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 Queuing for a service that may be wiped from the timetable
Right at the bottom of the article it stated: "Kirkby Stephen to Kendal
(service between Sedbergh and Kirkby Stephen to be peak time only) plus
Wednesday shopping service.
Whether or not it was deliberate, this was a Bank Holiday weekend, no
council offices open until Tuesday and many staff not available until
Wednesday.
News slowly filtered through that Cumbria County Council were proposing
to cut a total of three return trips to Kendal per day, leaving only
the 07.10 to Kendal and the 16.25 return which serves the schools and
college and does not run on Saturdays.
They proposed a Wednesday only shopping service.
Kirkby Stephen bus users were shocked that this well used service could be cut
without any consultation whatsoever and sought explanations.
Many media articles and telephone coversations with Cumbria County
Council have followed and we are now a little better informed.
The dreaded axe
Cumbria County Council's Ruth Atkinson, Director of Policy and
Performance, has produced a report entitled Transforming Passenger
Transport: Eden Review of Bus Services, wherein their criteria has been
applied resulting in the recommendation that these buses be axed to
allow increases in other services and put everyone in Eden under the
same criteria.
 The plan will cut three Kendal services a day
Whether we wish to go to Penrith exclusively, have friends or relatives
in Kendal, want to visit Sedbergh, Fell End or Cautley or live in
Ravenstonedale or Newbiggin is irrelevant apparently.
Some provision has been made for the use of the Rural Wheels scheme, which is another long story in itself.
Many Kirkby Stephen people have written and telephoned Cumbria County
Council and they have now put back the date for implementing these cuts
to April 2008. They will be consulting with various towns and villages
and putting together new reports to be put before Councillors next
Feb/March.
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