Exasperated with poor signage at bus stops, Michael has written to Translink seeking clarification as to why a bus appearing to be timetabled to stop at a particular place, did not. Continue reading Belfast to Comber bus service – why did the bus not stop?
You know how it is, you are out somewhere and you need to get home. Or perhaps you are at home and you need to get somewhere else quickly. You consider the options:
Well, sometimes walking is not quick enough – or the distance is too great. ‘Buses are not running where you need them to go, or they are too infrequent. So you decide that you are going to spend the extra money required to buy the professional services of a driver and order a taxi.
That’s right, I said professional services. Continue reading “Taxi drivers: useful but sometimes ignorant”
Translink are encouraging customers to switch to smart cards – but more investment from Danny Kennedy MLA is needed to bring it up to scratch. Continue reading are our cards up to scratch?
A trip to Dublin the day before the State visit of Her Majesty The Queen takes some interesting turns around the city. Continue reading One Royalist, three Americans, as Dublin prepares to welcome Queen Elizabeth II
The proposal that we should have the possibility of bilingual traffic signs in Northern Ireland is seen as divisive. However, I think it could have a much more positive benefit to our country in general.
Until many, mostly political unionists and cultural Protestants, stop seeing any language use other that of English as an attack on being British, we will have a hard job in using any such language. However, as I have said before, and has been said by many, if these self same people would look back in their heritage they would find that they are likely to have ancestors who used Irish, and if not Irish, then Scots Gaelic. Scots Gaelic of course like Welsh is in use on roadsigns in other parts of their so-beloved United Kingdom. In other words, they need to relearn the history of this island and come to the understanding that diversity is often a way of unifying a whole country. Continue reading linguistic diversity should be a positive benefit to all
With all the snow about, Northern Ireland’s public transport provider Translink has issued notices about its services. The one concerning what was formerly known as Citybus, and now know as Metro is particularly intriquing… Translink wishes to advise passengers that all Metro services will be operating via main corriders only. Surely that is corridors? The following areas will not be served due to poor road conditions: Tullycarnett, Ligoniel, Lauralgrove, Belvoir, Carrs Glen, Silverstream, Ballybeen, Mossley, Connsbrook, Braniel, Gilnahork, Lagmore and Poleglass. I’m not sure where Lauralgrove or Gilnahork are. Anyone any ideas? Continue reading It helps when the buses know where not to go to
So the British railways* are to get investment of £8bn by the Coalition Government. Will there be further investment in the railway in Northern Ireland? Probably not.
Hopefully, the Northern Ireland block grant will get some money given to it using the Barnett formula, but I suppose it will be up to us to lobby Conor Murphy MP MLA, of Sinn Féin, the Minister for Regional Development Continue reading “everywhere else is getting investment in rail”
Translink, Northern Ireland’s publicly owned transport company has been quite good at introducing new tickets which are in the form of ‘Smartcards’ for some years now. Unfortunately, unlike in London, it is not possible to top them up online. It is possible to go online and buy a ‘whole new card’. Recently I asked Translink for an update on this issue, the response is posted below. We have carefully considered how we might introduce on-line top-ups for our Smartlink products. This will require time and investment in order to significantly develop current ticketing technology. In the meantime, we have been … Continue reading Buy your Smartcard online – and a new one next month… Translink fails NI
At a time when Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK not to have a budget in place, it is clear that spending will have to be curtailed as the money coming into the Province from Westminster is being reduced. Perhaps we will be able to bring more money in from tourists. read full story at Michael Carchrie Campbell Continue reading blogged elsewhere… No budget, but money to waste on misleading signs
Having been falling asleep on the number 4a bus on the way home from the appointments of the day, I was very much awake when the bus driver let one person off at our stop, but then proceeded to drive on without letting myself, and my two escorts off as well – indeed we were still on the stairs at the time. I shouted No. STOP Everyone looked a bit surprised on the bus. Stephen says that those on the top deck (where he still was) were asking Did the driver just drive off there? And with the answer in … Continue reading Translink needs to work on access for disabled on buses
Gyronny Herald 