I would like to share my Sunday July 14 travel saga. Not wanting to pollute the atmosphere further I decided not to take the car for a trip to St Leonards-on-Sea. I made sure to ask on Saturday if the trains were running and was assured there were no issues for Sunday.
I was meeting a friend in St Leonards-on-Sea to go to Kino-Teatr, which was doing a one off screening of The Last Station. The film revolved around Tolstoy’s decision to allow his work to go into the public domain after his death, a biographical drama with Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren as his wife. Brilliant!
The first unexpected problem occurred when the 11:45am train stopped in Hastings with the promise of another train to continue the journey in five minutes. After some wait I asked a guard who shrugged his shoulders: “There will be a train, we just don’t know when.” Luckily, as I rushed outside a 22 bus was there to get me to my destination on time.
At 4pm, I saw my return bus to the station standing on the corner and I jumped on, only to realise that in fact it was stuck and could not turn into the street because a car, albeit with a disabled badge, had arrogantly parked on two yellow lines right on the bend.
The bus driver pressed his hooter for about 10 minutes after which he called the police. Of course there were several onlookers who thought they knew best how to get out of this situation but he waited for the police. Most of us on the bus walked to the main road, Grand Parade, in the hope of another bus.
After thirty minutes sitting in the beautiful garden in Warrior Square, the previously stuck bus eventually arrived. The driver told us that the police came and lifted the car into a different space. We went on to the station with the hope of a train which was of course too much to expect as most were cancelled and no-one was able to give me any details of the next train. Impressively I was able to catch the 101 bus home half an hour later. I was pleased to be home even though the “40 minute journey” took 150 minutes. They do say patience is a virtue.
[Editor’s note: Sunday’s rail problems were nothing to do with the recent industrial action as the strike was called off the previous Wednesday for talks at the arbitration service ACAS ; and Govia (the company running train services in the South East) said before the weekend that services would be quickly back to normal (ie the revised timetable recently introduced !) Govia then said on Monday that the ACAS talks had broken down . . . . which may mean more industrial action, or perhaps just Govia’s “normal service” ?.
As far as St Leonard’s parking is concerned, it already has – unlike Rye – civil parking enforcement (CPE) , and a warden could have issued a higher penalty charge ticket . . . but could not have moved the car, though perhaps might have summoned the police. However no warden can be seen and it was the police who eventually shifted the vehicle. Perhaps Rye News readers would care to comment – on either the train services to and from Rye (when there is no industrial action) and whether wardens would be of any use in Rye (in all circumstances, or just some)]
Photos: Heidi Foster
I remember how unpredictable the Sunday train service was when I was living in Rye and there were no ‘Southern’ woes on the horizon ….. In contrast, the two-hourly Sunday bus service between Rye-Hastings is better ie. the bus does actually run! If Heidi had timed her trip well, she might well have made St Leonards in 40 mins – the bus stop is closer to the Kino-Teatr than the station and, if she has a bus pass, the whole journey would have been free – how good is that!
As a regularly commuter I know too well how bad the current service on marshlink is.
After much badgering and threatening Southern with having itv’s Good Morning Britain come to Rye to cover train strike. The only consession Southern have given passengers was to run shuttle bus replacement during last week strike.
Southern consistently refuse to run 4 car trains at weekend after numerous requests.
If you are having issues please keep emailing your MP. As ultimately Southern work for goverment ie DFT not the passengers.
19.8.2016
I do have a bus pass and use it frequently being very aware of the bus times and their reliability which was proven on that day the bus was foiled by a car parked thoughtlessly in St Leonards, as the number 100 eventually got me home.
But the fact remains that there are many people who rely on the train for various reasons (time just being one) and a bus is not an option. Did I hear right that there is another problem, no trains, this week coming?
I hope the workers who pay several thousand of pounds for a years’ travel ticket will get re-payments for the time they can not use it.
Heidi Foster