Food For Thought

The proprietors of the Halesworth coffee shop Edwards Restaurant Karen and Kevin Prime have depended on customers' word-of-mouth to advertise their establishment and now they are rated on Trip Advisor as one of the best restaurants in the whole of East Anglia. However, as a working mother and a businesswoman and active citizen, Karen relies on her iPad and her twitter account to keep up with what's going on in her community.

She has a lot of people to follow because despite this country's austerity, or more perhaps because of it, the citizens of this rural Suffolk market town are busy with a Portas project, a Transition group, an Anglia in Bloom entry, implementing a town plan, progressing ambitions for a transport terminus, expanding an arts centre, creating a new health centre and a sports campus. These projects are working together in trying to keep Halesworth a viable place to live and do business. Progress is being made. After three years of hard work by local volunteers, a brand new £200,000 cycle path has just opened connecting the town's park to a nature reserve which will benefit residents and tourists alike.

Like the coffee shops of yore, the town's many restaurant and pub tables is where the latest local news is discussed and shared and Karen and other town traders have, more by accident than design, become an interface between the old and new forms of media. Karen's conversation with her customers naturally bridges what the digerati are saying with those not connected by digital devices. Likewise, her tweets inform the digerati of the views of the man or woman in the Thoroughfare. This kind of exchange is also evident in the tweets by other Halesworth businesses such as the Bay Tree Bistro, Banyan Fairtrade and the Halesworth Toyshop, which was recently honoured for its use of social media by a toy industry magazine.

While this raises their profile and that of the town, some local people have spoken out against social media with the same argument put against Gutenberg's press; that enabling the rapid dissemination of information allows wrong or harmful information to spread as well as good. This is naturally true but it also allows incorrect information to be challenged as well.

So when it was reported on twitter recently that a couple of visitors were upset that the monthly market they had traveled to attend had been cancelled unexpectedly because of another event (it was a bit more complex than that and involved the weather) the reaction of one party involved was to shoot the messenger and complain that such public discussion on social media hurt the reputation of the town. However had that party been as engaged as the messenger was in social media, they could have used it to correct it or explain the decision, or more importantly, offered to hear the complaint. It could be surmised that the reputation the party wanted to protect was their own. People understand nothing works perfectly all the time and mistakes can be made but a negative story thrives in a vacuum of response. Other citizens being alerted to the issue got to the bottom of the matter within an hour and the visitors' complaints were mollified.

Another shopper's comparison of old and new media for connecting and empowering the community was demonstrated recently when the town council at very short notice held an emergency meeting about objections to a long planned bus terminus and they didn't tell the electorate – except by the statutory requirement to post an inconspicuous notice – but social media mobilized the community to take an interest and attend. It turned out by all accounts, though we are still waiting for the official one, to be a very contentious decision.

People quickly realised not all was as well at City Hall as they had believed and, with County Council elections imminent, people began discussing town and county council business on social media and the public attendance at town council meetings leaped by 1000%. There then followed complaints, among others, to the town council and the district monitoring officer that council proceedings were not thoroughly reported in the town clerk's report in the town’s monthly newspaper that came out several weeks later because recent reports did not mention (or did not appear at all) issues that had been brought before the council and already reported in social media. Some found the excuses given for these omissions unsatisfactory.

Exasperated that the dates of council committee meetings were often changed without notice except by a piece of paper on the statutory notice board, a member of the public asked the council if it would embrace digital media and put all advance notices, agendas and draft minutes online. In response one of the councilors spoke out against social media with what can fairly be compared to Luddite opinions then afterwards another councilor phoned the petitioner at home and asked in what capacity they wanted to know the council's business and suggested that if they wanted to know when any meetings were, they only need to telephone the clerk (who works 1.5 days a week). When subsequently those two and three other councilors dramatically resigned last week, personal attacks on them by social media was cited in a prepared resignation speech without any evidence given of it happening. This unsubstantiated allegation was then repeated and not questioned by the local press and no evidence has come to light to date. Besides, by its very nature the perpetrators would be traceable.

The opinion of some citizenry is that these councilors were discovering they no longer had the impunity of public opinion they had before, and so they probably weren't comfortable with such public accountability for their actions.

It was well before these recent events but in conversations with Karen’s customers, some of them asked if Community Action Suffolk could teach them how to use twitter like Karen did. Thus the idea to hold a twitter academy in Karen’s coffee shop was born. After a bit of asking around, on social media in my role as a community development officer, people that had attended a social media workshop for a local tourism body recommended Sean Clark. What with the size of her coffee shop and after the cost of the trainer (though very reasonable) and the hire of equipment there isn't likely to be a profit; Karen sees it as a way she can help her community, even if she can't sit through all their meetings.

The interest in Halesworth has been so great that almost all the places are taken for the first session and so a second session has been booked for the following week.

The purpose of pedantry

The following was the 'star letter' in issue 488 of bus industry magazine 'Route One'. Mr Palmer justly argues that the bus industry "needs to get much closer to the detail of the service". Now I feel utterly vindicated in my pestering of transport operators about the poor placement of signage and unusable websites and advocating for the wider presence of 'bus buddy' volunteers to offer passenger assistance and information, just as the erstwhile bus conductor used to do. In rural areas there is less bus signage and outlets for paper timetables are few and far between and stock levels and accuracy are seldom checked. DRT service footprints cannot be displayed on current timetable websites in Suffolk. A passenger survey in Halesworth found less than 2% of passengers using a concession pass have a mobile phone and can use it to access a SMS timetable.

Your front page photograph (routeone, 9 May) perhaps summed up for me how the bus industry still has a bit to go before car users will be persuaded to give buses a try. 

The photograph illustrated a real life bus stop, the kind of bus stop a car user may encounter on their attempt to give the bus a try for the first time. The bus stop flag lists services 2A, 50, 51 and 963, all of which have been withdrawn, some as long as two years ago. It also lists service 13 (no longer stops at that stop) and services 260/3/7/8 which have been renumbered and misses out services 9U and 62/62A which also serve it. Cue the bemused car user heading back for their car. 

Of course the car user could use the text service advertised at the bus stop to find out real times for buses on their smartphones. A great new idea. Except of course the bus stop location number is missing from the stop, so the service cannot be used. This is just one example of how the bus service provided is perhaps not as good as the bus industry thinks it is, and why managers across the country are scratching heads at passenger loss when they feel they have thrown money at passenger enhancing projects.  

I note another bus operator who recently launched a Wi-Fi service to a local route with great fanfare and branding, unaware that there is no 3G coverage along the route and as such, the Wi-Fi signal on the buses drops off eight minutes after leaving the terminus, never to return.

The industry needs to get much closer to the detail of the service it provides and to whether it actually adds value or simply wastes precious resources, or worse still, builds up the users’ hopes then leaves them underwhelmed. Back to the stop in question, well you could ask is the bus stop not a remote, little-used stop that has perhaps been missed under the radar? No, sadly it is the main bus stop right at the front door of FirstGroup HQ, one you would expect some of the biggest names in bus travel to have used and noted. 

Steven Palmer,
Aberdeen 

HACT celebrates 20 years

Nothing on the EDP website so a scan will have to do.

HACT puts D1 issue to Department for Transport

Yesterday 30/4/13 members of Halesworth Area Community Transport met with Graham Pendlebury the Director of Local Transport at the Department of Transport and among other things, they impressed on him the urgent issue of D1 licensing of volunteer drivers.

Mr Pendlebury is a member of DfT’s central Strategy Committee, and chairs several programme boards and inter-departmental committees on behalf of other government departments. He is also a member of the Audit & Risk Committees of the Government Car and Despatch Agency and the Driving Standards Agency.

He was Director of Road and Vehicle Safety & Standards from 2004 to 2007, with responsibility for road casualty reduction, traffic management policy and certain transport technology issues.

Previous posts in the DfT and its predecessors at senior civil service level involved responsibility for tackling the environmental impacts of air transport (2001-2004) and management of long term strategic thinking and cross-cutting work (1999-2001). He has also held posts in the international aviation and rail sections of the Department, and was Principal Private Secretary to the Minister for Roads and Traffic in 1989-91.

Mr Pendlebury kindly wrote and acknowledged he had taken the issues presented away with him.

The story was reported on the same day of the less heralded news that the Lowestoft Minibus for the Blind have appealed for more volunteer drivers who must be licensed before 1997.

EADT story: http://tinyurl.com/cupn4mb

Background why D1 issue is important: http://tinyurl.com/bnfsspd 

Apologies to the EADT but the report is posted here because sometimes stories drop off their website.

Suffolk: Community transport boss visits Suffolk

By Emma BrennanWednesday, May 1, 2013

CHALLENGES facing community transport providers in rural areas and towns across Suffolk were put to the Government’s director for local transport when he visited the county yesterday.

Graham Pendlebury, from the Department for Transport, met representatives from some of the county’s 19 community operators that all come under the umbrella of Suffolk Community Transport (SCT).

SCT is the first organisation of its kind in England. It was set up with a grant of more than £300,000 from the Department for Transport to champion community transport issues and implement an initial three-year strategy to enhance local voluntary transport services.

If successful, SCT’s strategy will be used as a ‘best practice’ model which could be rolled out nationwide.

Yesterday, Mr Pendlebury took trips on some of Suffolk’s rural links and dial-a-ride services before watching a presentation at SCT’s headquarters in Hadleigh outlining the concerns and the successes of the group.He told the EADT the visit had enabled him to witness how community transport operated at the “coal face.”

He said: “I have been seeing different aspects of the group’s operations today and it has been very interesting to see how it all works at ground roots level. These organisations are run on very tight budgets with a heavy reliance on volunteer operators, which enables them to provide viable services in some very thinly populated areas. As a result, they are able to provide a much more flexible and responsive service in places where people would otherwise become quite isolated. People who use the service have told me today how vital it is to them.”

Pat Moody, who uses the Felixstowe Area Community Transport Scheme (FACTS), told Mr Pendlebury: “The FACTS bus is extremely important to me. I use it to get to my craft club, to go shopping and to visit my daughter. It provides an absolute lifeline because without it, I would be housebound.”

SCT chair, Sue Jay said the group had several concerns which it had put to Mr Pendlebury during his visit. This included a plea to change legislation which places restrictions on people who passed their driving test after 1997, preventing them from driving disabled access minibuses over a certain size without a special licence.

She said: “We want the Government to look at this because the restriction is discouraging younger drivers from signing up as volunteers.” Mr Pendlebury said he would report concerns back to the Government, adding: “I have been very impressed with what I have seen here today. Having an umbrella group to enable resources to be shared is a valid model for all sorts of places, not just rural areas.”

Angel Link Bus Terminal

The townspeople and traders of Halesworth have raised a petition to Suffolk County Council to proceed with the plans for a bus terminus proposed for Angel Link despite a very contentious vote by the town council not to support it.

We the undersigned support in principle the County Council making changes to the car park at Angel Link Halesworth, described in the preliminary drawing SHC/HALES/001 as the 'Angel Link Car Park Bus Turning Scheme' dated August 2012 to provide bus and coach facilities to meet the needs identified in the Halesworth Town Plan.
http://petitions.web-labs.co.uk/suffolkcc/public/To-adopt-the-proposal-for-bus-and-coach-facilities-at-Angel-Link--Halesworth

Annual Parish Meeting report

It's been a week since the Halesworth annual parish meeting yet the minutes haven't appeared on the web for anyone to read, act on or even dispute. So for the sake of open and accessible local democracy I've put my own notes up here. Please note this is not the official record which will come from the clerk whenever they're ready.

Halesworth Town Council Annual Parish Meeting.

Edgar Sewter Primary School.

Wednesday 13th March.

Meeting opened 19:00 

Councillors gave introductions: attending was

Doug Mizon

Janet Wright

Andrew Jones

Ezra Leverett

Sandra Leverett

Pat Smith

Annette Dunning

Jen Berry

Letitia Smith

David Fosdike

James Wagner - chair


PC Simon Green gave a police report.

198 crimes were reported, he thinks this is representative as crimes are

well reported. His figures for 2012/12 didn't compare crime in 2011/12 but compared back to 2002. Offences for public order are different category today. Weekends were busy ten years ago with public order offences. Number has dropped dramatically in Halesworth.

Public question: what is the future of police station.

Station built in 1971 as the HQ for the Suffolk Constabulary but then Martlesham land was given to them and another HQ built so made it white elephant. The science services are now based there. Now because of more cooperation with Norfolk, we may lose science services to Wynmondham, so might become empty but it is fully occupied now.

Public question: what are you doing about computer theft from our schools? (Headlines were in newspapers this week)

SG: PC and PCSOs visit all local schools twice a year and offer advice on security and recovery marking etc.

Public question: vandalism at former HMS Playing Fields Land. There was theft and damage to tractor and vandalism to tennis courts.

SG: PC encourage calling 999 immediately if you see something happening or 101 after the event especially late at night or early hours. Too many people think it's not their business. 

James Wagner: We are grateful we have another PCSO now in the town. (We lost one and it has taken some time to replace)

James Wagner gave his report: The projects in Halesworth. A Portas task team was set up to produce bid. The Old Print Works refurbished, logo and bags being made. The big society is happening in Halesworth. The campus is an opportunity to address long standing lack of sport services. The middle school closure was a tragedy but it is opportunity to have a campus. Some negatives: the car parking, the car park now has 1 hour free but we have no stats from WDC. Increasing town centre footfall is a priority. The rejuvenation of the print works will help footfall as will the new cycle route. The New Reach cleaning will improve flooding protection and the general amenity. Zoe is working on a town council website. A successful twinning event, thanks to those who helped.

Councillors aims and reports are on the wall for all to read and questions will be answered later.
Ezra Leverett gave his report: The Portas project was a lot of work but exciting and attracted people interested in working on it. The format of the grant application was very rigid, only 200 words per field. A video was submitted. It soon was apparent it was going to be a political decision. We got put in the second round, were told Halesworth is too affluent. 10% of funds granted but still had to sign up to achieve the goals we first submitted. With a cut budget, we have done a logo for halesworth, we are positioning Halesworth as a regional cycling centre and refurbished the printworks. That was because the produce market went to Holton and we wanted to win them back. People driving can't make sense of the signage in the pedestrian area so we'll try to improve signage. Now spent 50% of £10k budget. Local school has designed logo for Portas. Next Saturday at noon in library will be unveiling the logo and printed onto 1000 bags. There is a competition to get bags into unusual locations. Town centre shops also get stickers to wrap products. We're writing a list of all the things we can get in Halesworth. (People said in Portas video you can't buy knickers) You can now buy women's knickers here.

The old print works was a very sorry state. The business groups were asked to help. It has now been decorated. It has a new mezannine floor. There is a new schedule of use: 1st Sat will be an auction. 2nd Sat produce market, 3rd Sat craft market, 4th Sat available for community use and for any group during the week. Produce market is very happy about new loos and having hot water. The finance came from within community as well. 

Our car parking charges are a disincentive (only applies to one car park). HTC asked WDC for 2 hours. Got 1 year trial for 1 hour free. HTC will continue to lobby WDC about parking.
Tamsyn Imison gave a report on Halesworth In Bloom (Anglia in Bloom).

In July 2 judges will come to Halesworth for 2 hours to look at the town. Our plea: we need people and flowers or produce on two month cycle for the housebound who need support. Need at least 11 people to provide this. Our thanks to HTC for money for AIB. Sponsorship is important, all the town roundabounts have been sponsored, there is new planting by Woottens as sponsor and a sculpture at Triple Plea, Hammonds, Angel Podiatory and Coop are sponsoring. The planting will be drought and bee friendly and easy to maintain. There are 100 people involved now.. Some of our ideas; The Hooker Garden will commemorate the family and have their plants, There is a Mencap garden, Wisset Lake trees planting. The U3A technology project is working on a computer controlled remote watering system for planters in the Thoroughfare.

WI refreshment break.

Public Q&A

Member of public: What is the HTC response to Sizewell?

JW: our objective is to look at potential benefits and how it affects our town not the objections. Jen Berry has made the case against nuclear power. The brief is to advise EDF where their investment should be made in our community.

David Cask: more shops in the town have become vacant, does the council have any power about what can go in them? 
JW: short answer no, we have no powers. but we do want diversity. A mobility shop in expected to go into Taylors. 
EL: HTC has no control over what can fill a vacancy other than it must be a retail establishment. WDC views a charity shop as retail. We have asked WDC for rate relief on our shops. We lost Anglia Photographic because high rates. HTC are pushing for start-up rate relief for first year.

Public asked what shops they wanted in Halesworth:

Response: mens clothing, sports, household linens, small electrical.


EL suggested community shops. If there is a need then community could run its own shops 

Peter Lucas: I am a new resident, what is the situation about Tesco?JW: we haven't had any new correspondence with Tesco. 
EL: They own the Old Print Works but have allowed us to use them on three year lease. 3 month in/out. No new correspondence.
Under the LDF their land is for housing or community use. Tesco lost their appeal. Any rumours are Tesco agents feeling their way forward. Now that other stores have opened, their catchment area is smaller, they are more likely to develop smaller stores or look for diverse use.

SL: HTC suggested to Tesco develop their land for housing.

Janet Huckle: Have questions about tourism promotion in Waveney. I found a forgotten box of Town Trail leaflets. The audio trail cost £4000 but nobody able to get it working. I took leaflets around but shops would not take leaflets. Sometimes manager said no posters or leaflets allowed. Some businesses are not supporting the town, just their businesses. We must think of ways to bring them onboard. 
Sandra Leverett: Simon Tennant of Angel is tourism group head and is investigating a Halesworth tourism website. We don't have a TIC but that could help. The library are trying to expand tourist information facilities.
Member of public: After WDC refurbished their foyer (London Road) they have cleared out all the information and refuse to stock it.

David Cask: Can we improve the Market Place appeal?

Mary Copperthwaite: power points have been installed. Most stalls there are in the produce markets. Street markets are dying. market traders can't compete with Primark etc. 

Halesworth in Bloom: are going to look at market place to make the place more attractive, banners will hung from Christmas trees holders.

JW: Number 10 was a real benefit to the area but has closed down.

EL: funding found for community stalls with bright covers and banners for groups.


Pat Miller: We have 1 hour parking but can't get parking places though. Is Horse and Garden area included?

Andrew Jones: Parking being studied with Halesworth and Bungay in comparison but unfairly, every Bungay car park is free but Halesworth is only 1 car park. 2 free hours will make a difference to vitality. The loss of Number 10 is tragic. 
EL: HTC didn't know WDC trial was going to be different in Bungay. WDC decided that the same amount of the loss of revenue to them would be applied to each town, so Bungay gets all its car parks free, Halesworth one. 
Bryan Holmes from Halesworth Museum gave a report: New project is 1970's in Halesworth.

The Wisset Hoard will be on show late next year. Has an archive of 20,000 negatives from Robbie Page school head and press photographer that need people identified.
David Cask: what is progress of bus hub at Angel?
JW/EL: HTC was told funds not available then funds are available. Issue is with Tony Goldson. HTC hopeful it will go ahead but no timing known yet. It must be this financial year. Copy of plans with are with HTC.

AJ: still some unresolved questions on the safety audit. The assessment was it would be used by 72 buses per day. Money had to be spent by April this year.

David Cask: position of the present bus stop and people turning right out of Town car park is a hazard and causes congestion.

Eric Wilcox gave a report on campus:

After SOR the HMS became a warehouse. Campus couldn't discuss with SCC until it is clear. It now has floodlights, being used for rugby. The SCC do want to give to campus but moving slowly. Current situation is pitches will belong to Halesworth next year. Between May - Sept there is work on improving the pitch drainage which improves their durability. The land behind Skill Centre will become home of Halesworth town FC. Will be a full size rugby pitch and 3 cricket strips. Now discussing the buildings; SCC can't sell the playing fields but could sell the building. NSSA is now charitable not run by Lowestoft college (after September). There are 5 schools now using NSSA now instead of 3. HMS buildings could be demolished to start again, could be partial rebuild or conversion (that decision a bit longer off)

The school bungalow is being discussed regarding being leased. That creates revenue and a presence on site. Halesworth Health and Campus have worked together, to pull off both would make sense. It makes a much stronger offer locally. The Dairy Hill site is earmarked by them. Apollo Centre has 3 year lease and transition funding should it come to it.

EL: The Patrick Stead is much loved but local health facilities needs to be improved. 

EW: WDC and SCC understand they can't let this opportunity slip away.

Public question: why does Campus only have short lease on HMS?

EW: SCC told them it would be increased once they had a track record.

Ezra Leverett thanked everyone for coming. Thanked council members and two clerks. The councillors are volunteers. Sandra Leverett presented clerks with gifts.

Meeting ended 21:00

Legally parked but is it safe?

As a volunteer with Halesworth Area Community Transport, I would like to politely inform everyone who parks their vehicles on the streets in Halesworth and Holton, that vehicles parked there often do not leave enough room for the 511 Hoppa bus to get past. 

It's a shame that the reaction to this information by some has been to shoot the messenger but this is not being done for the convenience of the bus but for the safety of the whole community. The obstruction of the bus route is just the canary in the coal mine. 

Even though cars and vans may be legally parked and other cars can get past; there is often not enough room for the Hoppa minibus to pass, especially on bends. The Halesworth Hoppa minibus is 2.3 metres wide. Fire engine builder John Dennis & Co states that a fire engine is usually 2.55 metres wide. Several fire services ask for 10 feet/3 metres clearance. Therefore if the minibus can't get through, a fire engine can't get through.

The Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service Protection Team who look after the legislative side tell me the national guidance is to ensure a width of 3.7 metres between kerbs in a new development or 3.1 metres between gateposts to allow a fire engine adequate access.

Compounding this; there have been numerous instances of supermarket and trade delivery vehicles double parking and preventing the bus from passing or holding up the schedule. This issue equally applies to the service HACT provides the Halesworth Day Centre.

There have been near-fatalities in towns such as Brighton when fire engines have been delayed by legally but inconsiderately parked cars. In these situations, seconds save lives. 

The town of Southwold nearby found congestion of its high street intolerable. But rather than deal with the inconsiderate parking that was blocking the passage of buses, which thus blocked other traffic like deliveries, it took the dramatic step of banning buses from the town so inconveniencing many residents who depended on buses. There is little evidence that inconsiderate parking in the town has been reduced. In all likelihood it has increased because cars have more convenient access. A photograph of a 4X4 brazenly parked on the pavement to avoid yellow lines was recently published in the community newspaper as a "typical" example of the thoughtlessness of drivers.

Much of the centre of Halesworth dates from the era of horse transport and when the surrounding estates were laid out; car ownership was a fraction of what it is now.  Vehicles were smaller then. Compare a Morris Minor to the people carriers and SUVs of today. The Morris 1000 is 1.51 metres wide. A modern Transit van is 2.38 metres wide. Demand for on-street parking has increased as households commonly have two or three cars.

Many of the residential areas in Halesworth are free of yellow lines so many of these narrow roads can have cars legally parked on them on both sides causing a potential obstruction. 

HACT have tried to leave polite notes on vehicles but this has led to its volunteers being intimidated by angry drivers. One local resident obviously regards this request as HACT's selfish interest, stating online: "the whole of Halesworth doesn't revolve around the local hopper bus [sic] and if a fire engine were to come I'm sure the delivery driver would move the vehicle a lot quicker than they do for your bus."

The police would now prefer HACT report to them any instances of obstruction by calling 101. HACT will log and report obstructions.

The legal side of it isn't complex; contrary to the opinion of the man in the pub, nobody has the right to park outside their house. While a vehicle might be parked legally because there are no restrictions indicated, there are several kinds of offence of obstructing the highway when other vehicles cannot pass. These can be invoked when people put crates or wheelbarrows in the road to 'save' a parking spot as well. It is also an offence to obstruct an emergency worker which carries a £5000 fine. So if you have parked on the highway and an emergency vehicle responding to a call cannot pass, you could be committing an offence.

In many instances of obstruction the bus could just squeeze through if the bus drove onto the pavement but this is stressful and inappropriate (if not illegal) with a bus full of passengers and the buses have been damaged several times doing this. The Road Traffic Act 1991 makes it an offence to use, cause or permit to be used, a vehicle - when the purpose for which its being used - involves a danger of injury to any person. It should be said that the bus is operated by volunteers and anything that makes their job harder is a factor in recruitment and retention of volunteers.

The situation is not helped when people know they are going to obstruct the highway if they park on the road so park obstructing the footway. This is just as unacceptable as this causes pedestrians to walk into the road.

In HACT committee meetings over the last six months it has been reported that instances of this are now so frequent that if the problem can't be sorted out in a friendly community way; the answer will be to apply to change the route so the bus doesn't serve all of Halesworth and Holton or apply to the respective agencies to have parking restrictions introduced.

Neither of these options is really wanted. These are last resorts. What will be tried first is raising awareness. All the road users can get along, all it takes is just a little courtesy for each other. What is happening here seems like a case of the 'social solidarity' in the community being eroded by people competing for scarce resources; that is the parking available. It isn't feasible to demolish houses to make roads so that people can park on them so we need to me more imaginative in finding a solution.

It is essential for Halesworth's economic vitality that the town can be accessed by cars and deliveries. None of the problem spots are near businesses or involve regular deliveries but it is also essential for that that people can use the bus and the bus can keep to its schedule. The Halesworth Hoppa runs at an average 88% capacity. Inconsiderate parking affects traders and businesses in the town too.

HACT hope that word of mouth will be effective with local residents. If the public can be empowered and have the courage to politely inform drivers on the impact of their actions, this will greatly help. If a fear of verbal or online abuse by the selfish is allowed to rule, everyone suffers.

Having yet more signage and line painting is unsightly and expensive and it detracts from the pleasant character of the area. It is hoped that enough community spirit remains in the town for the public to self-police this issue for their own safety. 

A leaflet campaign focussing on the trouble spots has been suggested but I think the whole community can and should self-police this problem because if cars are successfully moved from the most frequent trouble spots, it may just move the problem somewhere else.

While the ignorant objector may claim the chances of blocking an emergency vehicle are relatively low, the consequences of losing that bet are unacceptable. They don't realise or don't care to know that the more likely instances of inconsiderate parking have a cumulative effect on the quality of life for everyone in the community. 

The 511 bus is allowed to go 250 yards off the registered route at the driver's discretion to pick up/drop off disabled passengers and this saturates Halesworth and Holton but there are now many 'no-go' areas that volunteer drivers won't offer this service. 

There have already been several scrapes and damage to buses when drivers have attempted to pass and they have grounded the bus on kerbs damaging the access steps or have broken wing mirrors. As a non-profit community transport operator HACT cannot afford this to continue. It hurts in maintenance costs, insurance premiums and reputation in the community.

Rather than demand draconian enforcement, HACT consider there is an opportunity here to build some social capital and engage with communities about public safety and consideration for others. An information campaign about the impact of inconsiderate (though legal) parking might benefit all the Community Transport Operators in Suffolk, encourage neighbours to look out for the elderly/vulnerable and engage with the Suffolk Constabulary and Fire Service about reporting obstructions. I should stress we don't want to see the community adopt Russia's solution to inconsiderate parking or go as far as the mayor of Vilnius.

The traditional process of community resolution of 'Ubuntu' is followed by communities in eastern, central and southern Africa. The idea is that all humans are interdependent. We are human because we belong, participate and share in our society. In Ubuntu societies, maintaining positive social relations is a collective task in which everyone is involved. A key component of promoting peace and social solidarity which can be drawn from the Ubuntu tradition is the public participation in the peace-building process, as it promotes social solidarity, and support to both victims (the community) and perpetrators (the inconsiderate driver) as they go through the difficult process of making peace.

There are a number of factors specific to Halesworth to consider, such as the local media, that influence this choice of strategy. Halesworth has a 'Community News' which is distributed widely but it has no editorial content so the only way to ensure inclusion is by paid advertising. The Holton Post delivered in the parish does have editorial content but very limited space. Having a message on the back of the HACT buses is being considered though it has a cost of a few hundred pounds, and a leaflet campaign would similarly have a cost and would require the involvement of the Fire Service and Constabulary.

Station manager Mick Daniels of Moor Street fire station in Burton-on-Trent told residents: 

“A fire engine is approximately three metres wide and to comfortably pass parked vehicles, a four metre gap is required.

“We find the streets surrounding schools, are frequent problem areas. All we ask is that you consider where you’re parking your vehicle — have a check around before you leave it: can a fire engine get past easily?

Don’t park on street corners and try to avoid parking parallel to another car on the opposite side of the road. I’m sure if people took a second to think about it, they wouldn’t want to be the reason for delaying a fire engine in an emergency.”

Tesco and Ocado have been contacted and have promised to inform their drivers in the area. Suffolk County Councillors, Halesworth Town Council, Holton Parish Council, Suffolk Fire & Rescue and Suffolk Constabulary have been contacted for suggestions and comment which will be distributed to the management committee of HACT.

In the meantime, if you see any vehicles parked in a way that you think a fire engine can't pass them please call 101 and report it. It might save a life.

Update October 23, 2013 

http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/bungay_suspicious_car_fire_extinguished_by_fire_and_rescue_1_2914244

Quaves Lane, Bungay

Bungay: Suspicious car fire extinguished by Fire and Rescue

Police have been informed after a car fire was put out in Bungay overnight.
The car was found to be well alight by the crew of a fire engine from the town sent to the incident in Quaves Lane at about 20 past midnight.
Two hosereels were used to extinguish the blaze by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus.
The crew were back at Bungay Fire Station by 1.49am. Police have been informed due to “suspicious ignition”.
The fire service have also reminded the public to park cars with consideration to the emergency services.
The crew attending the above fire were delayed in reaching it due to poorly parked cars.
Members of the public should always leave enough space for emergency vehicles such as fire engines and ambulances to pass when parking their cars on the side of the road.