Supersize Swindon's Sundays ; Buses Go Big In Town Services

CORRECTION : The reduced Sunday DayRider offer actual began on this Sunday, the 28th, and runs until the end of November. Sorry for the error.

Anything bus related, indeed any improvement in public transport deserves coverage, as does Swindon's Sunday bus changes.

Stagecoach has seen increased levels of patronage on the Sunday services, to the point now where some don't require council subsidy. As a result of this, frequencies are increasing from 26th of October and a promotion will be underway, with a DayRider (use it all day on all services in the town) being cut back to it's old price of £2.50 from £2.90 on Sundays.

The number 8 to Freshbrook will double to every half an hour, number 17 between Penhill and Park North becomes every 20 minutes and the number 12 will take the regular weekday 13/14 route and increase by 100% to half hourly.

Swindon Centric Says ; Well done Stagecoach for taking the initiative, this has been a long time coming for Sunday travel to be better. But, what policy is it that Thamesdown Transport has which means, apart from the hospital 16 service, it doesn't run any other buses on a Sunday. Since it's Swindon Borough Council owned, why is this?

Top Ten Things Heard On Swindon's Buses Last Week ; 72

Click here for the original and still the best at this brilliant idea, here's our own version for Swindon's buses from last week.

10. I wouldn't publicly state your position while we're sat at the bus.

9. We have a choice, but I don't understand either of them.

8. Don't eat it all at once, unless you want the bus tires to explode.

7. He's as incoherent as a John Prescott speech.

6. Fuzzy buttons, hooray!

5. He's listening to Kings Of Leon, hmm.

4. Rhubarb tastes better with brown sauce.

3. I hear they're going to sell the Bradford & Bingley bowler hats to raise revenue.

2. What do you expect, there is a war on.

And the number one overheard phrase on Swindon's buses from last week is...

1. I've had enough, lets send in the flapjacks.

Overheard something we've missed? Then let us know.

Regent Place Development Plans Show Area Earmarked

The proposal for the redevelopment in Granville Street and immediately north of Commercial has been made available in online form.

Swindon Centric Says ; Thanks to Komadori's knowledge, the areas shaded blue are 'overfly' right areas for the cranes needed for construction, while those in pink are the compulsory purchase properties.

Economy Doesn't Stop Thomas Homes Churchward Scheme

Stumbled on this, interesting video about the scheme to build on the site of the former Crane Shop. Part of the new build will make use of the 'propped up' southern and eastern walls of the Crane Shop. The traverser, which dominates the site, will be reduced in size. The traverser itself isn't original and was transfered from south of the tracks, previously in use at number 19, the Carriage & Wagon Shop, being moved across the main line during reorganisation at the works in 1966.

Swindon Centric Says ; Hopefully work on this, which has already started, is guaranteed to continue and not be temporarily halted, no matter what the economy does. It'll be strange to see people's living rooms through the disused windows in the propped up walls when work is complete. Talk about a reincarnation.

PS What was the original reason that during demolition at the works site, the walls were left in place? Surely someone knows?

Top Ten Things Heard On Swindon's Buses Last Week ; 71

Click here for the original and still the best at this brilliant idea, here's our own version for Swindon's buses from last week.

10. Then take he to see a film like a normal person.

9. Why would you want your two best mates to tag along on your anniversary?

8. They need to open it up to competition, then the whole town would benefit.

7. All those Rugby players and their legs, hmm.

6. When's the equinox?

5. Legend has it he appears at twilight at the edge of the road.

4. Baking it yourself is far cheaper than you'd imagine.

3. How many buggies can we safely take?

2. There was little outrage, which I think they were hoping for.

And the number one overheard phrase on Swindon's buses from last week is...

1. The Sunday buses are going to increase in frequency, at, flippin', last.

Overheard something we've missed? Then let us know.

Front Garden's Grass To Grow Long As Housing Policy Gets Muddy

As expected, housebuilding on the majority of the Front Garden will not start this year, as the council has suspended choosing a developer. 200 low-cost houses will still be built.

A common sense decision; however this illustrates an unattractive part of Swindon's housing policy. There are still many unbuilt and half-built houses in North Swindon, on which work has also been suspended. The sense in waiting for one area to be built and occupied before starting somewhere else is obvious.

Swindon Centric Says ; What's less obvious is why work began on the Front Garden, leaving it to look like a dirt-bike track (with the earth churned up for laying of services) for possibly several years. Let's just hope that it's not too late in the year for the grass to grow back to make the garden green again.

Swindon On Course To Beat It's Own Recycling Target

Over the last few months strides have been made in Swindon's recycling and refuse collection, to the point that it has won an award.

Coverage by the Advertiser has explained that the authority avoids, almost entirely, rejecting loads of recyclables due to contamination. We're not sure how they achieve that, but we're unable to find that section of the story online, which was part of the print edition, which explains it.

On a further plus side, the town is currently recycling 47 per cent of waste and has a ten commandments-style target of 50 per cent by 2010, so it's expected to reach that target early.

Swindon Centric Says ; So everyone who has been committed to the recycling shift,residents and council workers, well done.

The Grass Isn't Greener, Or Safer, On The Other Side

The breaking of a promise about saving playing fields has become mired in little clear, honest response from the councillors involved.

As others have reported, saying that "the plans have changed", isn't enough and doesn't explain what's happened to a suitable degree to those residents who received a newsletter saying they were safe.

Swindon Centric Says ; For a conservative controlled council that has it's version of the ten commandments in it's '50 Promises', you can't break a promise and then not give a full explanation. You might like to throw around the '50 Promises' like flashy confetti, but a promise is a promise, whether it's written in a glossy brochure and plastered on construction hoardings (by the new Central Library) or on a single leaf of A4 that's shoved through people's letterboxes.

The people of Stratton deserve a proper explanation. They're waiting councillors...

PS We agree that behaviour of this sort deserves all the ridicule that it has received.

Top Ten Things Heard On Swindon's Buses Last Week ; 70

Click here for the original and still the best at this brilliant idea, here's our own version for Swindon's buses from last week.

And the number one overheard phrase on Swindon's buses from last week is...

10. I've barely been here an hour, do you mind.

9. She doesn't know what's going to happen in an hours time.

8. Well if you'll excuse me, my friend and I have to catch a train.

7. One stop, near the pharmacy.

6. 'He has our full support', is what normally gets said right before they throw him under the bus.

5. Have you seen that ugly baby on the back seat?

4. When did people start saying 'HBOS', I'm demanding newsreaders go back to using the full name.

3. It's very robust, like oakey old socks; it's wine, drink it.

2. Did you know that potatoes don't count as one of your five-a-day?

And the number one overheard phrase on Swindon's buses from last week is...

1. You can't leave and say 'everything's wrong', then not say what it is that's wrong, that's just resignation-by-laziness.

Overheard something we've missed? Then let us know.

Top Ten Things Heard On Swindon's Buses Last Week ; 69

Click here for the original and still the best at this brilliant idea, here's our own version for Swindon's buses from last week.

10. It'll be drown out by the noise.

9. It's just a date, don't get emotional about it.

8. Your ideas aren't bad, it's just that mine are vastly superior to yours.

7. I have less and less confidence, but I'm not sure.

6. No, the next one.

5. Pork chops, they were on offer.

4. Just beautiful, thank you.

3. Hello boys and girls.

2. Broccoli is cheaper than beans, anyone know why?

And the number one overheard phrase on Swindon's buses from last week is...

1. So let me get this straight, the ex-mother-in-law of the bride is sitting at the top table?

Overheard something we've missed? Then let us know.

Big Project In The Shopping Bag - At Last

The Regent Place scheme, which will be built within the Commercial Road, Regent Street area, has been, finally, signed off.

At the same time, someone from the quiet-as-a-mouse, New Swindon Company, came out of hiding to say how pleased they were.

Swindon Centric Says ; Ok, the first hurdle is cleared, now lets see how long before the work begins. The clock is ticking...

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction - In Hong Kong & Swindon

A quick online search for details of the new Central Library reveals more holes than Swiss cheese in the Borough Council system. The main page, here, shows the last update on the construction as the 8th of May. Then, the specific central library page, here, shows the latest July news and an out of date picture.

Seems Komadori's comments about the latest initiative of council services were spot on. With their urge to rebrand, combined with an overdose of administration, (for it's own sake) is leaving the council treading water in a sea of it's own created red tape.

Swindon Centric Says ; We would throw them a life ring, but we don't have the correct form to fill out, plus by the time we get to it, the request will probably be out of date.

In other news... the same search found a book shop in Hong Kong called Swindon Book Company. Spookily, their website looks very familiar to the previous layout of the Borough Council site, in orange and grey.

Swindon Centric Says ; If the council are secretly running a book shop in a former British colony, then we demand an inquiry and possibly a recount.

Top Ten Things Heard On Swindon's Buses Last Week ; 68

Click here for the original and still the best at this brilliant idea, here's our own version for Swindon's buses from last week.

10. If only I'd told you yesterday.

9. For the life of me, I can't find that poster, it's either been thrown out or eaten.

8. All she heard was, "I can make the balls go click in the pocket", didn't know we were talking about pool.

7. The course is meant to include absolutely everybody, but that doesn't include me.

6. He thought 'credit crunch' was a type of cereal.

5. This bus now does two rotations of the roundabout, for operational reasons.

4. Several more were left behind, I gave them smug stares from the back seat.

3. I'm trying to make myself look pretty, don't look.

2. I'm attending a convention for conventioneers, it's bound to be as fun as it sounds.

And the number one overheard phrase on Swindon's buses from last week is...

1. It's all very well to drive, but you don't have anyone's conversations to overhear.

Overheard something we've missed? Then let us know.

The Writing Remains On The Wall - For Some

A clean-up of Old Town has highlighted the poor uptake of the free Swindon Borough Council graffiti removal service.

Despite efforts to highlight the service, many people still didn't take up the offer to make the area cleaner. This is a real shame as Swindon Centric has experience of the service and can't fault it. Often, private property not facing roadways never get cleaned unlike those facing into streets.

Personally, having seen less than three quarters of of the residents of our street walk in or out of the area, they probably never literally look over their garden fence. If they did they would see the side of privately owned walls, fences and garden sheds covered in graffiti. Whereas council owned subways, fences, walls and street furniture are repainted or jet cleaned once every fortnight.

Swindon Centric Says ; We're all quick to criticise the Council, but this service, which is free, is excellent and should be taken up by all residents who need it. It's possibly the easiest thing any resident can do to improve their area, you can ask for the service by phone and do it via email, it's that easy.