New 'Skylark' Cycle Route from Dover to Deal Launched

A new 'safer' cycle route - The 'Skylark' - between Dover to Deal was launched on Saturday at a mass gathering of local cyclists at the Lantern Pub in Martin

The new route came as Dover & District Cycling Forum's response to the tragic loss of local cyclist Daniel Squire on the A258 last year.

New signage marks the route which runs parallel to the busy A258 on quiet county lanes (Guston - Martin - Coldblow.  It offers a good inland alternative to the coastal National Cycle Route 1.

You can pick the route up at the bottom of Telegraph Hill

There is also a new map for cyclists with this route and the other main routes for Folkestone, Canterbury and Thanet.

There was a good turnout of local cyclists; many from Deal Tri and Spokes

Full details at the Dover Cycling Forum Website 

Next mission for the Forum is get better mapping and signage onto the many cycle routes at key places like the port and rail stations at Dover and Deal.

The Old Lantern Pub at Martin looks like it will become a stopping point for cyclists on the new route with a friendly welcome and wide range of food and err  beer .... worth a visit if you are exploring the route http://www.theoldlanterninn.co.uk/

HS1 Deal ... keep the pressure up

Thank you for all your support at this critical time as we try to influence the negotiations between the DfT and Southeastern on the future of our HS services.

 

Will they stop in March 2014?

 

...or will we get at least some of the long promised and eagerly awaited off-peak and weekend trains?

 

Please help us make the case by sending your story of why it matters to you - to  http://www.trains4deal.com/lobby.html

 

Keep an eye on the website for up-to-date news, and to see what others are saying.

Strength in numbers  - pass it on!

Tom Rowland / Ian Killbery admin@trains4deal.com

Join the rail-users' group for the Deal area

Campaigning for High Speed trains to Deal - NOW!

http://www.trains4deal.com 

Join the trains4deal group on Facebook

Transport & Air quality meeting ...

All - here are details of a meeting about Canterbury's transport and air quality problems.

Thursday, 8^th November, Dominican Priory, 7:30pm -

Lynn Sloman: Sustainable Transport Blueprint for Canterbury

Lynn Sloman is one of the country’s leading experts on sustainable transport and is a director of Transport for Quality of Life, (www.transportforqualityoflife.com). She was one of the authors of the report to the DfT in 2010, ‘The Effects of Smarter Choice Programmes in the Sustainable Travel Towns: Summary Report’, which led to the creation of the government’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund.

Canterbury’s traffic and air quality problems are much debated. Here might be some advice and solutions that could help cut congestion, improve air quality in the city and lower the city's carbon footprint.

New 12 Bus route to Canterbury

There is a new 12 bus route to Canterbury via Whitfield - Journey takes about 45mins....

It was one of the things Jeremy Cooper discussed at our meeting in Nov 2011 http://transitiondeal.blogspot.com/2010/11/deal-with-it-report-on-tuesdays.html

Nice to see it in operation ... thanks for listening Stagecoach ... now if we could work on the idea for electric buses...

Trains4Deal report

Trains4deal was at last week's Southeastern Stakeholders' Forum in Gillingham, along with a contingent from Dover District Council.

We spoke about the results of our spot surveys of passenger usage of the new HS service for Deal and Sandwich (see latest updates on http://www.trains4deal.com ). Southeastern MD, Charles Horton, commented that Trains4deal probably know more about the figures than he did, and could we pass them on!

Our questions established that consultations on the level of service under new franchise (starting March 2014) will start in the new year. Southeastern said there was no prospect of any additional HS services to either Maidstone or Deal and Sandwich before then.

All Trains4deal supporters who are interested are invited to the next meeting of the the Kent branch of RAILFUTURE, which campaigns for better rail services and is a good supporter of our cause. It's this Saturday, 2pm at the Alma pub in West St. If you're thinking of attending, an RSVP would be appreciated and will be passed on to the organisers to help them prepare. The meeting will discuss rail issues generally in Kent, and Deal and Sandwich are certain to come up!

best wishes,

Tom Rowland / Ian Killbery admin@trains4deal.com

Join the rail-users' group for the Deal area

Campaigning for High Speed trains to Deal - NOW!

http://www.trains4deal.com

Join the trains4deal group on Facebook

Great news for Deal and Sandwich commuters!

Great news for Deal and Sandwich commuters!

Three early morning direct HS services UP (departing Sandwich at 05:50, 06:18 and 06:50, calling at Deal six minutes later) and two early evening services back down (leaving St Pancras International at 17:40 and 18:40) will start A MONTH EARLY on 5th September.

The new services will operate Monday to Friday and will take approximately 90 minutes.

"The early start is a timely vote of confidence in the future of Deal and Sandwich from the rail operator," said IAN KILLBERY of campaign group Trains4deal.

"The new service aimed at local commuters starts just as Pfizer lay-offs begin to bite. A 90-minute commute opens new job opportunities for local people, and it will be popular with many Deal commuters who now drive to Dover or Ashford to catch the train."

Trains4deal will press for swift action to improve parking and drop-off facilities at both stations, to avoid parking chaos in nearby streets.

Next step in the Trains4deal campaign?

"The success of the high-speed Open Golf trains, which often ran with standing room only, shows the strength of pent-up demand for faster travel to and from East Kent. More direct HS trains during the day and at weekends are what the tourist trade and local businesses really need to bring people down from London," said TOM ROWLAND also of Trains4deal. "There are still HS trains lying idle during the day and at weekends; if the commuter service is well-used that will help make the case for using some to make further improvements to services on the Deal and Sandwich line."

More details at http://www.trains4deal.com

Tom Rowland / Ian Killbery admin@trains4deal.com
Join the rail-users' group for the Deal area
Campaigning for High Speed trains to Deal - NOW!
http://www.trains4deal.com
Join the trains4deal group on Facebook

Well done Trains4Deal - HST is coming to Deal!

Following the KCC's recent rail summit it looks like we may be seeing the fast HST trains stopping in Deal. The local press has already annonced a limited service around the Open Golf tourament in July.

From our colleagues Trains4Deal website: " 

A Fast HS1 train service for Deal and Sandwich from October 2011.

Southeastern Trains is to start a high speed train service offering three trains each morning and three each evening connecting both Deal and Sandwich to London St Pancras in under 70 minutes from October this year.

The announcement was made at the Kent Rail Summit held in Maidstone on Wednesday 27 April.

The services will leave Sandwich at 05.51, 06.17 and 06.47 each morning and then call at Deal before following the established route via Dover to St Pancras.

The evening trains calling at Deal and Sandwich will depart from St Pancras at 17.40, 18.40 and at one later time to be announced nearer to the launch, said Paul Carter, leader of Kent County Council.

The agreement follows the suggestion first made by Trains4Deal 18 months ago, at the inception of the campaign to get high speed Javelin trains to stop at the two towns.

These trains already pass through both stations empty. Now from October they are to be stopped and passengers allowed to board.

“This interim arrangement does little to aid commuters from outside the area wanting to get to Deal, Sandwich or the Pfizer site near Sandwich early in the day or home in the evenings,” said Ian Killbery from Trains4Deal.

Kent County Council has however prioritised the expansion of the new service to a full, all day high speed link between Deal, Sandwich and St Pancras as its key demand contained in the new Kent Rail Action Plan that was also launched at the Rail Summit.

This request is to be made to the Department for Transport for inclusion in the specification for the new rail franchise due to run from 2014.

“This is a key step along the way to getting Deal and Sandwich a modern, efficient rail service to rival those on offer in other towns of comparable size in Kent. But we are not there yet, the service will be of no use to those wanting to go to London and to take advantage of cheap or concession fares available later in the day,” said Tom Rowland from Trains4Deal."

Climate Rush is coming to Kent - 16th April

Climate Rush
We have just learned that Climate Rush are undertaking an action in London and a well known place in Kent.

Climate Rush is an environmental action group inspired by the Suffragettes. Launched in 2008 they have brought theatre and feminine flair to climate activism. They have 'rushed' Parliament to celebrate the centenary of the Suffragette Rush; they have held an Edwardian sit-in picnic at Heathrow Airport Terminal One and they have often been found - in Suffragette dress - immovable in or around Parliament.

www.railwayadventure.wordpress.com

Over the next four years our government will hike rail fares by 31%, the highest raise in fares in a generation.

We were promised ‘fair fares’ but instead prices are up and our trains are overcrowded. A complicated ticketing system makes it even more difficult for us to choose the train.

Another budget and another set of cuts. If we fail to protest, we wave goodbye to an affordable and integrated public transport system and we say hello to bigger roads, bigger airports, more planes and cars.

Join us for a Railway Adventure when we’ll protest as jam sandwiches are passed amongst passengers who are embroidering a petition and dancing to a ceilidh band: bring bunting, your picnic and red flannel petticoats.

An affordable, reliable and fair railway service for all!  We don't think it's too much to demand.

sign up to the event on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=183582888352118

Or see their blog for more information:http://railwayadventure.wordpress.com/

More details on saturday....

Dover Bid - DWI Open Letter to DDC

From Deal With it to Open letter to DDC
Green group presses for flyover at accident blackspot on A258 and safer cycling.

Wouldn’t it be great for walkers, riders, and cyclists , locals and tourists, to be able to cross from St Margaret’s to Martin Mill station on a flyover or underpass avoiding the A258 cross roads, and to have safer access to National Cycle Route 1. Or to have a flyover linking the two halves of Ringwould on either side of the busy A258, or a cycle path linking North Deal to Fowlmead; wouldn’t it be lovely!

These could be part of a new Local Sustainable Transport scheme to develop safe cycle routes from stations at Deal and Sandwich and increased train services. An impossible Dream? Not necessarily. KCC has recently sent out invitations to District councils to bid for a Local Sustainable Transport Grant of £5 million. In Dover and Deal we could be the lucky winners if DDC put in an application by March 11 2011.

The narrow, congested A 258 is still a danger to cyclists and causes delays in the journeys of bus users. Relieving the pressure on it, by improvements to rail and cycle services can only improve our quality of life, reducing injury and air and noise pollution. For Deal, Walmer and Sandwich residents, the ever-rising cost of fuel when driving to work, education and health care, makes a sustainable transport scheme more needed than ever. We need to help youngsters whose EMAs are being cut, travel to jobs and education more easily, more safely.

These are the reasons why Deal With It says we badly need a coherent network of safe, shared walking / cycling routes with better connections between these routes and the trains and the bus services; also a reduction in congestion and parking problems and waiting times. We need SAFER, healthier, walking / cycling routes to get around within the Deal / Walmer area, and we would like our DDC councillors to put in a bid to KCC next week to meet the deadline.

The bid should include the start-up costs of a new rail service, to be achieved cost-effectively using existing rolling stock and infra structure, a service not allowed for within the franchise ending 2014. It should bring about the KCC Action plan for Rail (2011) which prioritises the extension of the Dover High Speed Train service to Deal. This would double the service frequency on the local Dover-Ramsgate line and improve connections to Canterbury, Maidstone and Faversham at Minster and Dover.

There are convincing arguments put forward by Trains4deal (www.trains4deal.com) backing such a bid for reasons of urgently needed regeneration. Deal With It believes the arguments in favour of putting in a bid to KCC for reasons of environmental sustainability are as clearly convincing. (www.transitiondeal.blogspot.com)

Emails can be sent to councillors via democraticservices@dover.gov.uk or send to councillor nigel collor - cllrnigelcollor@dover.gov.uk

Back the bid - Sustainable transport in Dover District!

Back the Bid!  
Deal With It are backing the bid are you?   

Tell DDC they should put in for a LOCAL SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT SCHEME for DEAL and SANDWICH by 11 March!

On Feb 17, KCC asked districts to put forward bids for £5 million to improve local transport - only ONE will be chosen go forward as the Kent bid!

Revitalise our town centres
Each of these seaside market towns has compact residential areas and an historic centre in need of revitalisation.Following job losses in the former East Kent Coalfield, in Dover Port , and now the Pfizer closure, there is considerable net travel to work out of both towns.
Travel to work
New employment areas are mainly accessible by car, and often in out of town locations (Pfizer complex, Betteshanger Business Park).

Conservation and congestion
This bid aims to make a coherent network of safe shared walking and cycling routes into each town
centre, linking existing and potential employment areas (including the Pfizer site) to reduce congestion
and parking problems, and conserve the character ofthe historic central areas, whilst widening access to
work, education, health care and other opportunities, and shift travel behaviour.

Attract tourists
It will develop an inland shared route between thetowns, improving access to Fowlmead Country Park’s cycling facilities, and to Betteshanger Business Park. By making a circular route with the coastal NCR1, this will further boost the local economy through attracting walking and cycling tourists and leisure visitors to the area.

Existing cycling plan
Much of these schemes have been thoroughly developed and widely consulted on in the Dover Cycling Plan (KCC, DDC, 2008).

Under-used local railway
Central to this bid will be developing the presently very under-used local railway line as the heart of of an integrated driver of local regeneration.

A258 problems
The Dover­ Ramsgate line gives Deal and Sandwich the slowest journey times and poorest frequency
service in Kent (1 train per hour). With more trains, it could offer attractively fast inter-town journey timescompared to poor local roads such as the A258 (Dover ­ Deal ­ Sandwich) which is not scheduled for improvement.

High speed trains
KCC’s Action Plan for Rail (2011) prioritises the extension of the Dover high speed train serviclong the line, which would both dramatically reduce the travel time to London and other growth points at Ashford and Thames Gateway, and also double the service frequency on the local line Dover ­Ramsgate.
Stations at heart of local networks
The bid will place the two stations at the heart of local networks (cycling, walking, taxis, buses),
with improved disabled access, reinforcing the impact of the journey time savings.

Better travel to Pfizers NOW!
It offers an immediate solution fo enhance connections to the Pfizer
site, meeting the needsof a world-class science park and research centre whilst it is being established without waiting years for the construction of a new Thanet Parkway station.

Access to work, education and health
It will also improve access from Dover and Folkestone to emerging employment opportunities up the line in the Pfizer site, Manston airport, Thanet business parks. With improved network connectivity and resilience, all the coastal towns will benefit from better all day and evening access to education (schools, FE colleges and universities), hospitals, retail and leisure facilities.
High speed rail start-up support
The bid will include the start-up costs of the new rail service, which can be accomplished largely within existing rail resources (rolling stock, infrastructure) but has not been allowed for within the existing franchise, which runs until 2014. If necessary (according to the DfT) this could be accomplished by a ‘carve­out’ to separate the finances of this investment from the current revenue support for the TOC as a whole.
Unique opportunity
The bid offers a unique opportunity to effect a stepchange in the fortunes of an area now in flux, giving a decisive nudge to travel behaviours at a time when new patterns are being set, whilst supporting badly ­needed regeneration.
Make sure YOUR local councillors don’t miss this chance!
Find out more and send them an email from: www.trains4deal.com

Deal With It: Report on Tuesday's Transport Meeting

Some 17 hardy enthusiasts braved a very cold evening to attend Deal With It's Transport meeting on Tuesday, 23 November 2010.

Sarah gave us a very interesting power point presentation comprising information about car sharing, cycling, train and bus travel.

As an enthusiastic car sharer she was able to tell us of her own experiences which are so far good. Ian Kilberry, from Trains4Deal, also shared some of his acquired knowledge.

We were pleased to welcome Jeremy Cooper, Commercial Director for Stagecoach in Kent and Sussex, who gave us a very interesting talk about bus travel in general and bus travel in Deal in particular. He was very interested in all our comments and questions, noting some points in particular which were news to him. He is also an environmentallist, and practises what he preaches by travelling by cycle, bus and train when he can.

All in all, it was a very successful evening and very enjoyable.

Thanks to Vicki Nicholls and Rose Dowd for words & photos

Green Transport exhibit in London 16-18 Nov

Eco2 Transport is not an academic talking shop, it is an "act now" solutions-orientated, business-driven event for all organisations, both public and private sector, from SME to blue-chip corporate, enabling them to reduce their carbon footprint — and increase their cost efficiency. http://www.eco2transport.co.uk/

Local Transport in Deal Matters! 23rd Nov

On the 23rd November Deal With It are holding a special  meeting on local transport:  we will be looking at Car sharing schemes, local train services especially to Canterbury and Dover, safer cycling in the district and other green transport options. We hope to have representative from Stagecoach on how we could improve our local  bus service.

All Welcome.


For further details please contact Sarah Gleave - transport@dealwithit.org

Trains4Deal: Local Councils asking for your opinion

From our colleagues in Trains4Deal - "Please help by telling the East Kent councils that we need direct High-Speed trains to Deal (and Sandwich) - NOW!

They are conducting a survey on what people think of the new High Speed train services.

Please click on this link to complete the survey Train Services in Kent Online Survey (http://www.eastkentlsp.org.uk/files/webfm/site/eklsp_highspeedtrain.htm).

See questions 21 and 31, which give you a chance to add your own suggestions. 

Next month, Trains4deal will be at the 2nd Kent Rail Summit in Maidstone., speaking up for local rail users to Kent MPs, county councillors, key railway managers and the Department of Transport, as well as other rail user groups.

Make sure that the Survey results confirm  local people's anger at the current poor service -

Complete it NOW (and let us know what you say)

best wishes,

Tom Rowland / Ian Killbery admin@trains4deal.com

Join the rail-users' group for the Deal area

Campaigning for High Speed trains to Deal - NOW!

http://www.trains4deal.com "

'Open the Gate' at Deal Railway Station

Our colleagues in Trains4Deal are campaigning with the new mayor to get the london rd gate platform open - at the moment if you are disabled, got a pram or cycle you have a problem getting back over the footbridge..

They are asking everybody to email a complaint to SouthEastern Railways & National Rail ... full details at their website - http://trains4deal.com/

Pledge a Journey....

Take a walk. Get on your bike. Choose the bus or train. Pledge a journey and let’s see how many times we can get around the world by 4 July. http://www.changeyourworld.org.uk/

A Sustrans campaign

KCC's KentJourney Share scheme ....

Why set up a company journey-sharing scheme?

Whether you work for a company, charity or other type of organisation, whether your office is big or small and located in a town centre or the countryside, journey-sharing can help you in a number of ways.
Getting large (or small) numbers of people to your work place can be costly in terms of money and time. Where public transport is limited, many staff may choose to drive to work. This increases congestion and pollution, and puts pressure on limited parking facilities.
Many of these problems can be addressed through the introduction of a journey-sharing scheme. Setting up a kentjourneyshare scheme for your business will help to:

• Reduce CO₂ emissions and pollution
• Provide a cheap way for staff /or visitors to get to and from the office
• Cut local traffic and congestion levels
• Reduce pressure on car-parking facilities
• Improve relations with the local community
• Widen your recruitment catchment area for staff
• Improve your corporate image 

The Scheme is both for companies and individuals ....
Contact or join the KCC Kent Journey Share Scheme here https://kentcarshare.liftshare.com/default.asp

new 'Dover Pride' Sustrans route on Dour

A more sustainable Dover - new walking and cycling route gets go ahead


Dover is joining the long list of UK towns creating a better network of routes for pedestrians and cyclists by joining forces with sustainable transport charity - Sustrans. This is part of a UK-wide initiative funded by the Big Lottery Fund to improve local networks so more everyday local journeys can be made by foot or by bike.

In Dover, whilst millions of people pass through the busy port every day, few of them head for the local town centre and likewise many local people are cut off from the sea by the volume of port traffic and a busy local one way road system. The scheme will open up the River Dour for pedestrians and cyclists with a high quality urban promenade which would not only be a good local route but become a popular spine for travel within the town.

Simon Pratt, Sustrans Regional Director, said, "I am delighted that Dover has been accepted onto the Connect2 programme and look forward to seeing the start of construction work in the next few months. This route will be a real asset for the town and will encourage more people to walk and cycle."
The River Dour Route is part of the wider regeneration programme for the town being coordinated by the Dover Pride Regeneration Partnership. Design and the building of the route is being done by Kent Highway Services.

Sustrans and Kent County Council have signed a Memorandum of Understanding - an agreement which secures the £450,000 lottery money from Sustrans for this £900,000 project. This will then be match-funded by Kent County Council. This paperwork cements the commitment to the project with a view to site clearance and ecological mitigation starting straight away and construction following in the summer.
Chairman of Dover Pride, Kevin Lynes, said, "The River Dour running through Dover has a special place in the town's affections. This walking and cycling project offers local people and visitors an exciting opportunity to discover even more of the river's attractions."
http://www.sustrans.org.uk/

Railway Children at the Astor 16th May - Trains4Deal

Trains4Deal event coming up at the Astor on Sunday the 16^th May at 6pm.

 

Trains4Deal are showing the newly released, digitally re-mastered version of the family favourite The Railway Children in an awareness-raising event for their campaign to get fast rail links to Deal. We hope you will join us in what promises to be a great evening.  The bar will be open and following the screening there will be a chance to network and chat to other members of the audience and representatives of the Trains4deal team.

 

For more details about the Trains4deal campaign, and to see the latest update,  please visit the website: www.trains4deal.com

 

Tickets for The Railway Children are available on the door £6 adults, £3 children, children under 5yrs free

Trains4Deal Update: KCC now support HST at Deal

Our colleagues in the local Trains4Deal campaign have passed on the following:

• As previously announced, there's virtually no change in Southeastern's  May timetable
• But KCC's  Geoff Mee head of strategic transport planning has announced that the final version of the KCC transport strategy Growth without Gridlock would back high speed trains for Deal.
• They are encouraging all those who support the campaign to raise HSTs with the candidates
• Full report at Trains4Deal website at http://www.trains4deal.com/