Category: Uncategorised

Contractor’s working on behalf of Westminster Council will be carrying out resurfacing works Westbound Piccadilly between Duke Street and Arlington Street.

08:00 Sunday 3 December until 16:00 Monday 4 December.

Due to road resurfacing works Queens Gate will be closed between Kensington Gore and Prince Consort Road. The works are scheduled for both dates but the contractor is hopeful of completing within one day.

The Royal Tank Regiment and AJEX wreath laying ceremony will be taking place with a closure of Whitehall, between Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square from 08:00until 16:00.

The normally banned turns into and out of Northumberland Avenue on to Victoria Embankment will be lifted for this event.

Utility works are taking place on the A13 Commercial Road at the junction with Branch Road (A101). Works will include temporary traffic lights and lane restrictions.

From Tuesday 24 October until January 2024

 

Following the sad cancellation of the UK Coach & Bus UK 2023 Show, for very understandable reasons, there was a gap in the calendar for networking opportunities for the coach sector, which tends to thrive at these sorts of events. Enter Temsa and Ilesbus who, in just over 4 weeks, managed to organise a gathering at Temsa’s UK base in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire named CoachFest 2023 on 23 and 24 August. The UKCOA together with the CPT and RHA were all present, together with many suppliers from the industry.

So, what was it like? Well for a start it was very informal. The footprint was much smaller than other trade shows, but did that matter? We were all much closer together and the layout (in the shape of an ‘S’) meant that you got to see those visiting far more often than you might at a bigger show, so if you were speaking to someone else there was still an opportunity to catch others later.

The informality also generated a more relaxed style, which I think is what many coach operators are looking for. Many of them go to these events with a different expectation from the larger bus and coach operators in what they want to achieve. They want to see what the new products are; what is happening that may have an impact on how they run their business, but most importantly to catch up with their friends and colleagues who, like them have been involved in running coaches for many years. It was fortunate that the weather was generally good, as there were a number of vehicles for sale plus a bar and a food trailer (not forgetting the ice cream van) all located outside.

There were times, especially later on in the day, that the undercover area was sparsely populated, but that was when the operators were networking over a drink. However, that did not seem to matter for it gave those running the trade stands time to catch up too; something that we are not normally able to do.

The other issue that struck me that it was just a coach show and didn’t pretend to be anything else. At most, if not all, the trade stands there was something that was of relevance to the medium sized and smaller coach operator and it felt very much like it was their show.

The timing was interesting; hosting it just before the August bank holiday could have been challenging for many to attend, but as some of the activity was outdoors you need to pick a time when you are more likely to have good weather. Many operators will have already been away and returned from their annual holidays to give themselves a week or so to prepare for the start of the new school term. And forget post Easter to mid-July; this time period is the busiest for coach operators and simply you would not get the footfall. So, taking all of that into account it was not a bad time to schedule it.

If Temsa and Ilesbus do repeat the format in 2024, more advance notice may well push the numbers of attendees up (it seemed light on the second day) and I for one would definitely encourage all coach operators to come. It complements rather than competes with other trade shows and I believe there is a place for this type of format going forward. Well done to all those who put it on in a very short space of time.

Peter Bradley
Managing Director
UK Coach Operators Association

HS2 will be undertaking works on a gas main (as part of the wider project) passing under the A40 between Gypsy Corner (North Acton) and Hanger Lane.

Woks will commence on Monday 21 August and continue until mid-November 2023 and will result in a contraflow of one of the eastbound lanes and an overall reduction of the road to two lanes in each direction.

Summary of dates 

Programme Phase	Start date	End date
Phase 1-Civil Works	21/08	11/09
Phase 2-Final Contra-flow Opening	12/09	13/09
Phase 3-Gas diversion works, contra-flow in operation	14/09	26/10
Phase 4-Civil Works	27/10	17/11

Details of the Works

21 August to 11 September 2023 – contraflow build

• Lane three closures in each direction
• Some overnight (22:00 to 05:00) works closing lanes 2 & 3 in each direction

Night: 22:00 12 September to 05:00 13 September 2033 – overnight eastbound diversion

Eastbound A40 will be closed under Hanger Lane. The diversion route will be ‘over the top’ at Hager lane before re-joining the eastbound carriageway – diversion shown in yellow below.

13 September to 26 October 2023

• Two lanes in each direction, with lane 2 eastbound contraflow
  • Please note: This eastbound contraflow lane must not be used by large vehicles (2m width restriction in place).
• Lane 2 in each direction will be narrow
• Recovery will be in place 24 hours
• The Mansfield Road turnback/U-turn facility will be removed for traffic but the pedestrian facility will remain
• A 20mph speed limit will be in force

27 October to 17 November 2023

• Return to normal operations

TfL have requested that A312 The Parkway and the M4/A4 corridor are kept clear of planned works during this time.

Further Information

Copy of letter sent to local residents

 

A new coach drop-off and pick up point has recently opened in Durham City, replacing the former site at Freeman’s Place.

Coach drop-off and pick-ups are now provided at Framwelgate Waterside (DH1 5TA). From Framwelgate Waterside passengers can either walk up to the city centre, or catch the Durham Cathedral Bus, which operates from the bus stop adjacent the coach drop-off point (https://bit.ly/45wseYZ). Durham County Council have also produced a Coach Drop-off point wayfinding map (https://bit.ly/3E5ujik).

Once passengers have been dropped off, coach parking is located at the Belmont Park and Ride site (DH1 1SR), on the A690, approximately 300m east of Junction 62 of the A1 and just 10 minutes from Durham City centre. 30 spaces have been provided; parking is free and coach drivers have access to toilets and facilities for cleaning coaches. The fuel station, which has a ‘Costa’ facility, is approximately 100m east of the coach park, on the A690. Coach drivers also have free travel in and out of Durham City centre from the Belmont Park and Ride site on the Durham City Park and Ride service (07:00 to 19:00, Mondays to Saturdays).

 

Deputy Chair of Frinton Residents Association (the FRA), Dave Hamilton, has written to the UKCOA to inform the industry the town is unable to accommodate any long-term coach parking due to the town’s small size and lack of infrastructure.

Frinton welcomes coach parties, having a marked, designated coach drop-off/pickup bay, which is close to toilet facilities and nearby step-free access to the beach.

It then asks coaches to park in the neighbouring town of Walton-on-the-Naze, approximately eight minutes away. Walton has a designated coach parking area. See the local council website for more information.

Some coaches park across multiple car parking bays with their engines idling. The FRA has already written to several coach companies about this issue, although problems persist.

We want coach operators visiting villages, towns and cities across the country to be seen as good neighbours, especially where facilities for coaches have been thought through. Please do assist your drivers before they leave for the day so they know where to park.

 

There are several important dates for the implementation of the smart tachograph version 2 (or second-generation smart tachograph):

August 2023
According to the new tachograph rules, the second generation of smart tachographs must be installed in all new registered vehicles with a permissible weight of 3.5 tonnes or more by the 31 August 2023. 

December 2024
From 31 December 2024, all international road transport vehicles weighing 3.5 tonnes or more must switch to the latest smart tachograph version 2 for improved tracking and safer roads. This also includes vehicles equipped with an analogue or digital non-smart tachograph.

August 2025
By 18 August 2025 the vehicles equipped with a smart tachograph version 1 will need to replace and install the second generation of this smart technology.

July 2026
By 1 July 2026 all new vehicles above 2.5 tonnes in international road transport or cabotage operations will be equipped with a smart tachograph version 2 (second generation smart tachograph).

Further information can be found here.

 

There will be lane restrictions on Buckingham Place Road southbound just prior to the Eccleston Bridge junction overnight. Bus stands Z4 and Z12 will be closed.

21:00 to 02:00 on the night of Monday 21 August going into Tuesday 22 August 2023.

The right turn into Eccleston Street (for access to the VCS Arrivals Terminal) will be open but with restricted lane capacity. Therefore operators using Buckingham Place Road southbound and accessing the VCS Arrivals Terminal are advised to route:

Ahead Buckingham Palace Road, left Elizabeth Bridge, left Bulleid Way, left Eccleston Bridge, ahead Eccleston Street.