Swindon road reopens to pedestrians after delayed works
A key route has reopened to pedestrians and cyclists as part of ongoing works to transform a town centre into a green "bus boulevard".The Whalebridge end of Fleming Way in Swindon can now be used by walkers, and the overall project is on target to finish later this summer.Pedestrians faced long diversions and drivers have suffered traffic disruption since September 2022, when Fleming Way closed for works to connect the bus and train station to the town centre.The project faced delays when it was discovered telecommunication cables were not buried deep enough for the new designs.
Cyclists will have dedicated lanes alongside the bus lanes which will be controlled by traffic lights, allowing pedestrians to cross safely.There will also be new greenery to support local wildlife, and make the walk between the town centre and bus and train stations "a lot more pleasant", according to the council.Councillor Chris Watts, the council's cabinet member for environment and transport, previously said: "Those visiting the town centre are sure to notice how different the road now looks when compared to earlier in the scheme."More than 180 trees and 23,000 shrubs and bushes have also been planted creating a bus boulevard, he added.
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BBC News
41 minutes ago
- BBC News
Woodbridge businesses claim road closure signs are 'misleading'
Business owners have claimed shoppers wrongly believe a "whole town is closed" due to road closure signs following a burst water main. Anglian Water started repairing the main on Station Road and Quay Side, in Woodbridge, Suffolk, on Sunday with work expected to conclude by a result, a small stretch of road in the town centre has been shut off, but signs alerting motorists to the closure have been put up as far away as the Melton and the even on the A12."It has definitely had an effect on the town and I would say I've seen up to a 50% decline in footfall," said Matthew Aldridge, who owns Silver Sun Jewellery. "It just seems like no intelligence has been used for where to place these signs and someone has just slapped them anywhere and everywhere."People think they can't get into the town and so they go elsewhere – it's not great at all." 'Confusing' Claire Flatt, general manager of Two Magpies Bakery, said while the road closure does add extra time to people's journeys, the "confusing signage" was the main problem."We are very quiet which we believe is to do with the fact that the road closure signs are so far away from where the road is actually closed," she told the BBC."The signage comes far too early when you are driving into Woodbridge and so people are thinking it[the town] is closed and they can't get in."We should be really busy but I have eight to nine tables free - we'd normally be very full." Other shop owners have claimed the road signs are also putting taxi drivers and bus drivers coming into Woodbridge out of fear they might get stuck. But Paul Newberry, who has owned the Fish Box for 20 years, said "all roadworks are a pain" but were "something you have to live with"."It does have an impact on everyone and you might lose a bit of passing trade but your diehards will make the extra effort to sit in traffic to get to you," he said."We have a lot to offer in Woodbridge and that does attract people but let's hope it is sorted pretty quick and we can get back to full capacity."Anglian Water has been approached for a comment. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Britain's railway deserts revealed: Map shows which UK towns are furthest from their local train station as some face two-hour long journey to reach their nearest platform
From seaside resorts to market towns surrounded by beautiful countryside, they are among Britain's most picturesque locations. But if you fancy a visit and don't have a car, you can probably forget about it – as these spots are also some of the country's worst-connected areas by rail. MailOnline has looked at the towns furthest away from stations - finding that Campbeltown, the UK's cheapest seaside location for buying a house, comes top. Further popular coastal locations in South West England such as Minehead and Bude are also more than 20 miles away from stations, as is Hay-on-Wye in Wales. Elsewhere, other towns do have stations but the services are so infrequent that they are often deserted - with Denton near Manchester being the UK's least-used. And the winding nature of some rural routes in Scotland and Wales means towns in areas connected by rail are still much quicker to travel between by car. Here is a look at where in the UK could be defined as a 'railway desert': Furthest towns from stations The UK's most remote town for rail travel is Campbeltown in Argyll and Bute, which is 87 miles or more than two hours' drive away from the nearest station at Oban. The setting hit the headlines this week for being the UK's cheapest seaside town, with research by Lloyds Bank finding it would cost a buyer an average of £103,000. Campbeltown is also a rare example of a UK location that has never been connected to the country's main rail network, even before the Beeching cuts of the 1960s. All it has ever had was a station on a light railway network to nearby Machrihanish between 1906 and 1934, although it does have an airport given its remote setting. While Scotland has several scenic rural lines serving hamlets, some bigger towns lack a station. These include Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire, which is 35 miles from the nearest stop at Inverurie. Nearby Peterhead is 31 miles from the same station. The town in England furthest from a station is thought to be Bude in Cornwall, at 29 miles from Okehampton. Minehead in Somerset follows, at 24 miles from Taunton station. Another popular but hard-to-reach town by rail is Hay-on-Wye in Powys, which is 21 miles from the nearest stop at Hereford on the other side of the England/Wales border. Other destinations far from train stations include Middleton-in-Teesdale in County Durham, which is 21 miles from the nearest stop at Bishop Auckland. Hawick in the Scottish Borders is 17 miles from Tweedbank station; while Keswick in Cumbria is 17 miles from Penrith station. Meanwhile Hunstanton in Norfolk is 16 miles from King's Lynn station; and Louth in Lincolnshire is 15 miles from Market Rasen station. Least-used stations While the above locations have no station at all, other parts of the country remain badly-connected despite trains still operating through them due to their infrequency. For example, Denton in Greater Manchester was Britain's least-used railway station in 2023/24 with 54 entries and exits. It is on the line between Stockport and Stalybridge, which was built to take trains to Leeds but saw its timetable cut in the 1990s after services were re-routed. Denton is served by two Northern trains per week – one in each direction – which are both on Saturday mornings. A train to Stockport departs at 8.42am, while a service to Stalybridge leaves at 9.04am. Railway stations are often kept open despite being rarely used because it is easier to arrange for a train to stop infrequently than obtain permission for closure. In second place was Shippea Hill in Cambridgeshire with 70 entries and exits, while Ince & Elton in Cheshire was third with 86; and Polesworth in Warwickshire fourth with 118. Reddish South in Greater Manchester came fifth with 128; Coombe Junction Halt in Cornwall was sixth with 140; and Chapelton in Devon with 186. Completing the top ten were Clifton in Greater Manchester with 202; Elton & Orston in Nottinghamshire with 212 and Kildonan in the Highlands with 240. Estimates of entries and exits are published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and are largely based on ticket sales, with the latest set being released last November. Worst performing stations Another metric for looking at the UK's worst areas for train connections is to consider performance over the past six months, as ranked by the website On Time Trains. This puts Ynyswen station in South Wales top of the pile, followed by Lockerbie in Scotland in second, then Penrith and Oxenholme in Cumbria in third and fourth. Also in the top ten are Kearsley and Blackrod in Greater Manchester; Chilworth in Surrey; Baglan and Llansamlet in South Wales; and Dolwyddelan in North Wales. However, many of these stations are rural with a low service frequencies, and so their performance figures can be skewed by a relatively small number of cancellations. A further measure to consider is therefore the worst performing stations out of the top 500 busiest stations, which puts Deansgate in Manchester at the top. Many of the others in the top ten are in the North West - including Lancaster in second, Warrington Bank Quay in third and Manchester Oxford Road in fifth. Also on the list are Tamworth, Macclesfield, Bolton, Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford – with Mill Hill Broadway in North West London completing the set. Narrowing this down to the top 100 busiest stations, the worst performing are Manchester Oxford Road, Milton Keynes Central, City Thameslink in London, Manchester Piccadilly and York. Also in that top ten are Coventry, St Albans, Bath Spa, Leicester and Sheffield. Other anomalies Some locations are connected to major stations by train, but the journey can take significantly longer than by car given the slow pace of services. For example, Inverness to Wick on the Far North line in Scotland takes just over four-and-half hours by train, compared to about two hours and 20 minutes by road. Others include Shrewsbury to Pwhelli in Wales which is nearly four hours by train but again about two hours and 20 minutes by road. Another example is Middlesbrough to Whitby in North Yorkshire which is over one-and-a-half hours by train but 50 minutes by car. And in South Wales, if you want to get from Swansea to Aberystwyth by rail it will take more than five hours going via Shrewsbury - or just over two hours by car. And the largest town in Britain that cannot be reached by train is believed to be Gosport in Hampshire, after the station was closed to passengers in 1953. The town is however only five miles away from Fareham station, and is linked to nearby Portsmouth via the Gosport Ferry which takes about four minutes.
The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
Supermarket shoppers rush to buy suitcases on sale for just £8 – and they're perfect for Ryanair flights this summer
HOLIDAY season is nearly upon us, with millions of Brits planning sun-soaked trips abroad. But if you're looking to save cash on luggage allowance and planning on travelling light this year, we've found the perfect deal. Morrisons is flogging Lugg Venus Cabin Bags for just £8 - and they meet the size requirements on Ryanair flights. One savvy shopper snapped up the deal and shared their find on Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK. The suitcase comes with detachable wheels to help squeeze into Ryanair's 40cm x 20cm x25cm limit. "Look at these!" one wrote, tagging a friend. "Wait, what? The wheels come off? I bought this last week and didn't realise," a second joked. "Wow that's a great price. I might nip there later," a third added. Although not everyone is sold, one person wrote: "Was going to get one the other day but they are absolutely tiny. You'd fit more in a holdall." They added that they struggled to remove the wheels, too. Another added: "Best off for children, rather than carry on. I bought one last week, I'm 5'3 and the handle isn't long enough to pull along." All Ryanair passengers can bring a small personal bag on board but this must fit under the seat in front of you. Savvy parents race to their local supermarket as they spot branded sports bargains for just £7 in the clothing section All over-sized cabin bags will be refused at the boarding gate, or where available put in the hold for a fee. Anyone wanting to bring another bag, you'll need to upgrade and pay extra for priority and two cabin bags or checked baggage. Amazon is also selling a Ryanair-approved holdall for just £13.29. The Narwey carry on comes in a range of colours, including black, grey, purple, black and pink and comes with a padded shoulder strap for comfort. For those after check in luggage, Dunelm is selling a tough shell, metallic large suitcase for £45. And for short breaks or business trips, Sports Direct is selling a Slazenger lightweight cabin case for £14.99. The case has extendable sizing, plenty of pockets and even comes with a padlock. It's one of the cheapest branded cabin bags we've seen, down by a whopping £30. However it will have to be checked in as hold luggage for RyanAir, Jet2 and EasyJet. Baggage rules Here's the key information you need to know about regarding some of the key airlines operating in the UK. Ryanair All Ryanair passengers can bring a small personal bag on board but this must fit under the seat in front of you. It must be no bigger than 40cm x 20cm x 25cm. All over-sized cabin bags will be refused at the boarding gate, or where available put in the hold for a fee. Anyone wanting to bring another bag, you'll need to upgrade and pay extra for priority and two cabin bags or checked baggage. EasyJet The budget airline allows each person to bring a small cabin bag on board. It can be no larger than 45cm x 36cm x 20cm, this includes any handles or wheels, and it needs to be able to fit under the seat in front of you. The bag can weigh up to 15kg but easyJet says you must be able to lift and carry it yourself. Any bag larger than the limit, or any additional bags will be put in the hold and you'll have to pay an airport bag fee. Jet2 Passengers can also bring on board one piece of hand luggage when flying with Jet2, free of charge. It must not weigh more than 10kg and can't be any bigger than 56cm x 45cm x 25cm, including any wheels and handles. If your hand luggage is larger or weighs more, it will have to be put into the aircraft's hold, which might incur an additional charge. Travellers can also bring a small, personal item on board with them, such as a handbag, laptop case or a purchase made at the airport, but this has to be placed underneath the seat in front of you. British Airways All British Airways passengers can carry one piece of hand luggage and one small item on board. The hand luggage must not be bigger than 56cm x 45cm x 25cm while the small item cannot exceed 40cm x 30cm x15cm. TUI People flying with TUI can bring on board one piece of hand luggage, weighing no more than 10kg for free. It must be no larger than 55cm x 40cm x 20cm and you must be able to lift your hand luggage into an overhead storage compartment by yourself. Items such as laptops, handbags and any item bought at the airport must be small enough to be stored under your seat. Wizz Air Wizz Air passengers can only take a small cabin bag for free onto the plane. Bags must be no more than 10kg, and measure no more than 40cm x 30cm x 20cm.
