

THE ARTICLE – photo above copyright The Glasgow Evening Times.

“Rapid response teams from the city’s environmental task force have power washed more than 46,000 sq m of unsightly scrawls – a record amount for any half year period.

And almost 3000 tons of rubbish was lifted and disposed of by community based clean teams.

New figures released today also show debris from more than 14,000 fly tipping incidents were removed and 500 sites improved by staff.

Almost 7000 litter louts were hit with fixed penalty notices in a bid to make them clean up their act and 750 pet owners were fined for failing to clean up their dogs dirt.

Long term unemployed people were recruited as task force trainees with seven securing permanent jobs, mainly with the city council and the Wheatley Group.

A further 12 have earned their City and Guilds qualifications increasing their chances of finding a job when their year long training ends.

Efforts to encourage city residents to keep their neighbourhoods tidy attracted an additional 224 volunteers boosting the city’s volunteer army to 757.

They carried out 5348 local clean ups supported by task force staff in the past six months.

Pupils have also carried out almost 500 school litter picks and businesses have been involved in more than 800 events.

City council leader Frank McAveety said: “The task force is doing an absolutely tremendous job and the teams are to be congratulated. These figures are remarkable.

“The dedication of the neighbourhood improvement volunteers and school pupils is also really impressive.

“I am heartened by the fact so many new volunteers have signed up to help keep their patches tidy.

“These people are taking pride in their communities and realise by getting involved they can make a huge difference.

“Our school pupils are learning about conserving the environment and why it is wrong to drop litter. These are good habits which they will take into adulthood and that is positive for the city.

“I am absolutely delighted several trainees have landed permanent jobs with the new skills and experience they have acquired. Helping long term unemployed people into work is a key element of this project.

“Admittedly we continue to face challenges. It is shocking that more than 7500 people have committed littering and dog fouling offences in the past six months.

“Hopefully receiving a fixed penalty will make them think twice about doing it again.”

In May last year, it was announced rapid response teams would be deployed across the city as part of a newly launched task force aimed at tackling problems like dumped rubbish, dog fouling and litter.

Local residents are able to report problems through Facebook and Twitter with the information gathered at a state-of-the-at command centre in Bridgeton.

Members of the 30 rapid response teams are then dispatched to tackle the issues as quickly at possible.

At the launch Mr McAveety said: “The environmental task force is a service fit for delivery in the digital age.

“We want genuine engagement with the people of Glasgow to work with them to build a better city.

“Through Twitter and Facebook the public can directly communicate with us and identify what needs to be done across Glasgow.

“I am determined to make this work. The environmental task force will deliver – the people of Glasgow deserve that.””

I think the expression is – “Forewarned is forearmed.”

Scottish Roads Partnership is responsible for completing the M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project on behalf of Transport Scotland.

We are writing to inform you of major works and traffic management on the M8/A8 corridor in both directions on approach to Baillieston Interchange.

As part of the M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project, the M8/A8 east and westbound traffic will be diverted via the newly-aligned A8 near Bargeddie, from 8 pm on Friday 17th February 2017, for approximately ten weeks.

This diversion is required to connect the existing M8 to the newly constructed M8 at Baillieston Interchange. Following these works, the M8 ‘Missing Link’ will be complete, and the new M8 between Baillieston Interchange and Eurocentral will open to traffic for the first time.

Access to all routes will be maintained and signed diversions will be in place on all approaches to Baillieston Interchange, however, significant delays are expected on the diversion routes, the M73 north and southbound and the surrounding local roads.

Road users are advised to plan their journey in advance and allow extra time. If possible, road users should avoid Baillieston Interchange, use an alternative route or an alternative mode of transport.

In addition, North Lanarkshire Council has promoted a temporary closure of the A89 westbound Coatbridge Road, between Langmuir Road and the new Bargeddie Roundabout, for the duration of the diversion to assist with traffic flows.

A temporary roundabout will also be in place at the junction of the A8 westbound Bargeddie off-slip and the A752 Aitkenhead Road.

Traffic flows will be monitored at key locations throughout the diversion routes. 

We would like to reassure you that we will utilise best practice methods of working where possible to keep disturbance to a minimum. All works undertaken are subject to consultation with North Lanarkshire Council and the Local Authority Environmental Services before being implemented.

Further information on this closure can be obtained at http://www.transport.gov.scot/A8diversion

Traffic management layouts change regularly; therefore road users are advised to routinely check the Transport Scotland website and the Traffic Scotland website for live updates; www.transportscotland.gov.scot and www.trafficscotland.org

If you have any enquiries regarding these works, please contact us on 0800 042 0188 or info@scotroadspartnership.co.uk

The Evening Timers article this morning.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/15054928.Bogus_callers_to_be_shown_the_door_targeted_campaign/?ref=ebln