An eventful journey

I caught the 281 at Meadow Road to travel to Rusthall.  As we turned left at the traffic lights at the top of Goods Station Road two young idiots walked out in front of the bus. The pedestrian lights were at red. There followed an altercation between the driver and one of the idiots.  We proceeded to the Metro Bank bus stop whereupon the driver got off the bus seemingly intent on meeting up with the lippy idiot.  Meanwhile passengers boarded the bus  without paying or showing travel-cards.

As we approached Sainsbury's an elderly passenger rose from her seat and started to walk to the front.  When the bus stopped she catapulted forward and hit the panel behind the driver.  Fortunately she did not break any bones and managed to walk off the vehicle, but she will have a few bruises to show for her failure to wait until the bus stopped before getting up.

Off we went again.  When we reached the Major Yorks Road roundabout we should have turned left. Instead we sailed on towards the town centre. Realising his mistake the driver turned round at the King Charles roundabout and thereafter the journey was uneventful.

Fiveways Bus Ban

The blog has been critical of the idea promoted by the Leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council that buses be banned from Fiveways.

Yesterday evening I attended the AGM of the Bridge Trust.  A fellow attendee suggested it would be a good idea to e-mail Councillor Jukes stating objections to his hare-brained proposal.

He can be contacted at:

david.jukes@tunbridgewells.gov.uk

The Pantiles. ATM- Free Zone

The Pantiles is a major visitor attraction.  The decision of Barclays to close the Pantiles branch has seen the demise of the last bank branch at the lower end of Royal Tunbridge Wells.  The Post Office branch closed years ago.  So, here you are a visitor to the Wells and you wish to replenish your wallet.  Barclays took their ATM with them.

Where to go?  The railway station or Sainsbury?  Hardly user- friendly for visitors wishing to spend money in that part of Tunbridge Wells.

Many visitors wish to shop at the top end of the town and use the Crescent Road car park. The condition of the public lavatories has deteriorated over the years.  Worse still, the facilities close at 5.30PM and not 6.00PM as stated on the notice of opening hours.

Perhaps Councillor Jukes could bring his talents to bear to deal with these matters rather than pursue his crazy proposal to drive visitors and locals away from public transport by closing Fiveways to buses.

Two firsts.

Caught the 281 bus at Parsonage Road, Rusthall.  On time departure at 13.24.  One other passenger who alighted at the second bus stop. No other passengers joined until we arrived at the Tesco stop at the top end of town. Very odd as we were not hard on the heels of the 13.12 bus.

Coming home I caught the 16.00 off Meadow Road.  At Fiveways a big scrum, too many people, passengers were left behind.  No room on the bus until we lost a few passengers at Sainsbury.   First time I have travelled non-stop from Fiveways to Sainsbury.

Councillor Jukes has had the bright (trans: stupid) idea to ban buses from Fiveways.  His idea should be consigned to the rubbish bin

 .

At sixes and sevens.

Set off for Maidstone on a No 7 bus.  Delayed in Tonbridge by a slow moving steam traction engine (with a jib attached to the front) belonging to the North Kent Haulage and Lifting Co.  Further delay as we navigated inconsiderately parked cars in Mereworth.  Wreckage clear-up following a car accident between Wateringbury and Barming delayed us even further.

Return journey by the No. 6 route.  Heavily delayed by the aforementioned accident.  What I didn't realise was that the No 7 route (apart from the Mereworth detour) sticks to the main roads whereas the No 6 detours round East Peckham and Pembury as well as calling at the Hop Farm and the hospital at Pembury.

6X

One of the joys of a concessionary bus pass is the ability to wander off on a whim and for free.  From a base in Tunbridge Wells it is possible to travel to Crawley, Bromley, Maidstone, Eastbourne, Hastings and Brighton without a change of bus en route.  

Yes, it is slower than train travel or using the car but it is free.  Most of the services employ double-decker buses, so a fine view of the passing scenery which is not possible using a car and without the blur of a train journey.

For the most part the services are reliable and the buses reasonably clean.

Today I headed off towards Maidstone via Tonbridge.  Opportunity to inspect the road works on Tonbridge High Street and admire the architecture of Hadlow Folly and Mereworth church.

On arriving in Wateringbury I decided I did not have time to complete the journey to Maidstone.  I alighted at the Wateringbury Hotel stop, crossed the road and inspected the timetables.  I had just missed the bus to Tunbridge Wells via Paddock Wood.

A thirty minute wait beckoned but then a 6X came into view.

The 6X operates between Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals and stops only at Barming, Wateringbury Hotel and Nettlestead. The 'bus' was a tour coach.  It took fifteen minutes to arrive at its destination.  A quick change then onto a bus between the hospital and Tunbridge Wells town centre via Pembury Road.  In all it had taken thirty minutes from Wateringbury to alighting in Tunbridge Wells.

A small bonus: just as we were leaving the hospital the bus I had missed at Wateringbury hove into view.

On the buses

Decided to have a look at the work being done to dual carriageway the A21 between Pembury and Tonbridge. What better way than on a bus.  So it was off to Pembury Hospital from Tunbridge Wells and thence a bus from the hospital to Tonbridge.

A huge amount of muck has been shifted and it looks as though there is a lot more to go before the new carriageways are defined.