Article for the next issue of Cranfield University student newspaper Entropy
Cranfield University and the local parish council have been working extremely hard to preserve out of business hours bus services in the area.
Thanks to these efforts, which included personal support from the Vice Chancellor Sir John O'Reilly, threatened Sunday services from Bedford to Cranfield and Wharley End will keep running for the immediate future.
Now the University is again working in partnership with Cranfield Parish Council and North Crawley to support evening buses to Milton Keynes which are also endangered.
I worked with the University two years ago to save evening buses to and from Bedford without success. At the time there were strong protests from students and village residents.
I do not want buses becoming a 9 to 5 Monday to Friday. These services are provided without public subsidy because bus companies make a profit from them. But evening and weekend buses ensure that those who cannot afford cars or are unable to drive can participate in society. These need some council support.
As a parish councillor for Wharley End I constantly remind local authorities that students - even those who come for just a year - are residents of the parish. I also stress that university life does not fit neatly into a 9 to 5 package.
But it is not just about ensuring individual access for students. Good transport links build the economic viability of
Central Bedfordshire's biggest employer and a key part of the area's hi tech economic strategy. That is something that should be important to all of us.
In addition to the Vice Chancellor I would like to thank Margaret Norwich and Andrew Oxenham for their support and involvement. The President of the Cranfield Students' Assocition attended parish council to raise awareness and I am grateful for his help and the CSA generally.
Talks with Milton Keynes Council are continuing and I can provide updates in future issues of entropy. The evening buses will run until at least October
Cranfield University and the local parish council have been working extremely hard to preserve out of business hours bus services in the area.
Thanks to these efforts, which included personal support from the Vice Chancellor Sir John O'Reilly, threatened Sunday services from Bedford to Cranfield and Wharley End will keep running for the immediate future.
Now the University is again working in partnership with Cranfield Parish Council and North Crawley to support evening buses to Milton Keynes which are also endangered.
I worked with the University two years ago to save evening buses to and from Bedford without success. At the time there were strong protests from students and village residents.
I do not want buses becoming a 9 to 5 Monday to Friday. These services are provided without public subsidy because bus companies make a profit from them. But evening and weekend buses ensure that those who cannot afford cars or are unable to drive can participate in society. These need some council support.
As a parish councillor for Wharley End I constantly remind local authorities that students - even those who come for just a year - are residents of the parish. I also stress that university life does not fit neatly into a 9 to 5 package.
But it is not just about ensuring individual access for students. Good transport links build the economic viability of
Central Bedfordshire's biggest employer and a key part of the area's hi tech economic strategy. That is something that should be important to all of us.
In addition to the Vice Chancellor I would like to thank Margaret Norwich and Andrew Oxenham for their support and involvement. The President of the Cranfield Students' Assocition attended parish council to raise awareness and I am grateful for his help and the CSA generally.
Talks with Milton Keynes Council are continuing and I can provide updates in future issues of entropy. The evening buses will run until at least October
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