Latest news with #HelenGodwin
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Kids can now ride bus for free in and around Bristol
More than 150,000 children in the west of England can now catch a bus for free over the summer holidays. Anyone aged between five and 15 years old can travel without paying for tickets across Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset. The offer - which is funded by the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) and temporarily scraps the £1 ticket cost for the age group - will end on 5 September when pupils return to school. Weca mayor Helen Godwin said: "It's right that we help people save money and encourage greener travel." "Our £1 child fare is already one of the cheapest tickets in the whole country but, ideally, children and young people should be able to travel by bus for free. "That's something I've heard loud and clear," she added. The free travel scheme will apply to most local services, though some, such as airport routes, will be exempt. Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. More on this story Children campaign for year-round free bus travel National Trust summer events: All you need to know Related internet links West of England Combined Authority
BBC News
6 days ago
- BBC News
Bristol school children call for free bus travel all year
Children in one area of Bristol are calling for year-round free bus travel after it was announced there would be not be a charge for summer travel for West of England Mayor has agreed to fund trips for under 16s during school holidays but a young campaign group from Hartcliffe says that's not children are planning how they'll use their free bus travel this summer. Nine-year-old Isabel says she'd like to go to the beach and nine-year-old Tommy would like to see Weston Pier. Honey, who's 10, said: "I would like to go see a river and some ducks or something that gets me and my family out for a bit." It was six years ago that children from Room 13, an independent artists' studio based at Hareclive Primary, began their campaign. They visited Helen Godwin — a city councillor at the time — to make their since become West of England Mayor and has given free bus travel for under 16s during the six-week response to their request for year-round free travel she said: "Obviously if I could I would."At the minute it's not something that is feasible to do but I can guarantee that I will always be listening to young people." The children of the original campaign are all grown up now but it's still a pupil of Room 13, Mackenzie Kane, said: "I mainly want them to explore the centre and the museums. A lot of Bristol's major museums are free. Getting to them is now free. Realistically the only thing getting in their way is the effort now."Ingrid Skells, Development Worker at Room 13, said: "Of course there are going to be other factors but the fact that they can get around their city and access everything, that gives children a huge amount that they're not getting in some parts of this city."Eight-year-old Garima added: "I would love to go somewhere that I've never been before and explore Bristol."
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Road closures are 'shocking', councillor says
The closure of major routes in a city is "shocking and completely daft", a councillor says Roads in Bristol including Bath New Bridge in Temple Meads and the dual carriageway Passage Road in Henbury are closed for repairs. Mark Watson, the local councillor for Henbury and Brentry and the Leader of the Bristol Conservative Group, said: "Someone somewhere has not planned this properly. It's shocking. I'm not disputing the works need doing but if they waited a week, schools would be off. It is completely daft." Helen Godwin, mayor of the West of England, said the repairs will "lay the foundations for a better transport system overall for the West of England". More news stories for Bristol Watch the latest Points West Listen to the latest news for Bristol While Passage Road - in the north of the city - is closed southbound, traffic will need to follow the signposted diversion via Crow Lane, Henbury Road, and Falcondale Road for onwards travel. Pedestrians and cyclists will still be able to use the road. The works are needed to rebuild a section of the road because it was originally constructed with poor quality materials, the city council said. The work on Passage Road is happening while the Henbury transport scheme is being built - which has already seen widespread disruption in the area. Meanwhile, work to repair Bath New Bridge, part of Bath Bridges roundabout on the A4 Bath Road, has started on Monday. Its repair forms part of the council's £16m New Cut bridge's restoration programme that is restoring eight crossings over five years. Only one lane of the bridge can remain open while the repair work takes place, meaning significant delays are to be expected when heading into the city centre on the A4. From Monday, York Road will reopen one-way travelling from Bath Bridges roundabout towards Bedminster Bridges roundabout. Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Why do Bristol's bridges take sooo long to repair? 'Banana bridge' reopening after year-long closure Suspension Bridge shuts to traffic over weekend Bristol City Council West of England Combined Authority
BBC News
7 days ago
- BBC News
Bristol road closures are 'shocking' councillor says
The closure of major routes in a city is "shocking and completely daft", a councillor saysRoads in Bristol including Bath New Bridge in Temple Meads and the dual carriageway Passage Road in Henbury are closed for Watson, the local councillor for Henbury and Brentry and the Leader of the Bristol Conservative Group, said: "Someone somewhere has not planned this properly. It's shocking. I'm not disputing the works need doing but if they waited a week, schools would be off. It is completely daft."Helen Godwin, mayor of the West of England, said the repairs will "lay the foundations for a better transport system overall for the West of England". While Passage Road - in the north of the city - is closed southbound, traffic will need to follow the signposted diversion via Crow Lane, Henbury Road, and Falcondale Road for onwards and cyclists will still be able to use the works are needed to rebuild a section of the road because it was originally constructed with poor quality materials, the city council work on Passage Road is happening while the Henbury transport scheme is being built - which has already seen widespread disruption in the work to repair Bath New Bridge, part of Bath Bridges roundabout on the A4 Bath Road, has started on repair forms part of the council's £16m New Cut bridge's restoration programme that is restoring eight crossings over five years. Only one lane of the bridge can remain open while the repair work takes place, meaning significant delays are to be expected when heading into the city centre on the A4. From Monday, York Road will reopen one-way travelling from Bath Bridges roundabout towards Bedminster Bridges roundabout.
Scottish Sun
11-07-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Picturesque English town is getting new £27m train line for first time in 60 years – & will cut journey times by an hour
The new train line will reach Bristol in just 25 minutes ON TRACK Picturesque English town is getting new £27m train line for first time in 60 years – & will cut journey times by an hour Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A PICTURE-POSTCARD town in the English countryside is set to get a train line for the first time in 60 years. The quaint town, in the west of England, is currently one of the largest towns in the UK without a railway station. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 This picturesque town is set to get a brand new railway Credit: Getty 2 The coastal town hasn't had a railway for 60 years Credit: Getty However, this will not be the case for much longer, as Portishead has been given a whopping £27.6 million sum to build a new one, which will take passengers to Bristol in just 25 minutes. The Bristol to Portishead line closed way back in 1964, meaning residents have been unable to travel to the city by train for over 60 years. When the new train line opens, in three years' time, an hourly service will run to Bristol, transporting commuters from the coastal town to the bustling city. Work to start in spring 2026 Work is due to start on the train line in spring 2026, and will hopefully be completed in 2028. The neighbouring town of Pill is also set to get a new train line to Bristol. The line has already been restored for freight trains but will be made more suitable for passenger trains. Helen Godwin, the West of England mayor, said: "The West of England and North Somerset, with government backing and industry partners, will connect more people to opportunity, leisure and nature. "We're investing in jobs and economic growth. Local people will see and feel the difference from commutes being cut in half through train travel, and building this key transport infrastructure will unlock sites for much-needed new homes. "Pill and Portishead are two of the five new railway stations being built in the West over the next few years. "But our ambition goes further. Delivering projects like the Bristol & Portishead Line now lays the foundations for a better transport system overall for the West of England, building the suburban railway network that other places take for granted." Incredible plans to tunnel underneath UK city centre for massive train network are unveiled More UK train news This comes as bold new plans to tunnel beneath a major UK city for a massive underground train and tram network have been officially unveiled. The dramatic move aims to transform how people travel in and out of the busy urban centre and tackle future congestion. The ambitious project, based in Manchester and led by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, would see trains and trams running below ground for the first time in the city's history, aiming to ease congestion and support future economic growth Plus, a direct train service between a central Scottish city and London is due to launch as early as spring 2026. Lumo, which is part of FirstGroup, will run four return services a day to Stirling in Scotland, with the exception of Sundays, where there will be three. The route will provide first-ever direct services to London for Whifflet, Greenfaulds, and Larbert. Currently, the Lumo brand runs on the East Coast Main Line between London King's Cross and Edinburgh. The new West Coast services were due to start this year, however FirstGroup said they are "currently expected to commence mid-2026 following the delivery of the trains and staff training". Lumo's new route will link London Euston directly to Stirling, also calling at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet (serving Coatbridge), Greenfaulds (serving Cumbernauld) and Larbert.
