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NewsChanges to Hampton Court Station ticket office opening times 31st July 2008 The following letter was sent from MRA councillor Mike Axton to Passenger Focus concerning the proposed changes to ticket office opening times at Hampton Court Station. (The proposal is for the ticket office to open 06:30 - 18:30 Mon-Fri, 08:00 - 18:00 on Sat and closed on Sundays. For more information read the article from the Molesey News and Mail here.)
Dear Sir or Madam Proposed Changes to South West Trains Ticket Office Hours I am writing on behalf of the Molesey Residents Association to express my concerns about proposals by South West Trains to change the ticket office opening times at Hampton Court Station. I believe that the proposals for Hampton Court Station are unacceptable, and that they will have a disproportionate impact on the residents of Molesey, and on tourist visitors to Hampton Court Palace. The proposals involve closing the ticket office altogether on Sundays, and reducing the opening hours on other days. The ticket office provides a vital service, allowing people to purchase tickets, obtain travel information and use our stations in safety. These proposals represent a considerable deterioration in this service to the public. The proposals are likely to lead to an increase in bicycle theft, already a problem at Hampton Court (where I have personally had a bike stolen in the past), and they will have a knock on effect on facilities such as the recently opened toilets at Hampton Court Station, since toilets are normally closed when a station is unmanned. I also have concerns about the fairness of relying solely on ticket vending machines. These machines offer tickets at set prices when, at the same time, better prices for the same journey can be obtained at a staffed ticket office. There will inevitably be situations in which customers are over-charged, even if they do not realise it. I am aware that some commuter stations may be fairly quiet on a Sunday, but this is certainly not the case at Hampton Court Station, which is the principal tourist transport service for Hampton Court Palace, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. Yours Sincerely [sent by e-mail] Councillor Mike Axton New Red Bus Stop Bays in Molesey 14th July 2008 The following letter was sent from MRA councillor Mike
Axton to Transport For London following the recent work on bus stops in East and
West Molesey. Dear Sir or Madam New Red Bus Stop Bays in Molesey I have been contacted by a number of local residents who are concerned about the large Bus Stop markings which TFL has recently installed in a number of local roads in Molesey. The new markings involve large strips of red tarmac with ‘BUS STOP’ written in white (sometimes twice, and sometimes three times), along with wide band yellow markings around the edges. We have noticed that these new sections are not uniform in length, but a considerable number of them are as long as 37 metres, more than twice the length of the buses using these bus stops. Some of the new markings placed directly outside residential houses are causing great inconvenience and annoyance. While I would agree that this sort of action might be appropriate near busy shopping areas, they create a very unwelcome environment along some of the purely residential areas in which they have been installed. A number of them cross driveway entrances and paths to houses, and they have removed long established roadside parking facilities for many local residents. A good example would be the bus stop in Walton Road, West Molesey, to the west of the junction with Faraday Road. It is regrettable that these new markings were installed without notice or consultation, either with local residents or local councillors. Such markings appear to achieve little or are not solving any problem which can be determined as previously existing in front of residential properties, since some areas were already yellow-lined and other areas very lightly used by bus passengers. Given that there has been no consultation, I would be grateful if you could review the locations at which these markings have been installed in Molesey. In situations such as the Walton Road location which I have highlighted I would ask you to reduce the length of the stops in order to minimise the disruption to local residents (I have noticed that in locations such as Kingston these stops are generally much shorter). I would be very happy to attend a meeting to discuss this. Yours Sincerely [sent by e-mail] Mike Axton Nigel
Cooper is elected Mayor Of Elmbridge 23rd May 2008 On 14th May MRA Chairman Nigel Cooper was elected Mayor Of Elmbridge for 2008 - 2009. Many congratulations to Nigel on his appointment. His chosen charity for the year is Sparks. Details of his appointment are available on the Elmbridge Council website. Could you spare some time for the MRA? 22nd May 2008 The MRA depends on volunteers to continue it's work in Molesey. As the MRA is independent and free of national party politics it needs to raise it's own funds. A small army of volunteers kindly help to collect the subscriptions and we are always interested in anyone who could spare even an hour to help out. If you feel able to spare some time then please contact us. Extended opening hours at Molesey Library 13th May 2008
The opening hours at Molesey Library have been extended and simplified. The library is now opened Tuesday - Saturday from 9am to 5pm with a late night opening until 7pm on Tuesdays. For information the library is in The Forum on Walton Road and was recently refurbished. Other than the usual services there are several PCs for Internet access which is free. More details about Molesey Library are available on the Surrey Country Council website. Molesey Photographic Club Annual Exhibition 13th May 2008 The local photographic club are holding their annual exhibition from Monday 12/05 until 17/05. It is being held in the Methodist Church on Manor Road and has extended opening times. If you require more information please see their website. Hampton Court station - new toilet provision 1st March 2008 After many years of campaigning led by MRA Councillor Mike Axton, South West Trains have agreed to reinstate toilet facilities at Hampton Court Station. The work should start in the next few weeks and be completed by May. “Hampton Court is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country and for the station not to have toilets is ridiculous." (Mike Axton) This is great news for the station. Hampton Court is an end of line and also a very popular tourist destination. These facilities have been a long time in coming. To read a local newspaper article about this click here. Tributes to Mick Burgess 24th February 2008 Many tributes have been paid to former Mayor of Elmbridge Mick Burgess, who died at home last Monday. Current chairman of the MRA, Nigel Cooper, said the following: “He was a gentle giant of a man. His two great loves were local politics and sport. He was a good family man and he brightened people’s lives." The funeral will be held at St Barnabas Church on Tuesday 26th February at 12pm. Flowers or donations may be given. Flowers should be at the undertakers - Frederick Paine, 71, Walton Road by 10am on the day of the funeral. Donations should be to Alzheimer's Society or Bliss (for premature babies) - these were Mick's charities when he was Mayor. Cheques may be sent direct to the charities or passed to Paine's the undertakers. Five Year Subscriptions 20th February 2008 Almost a quarter of our members now pay 5 years’ subscriptions in one go
and save themselves yearly visits from us to collect their £3. Letter to Molesey News & Mail about an earlier reduction to car park charges 2nd January 2008 To: The Editor, Molesey News and Mail I refer to the reduced charges for parking in the Walton Road car park in East Molesey, which were agreed by Elmbridge Borough Council on 4 December for implementation in April 2008. As local residents and shopkeepers know, the Molesey car park used to be virtually full before the introduction of the 50p charge, but it is now usually less than one third full even at peak periods, and at other times it often has very few cars in it at all. We believe that there is every likelihood that the arrangements agreed by Council will increase usage to the extent that the Council's overall income from charges will actually increase - to the benefit of Council Tax payers generally. As such I have asked the Cabinet at Elmbridge to consider bringing the new charges for Molesey in now, rather than waiting until April. This would be particularly helpful to the small local shopkeepers in Molesey, and the customers they rely on. Mike Axton See older news: |
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