by John Prince
An independent residents’ group in Hornsea have met again to put their ideas forward about how public transport can be improved in the area.
The Hornsea Residents’ Transport Forum (HRTF) came together at Hornsea United Reformed Church, where around 15 people were given the opportunity to discuss their concerns – and criticisms – of the state of bus services in and around the town.
The group was set up in its current form in January this year and has so far held three meetings to enable people to have their say.
Alan Tharratt, who started the HRTF, said the immediate challenges were the lack of bus services to surrounding villages, leaving non-drivers isolated.
He said there are issues of service provision, timetabling and poor communication about changes to bus times, with specific examples given such as the 550 bus not connecting with the 24 and 25 services, which is seen as a fixable timetabling issue.
Mr Tharratt also noted a lack of communication regarding service breakdowns, citing an instance where passengers were stranded in Beverley and had to arrange taxis.
The primary goal discussed was to achieve comprehensive public transport for all, with an ideal scenario of hourly bus services for every town and village framed as an issue of political will and funding allocation by government and local transport authorities, rather than a lack of available funds.
A report by the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) was presented as an example by Mr Tharratt, which found that a bus service to every village every hour from 6am to midnight, seven days a week, could be delivered for an annual cost of £2.7 billion.
This funding, he said, could be redirected from environmentally damaging road-building projects. He also went on to say since 2008 bus services in the country have decreased by approximately 50 per cent, making it crucial to rethink the approach to public transport.
Invitations have gone out to both Charlie Dewhirst MP and HEYCA mayor Luke Campbell to meet with the group. Neither has been able to attend because of prior engagements, but both have responded favourably and have expressed interest in the forum’s outcomes.
The mayor has said his team will arrange a meeting with the group soon as part of his commitment to improving transport across the region, especially in rural areas.
Prioritising public transport and cycling infrastructure over road spending to address climate change and reduce car dependency was also mentioned, with electric cars not seen as being a complete solution.
Walking distances to bus stops were also concerns, with some residents – particularly older ones – saying they must walk quite a distance to catch the right bus.
HRTF member Raymond Hall described the situation in Hornsea as a “Catch-22” saying bus companies are reluctant to add more services because many residents own cars, while residents feel compelled to own cars due to the inadequate bus services.
He also spoke about specific service gaps outside Hornsea, such as the lack of a direct bus from Aldbrough to Hull, and connections between Beverley and Castle Hill hospital in Cottingham where there are tight changeovers or long waits.
He also highlighted impractical bus schedules that prevent people from getting to work, citing an example of an apprentice welder unable to get to his job on time for a 7.30am start.
He said: “[The Forum] is split into two parts: buses on one side and cars on the other. This one today is about the buses and trying to correlate a lot of information.
“There’s a transport forum at Bishop Burton in November, and anything that gets told at this I’m going to take with me and see what we can hammer out there. We need better transport links.
“One of the big problems is all Hull and Beverley buses use Newbegin and Market Place, which means half of Hornsea is not served by bus stops to the main two places most residents go to work.
“I have spoken to residents from both the top of Hull Road in the new build and the golf course end of Rolston Road, who drive down and park up in the centre to catch a bus to either Hull or Beverley.
“We’ll just get all the information we can.”
Forum members have said a detailed document containing feedback collected on the day has been sent to MP Charlie Dewhirst and Luke Campbell.
