Monday 26 March 2012

Waste of Money Busway

If you come to my blog from flickr, you will know how enamored I am (not) of our new bus way to link Dunstable to Luton, which will be a guided busway like the one in Cambridge.  It is a Luton initiative to boost Luton economy.  Customers coming along the A5 as well as Dunstable residents, wanting to go to Luton, will  park on the outskirts of Dunstable, and will get on a bus. Yes Right!!  Those wanting Dunstable Town Centre and the South of Dunstable will use the current buses going up and down Church St and Luton Road.
The route will be built using the old railway line. It will start in Houghton Regis where it will go by road to the park and ride at Portland, the old cement works.  It will then continue to the White Lion retail Park, onto Toland Road, and then Clifton Road for the Luton Town Football Club, then onto Luton Station where it will stop come off the busway and go by road into Luton, then to Napier park and onto the Airport,  Turn around and come back again.  Hooray, £87 million for what is a glorified by-pass.  It would have cost a lot less to open a railway link, and then we could get to The Airport, London and beyond.  Or use it as a by-pass for the northern end of Dunstable, either way you could save millions, and as we need a by-pass for the southern end of Dunstable we could have paid for both.  Well the government have voted with Luton and Dunstable lose out again.  will this end up as a £87 million, white elephant? or will it surprise us all?.   As it is well on the way, I hope all us doubting Thomas's are wrong because if we are not, what an expensive eyesore we will be left with, while the Luton councilors that want this will have moved on. I assume by car or by train, as I am sure not one of them will be using the busway.  I am sure neither they or their constituents even know where Dunstable is let alone been there.

College Road was originally built for ease of access for buses to get to the White Lion Retail Park from Dunstable,  complete with barriers to prevent cars using it as a by pass.  However this did not last long and it is now used by all traffic.  These pictures are where the railway line, cross College Road.  At least College Road got resurfaced.
















































































This set is the building works in Church Street, I pass these everyday going to work.  A New Railway bridge was built for the railway line in the 1960's as it ran from Dunstable to Hatfield.  It was last used for passenger service in 1965, but continued to be used for freight traffic up until 1989;  we still had some heavy industry at that time, Vauxhall Motors, Blue Circle Cement, and others .  Also some special passenger trains and rail tours operated during this time, hence my username and my flickr link.  The line was moth balled and fell in to disuse.  Several groups have tried and failed to get the rail link re-established, but we lived in hope.  Until Luton Councilors came up with the bus scheme, after seeing the one in Cambridge.  Unfortunately the group most affected i.e Dunstable, where mostly ignored, a few groups and evenings where  laid on to discuss it, but after still getting a resounding no from Dunstable.  Central Government gave the go ahead.
The Bridges in Dunstable to Luton Station where pulled down and the tracks dug up, we had reached the  point of no return.














Duke Minster Estate was built on the site of Bagshaws engineering works, in the 1980's. Bagshaws  dated from 1909 and  closed in 1972, the distinctive half timbered office building burned down in 1978. It is to be demolished to build houses and retail units.   Some of the units on the Duke Minister Estate are still used and hopefully they will have new units close to where they are.  
I surpose they are going to need someone to use the  'Waste Of Money' busway.











The last section is the footbridge carrying Dog Kennel Walk over the route, built so that people could cut through from Dunstable Town Centre to Houghton Regis, close to Houghton Square.  It has been park land which has been nibbled away at;  tennis courts for the recreation centre, then the new theatre complex was built, with new homes and car parking. There is still a nice size left for people to sit on a sunny day and watch the Luton Busway be built.








I will keep you posted on what is happening;
it is a case of just wait and see.

Monday 12 March 2012

Bleep Van Bleep

I was very pleased to see that my favourite grey haired octogenarian, who I have been in love with since the  tender age of seven, has married for the second time.  He married his make up artist of four years, and although people can make snide remarks about them, I wish them all the best.  He is a genuinely talented actor and performer and after the death of his companion and friend of 30 years Michelle Triola, I am pleased that he has found happiness again, with Arlene.

Quiz Shows

One of life's little conundrums for me, is that much as I like watching quiz shows, I do find it annoying when that is all I can find to watch on TV.  I am currently watching perfection and have just watched pointless, which I find wonderful, although it is funny watching actors or comedians starting out on quiz shows, how wooden they are and poor old Alexander Armstrong was no different although several years on, he is much more relaxed than he was when he began and I do enjoy his banter with his pointless friend Richard.  Roy Walker, on comedians excellent, and I loved the early catch phrase but some of the later episodes he seemed more critical of the contestants and his jokes a little forced, I sometimes feel when I watch them that he had become to resent the monster he had created, but you never know.  My lovely Jim, (Super, Smashing Great,) Bowen who has to be my favourite, on bull's eye I thought oh no! what a wonderful idea for a show especially as I  loved darts, but I did wonder if it would survive it's first year.  Well it did, raising a lot of money for small local charities and giving a lot of recognition to a beer swilling, working man's sport.  Ted Rogers, although I never could solve the riddles in 321, I never missed it.  Now on challenge TV you can watch all these old programmes and enjoy these unlikely game show hero's who learned their trade in working men's clubs, doing their stand up.  What I also enjoy doing is googling the old stars, that appeared, even the old dart players.  So where is Bob Monkhouse, Andrew O'Connor, and Lionel Blair, in the current line, up they would fit right in.
Well as there is nothing else, I am going to watch big break on challenge, how sad is that.  With that nice Jim Davidson, and the ever lovely John Virgo who still looks good at 66.


Saturday 3 March 2012

Fleetville Emporium



Kevin and I had decided to go to St Albans for the day, my son who lives and work in Hatfield, mentioned a vintage market that he passes on the way home from St Albans.  So we get the bus to the train station, and start walking.  This is not a problem for us, we don't drive and with 4 children, we are used to walking miles.  The only problem is that there are pubs, churches and charity shops, on the way.  Not forgetting buses, Kevin Photographs buses and trains, he has written books, and also is well known in those circles.  So what should have taken us 10 minutes, took us between nearer an hour.  When we got there 'Vintage Heaven', we left at 2.30 starving hungry, and with a huge Morrison's  over the road, off we went, very nice it was too.  Cheap and cheerful, once the inner beast was fed, we went back to St Albans, did a few shops, but then of course we had to get a bus back home, so not nearly long enough.  Never mind it was a good day out.





Thursday 1 March 2012

Davy Jones



I think anyone over the age of forty remembers the Monkee's. If you didn't see them the first time around you would have seen repeats.  We grew up with their antics and their "Monkeeing a round", but they where good harmless fun.  Their show only ran for two years, but the joy that they gave has lasted over 40 years.

I will always be a believer.



This is a parody of Day Dream     
Believer,  I found on you tube, 
it is not disrespectful just a bit of fun.
In true Monkee style.  Do not click 
on it if you do not have a sense of 
humour.   

I think Davy would have loved this.


Davy Jones
Davy died yesterday, in Florida.  he leaves a wife and 4 daughters.

 Rest in Peace Davy