Bus, stop!

Up, and to the High Street in Bath, and the 6 & 7 Bus Stop opposite the Hall of Guilds, where I did contribute in kind to the ongoing popular campaign to restore a vital community link between the lower tribes of Larkhall and the upper peoples of Fairfield Park.

The 6 & 7 Bus route in Bath was a circular route, with the Nr. 6 bus traversing the route in one direction from the centre of Bath through Fairfield Park and Larkhall and the Nr. 7 bus travelling essentially in the opposite direction. The 'local' bus operator peremptorily, and without consultation, altered the design of the circular route, which supported direct travel between two local communities, to two routes operating radially to and from the centre of the city. Concerned travellers and community figures have been conducting an apolitical, grass roots campaign to get the route and the bus frequency re-instated. Regarding the former they have been completely successful; regarding the latter, their success has been partial and the campaign continues with the goal of full restitution of service.

Having lived in both London but most significantly in München, I have experienced how a good public transport service can reduce congestion, facilitate travel for the vulnerable and disadvantaged and reduce the urban carbon footprint. Having returned to the UK in 1995, I remain constantly amazed at our society's blindness to the benefits accruing from a good public transport network; it remains one of the major beams in our collective eye.

One of my unimpressively small contributions to this community campaign effort has been to take photographs in support of campaign publicity; this is one of the shots we took today at the Bus Stop opposite the Guildhall, symbolically the centre of local political power, to publicise the poor service provided to bus passengers in Bath. I don't think this image will be used, but I post it here because it represents a significant activity undertaken this day and because I like the sense of motion and frustration it conveys.