The information about the changes has been well-documented on the town's community website and social media, and there are new timetables and maps available, as well as good online resources.
A robust debate
Wearing the Town Council's 'Transport hat', my inbox is starting to overflow, even though the Town Council's role in public transport provision is extremely limited.
Tensions have been brewing and these can be of no good for the town. Groups are forming, flyers being printed, notices pinned, and petitions created. These focus mainly around the suitability of various routes for the buses.
In reading some of the comments being posted online, the temperature is sky high. Should buses use the tree-lined area of Lynch Hill Park or should they still use Newbury and London Streets with their narrow pavements? Some remarks have validity, others are very opinionated.
On that argument a robust debate continues and I for one have no issues with that. Expression of opinion is always to be welcomed so long as it remains polite.
The fact that some people can no longer reach their workplaces or that half the town is now cut off from the railway station is being shuffled to the sidelines, yet perhaps it is they who are being affected most.
Right: The 86 - services massively cut.
The 86 service to Winchester with its hospital, colleges, County Hall, and shopping facilities has been savagely cut by Stagecoach. In addition the now much reduced service on London Street/Road is causing some people concern.
In the noise about which roads buses should use, the needs of those who rely on No.86 are getting drowned out – that is not right.
Cut to bare bones
What was a regular hourly service from morning to early evening has been cut to the chase. A two-hourly timetable has been implemented north of Sutton Scotney to Whitchurch and Overton. In addition re-routing of the 86 in Whitchurch has now left the whole of the southern part of the town with no link to the railway station. So much for integrated transport. Don't the buses and trains work together? Are they not even part of the same company?
When it comes to joining up transport services there is no joined up thinking.
Communication has been worse than poor, although this has now been recognised and apologies issued. There was nothing in advance from Stagecoach, and zilch from the County Council. To be fair that's not entirely true. HCC did deliver some timetables after everything had been decided. And this is where I scream... Those timetables.
Booklets for buses in the Andover area and another for the Winchester area, both of which include the Whitchurch services have been published – And they don't fully match up. Is it Stagecoach or is it really Hampshire who we should be shouting at?
And don't get me started on HCC's map in the timetable – which seems to indicate the 86 does serve the station – but it doesn't. The nearest 86 stop to the railway station is now opposite Tescos – 3/4 mile away. I'm really shaking my head here.
Take a deep breath. I'll try to be positive.
Are all options being considered?
If Stagecoach claim the service was uneconomic then other options need exploring. With many calling for a link to Newbury, could the Winchester – Whitchurch – Newbury service be re-instated? That could kill two birds with one stone and also resolve the station problem as the bus would pass it.
Or maybe the transport authorities could look at funding an on-demand taxi-share service over the Sutton Scotney to Whitchurch/Overton section? Again Hampshire County Council has the means to introduce this and also facilitate the services required in London Street/Road and Kings Walk where some have lost their service.
Maybe the brand new 85 route which runs Winchester – Sutton Scotney – Bullington – Andover, could be routed to include Whitchurch?
Or perhaps the services should be offered to alternative operators but would they be any better?
Meanwhile the users suffer.
With all these cuts and confusing information, one big fear is that even the two-hourly daytime service to and from Winchester may disappear. Is that the aim? Is there a longer term plan to make it so difficult to use that it becomes unusable?
Under all these recent changes the biggest losers are the No.86 users.
Amongst all the noise, don't let us forget them.
