Merseylink
users can have their say
MERSEYLINK
users across Merseyside are being urged to have their say on the
vital community service. The consultation, launched by
Merseytravel, is taking place over the next 6 weeks, closing on
March 31. It will be calling for views on elements of the free
service, including membership criteria, booking procedures, the
telephone contact system and a range of other issues.
Hundreds of disabled
and older people in Merseyside use free dial-a-ride Merseylink bus
service every week. To many, it provides an important link
between their homes and range of services when public transport
isn’t an option for some, or part of their journeys.
Councillor Mark Dowd, Chair of Merseytravel, said:- “We are
looking at a number of ways to improve Merseylink and to make things
easier to understand for everyone who uses the service. For so
many people it can be a lifeline to services they may not be able to
access by other means. We hope people come forward and give us
their views as part of this consultation.”
Neil Scales, Chief Executive and Director General of Merseytravel,
added:- “We are looking to make the best possible use of the
Merseylink service and we will be consulting through a variety of
channels. We’re doing a lot of good work towards the creation
of a single integrated public transport network which is accessible
to everyone. Merseylink is an important part of that. Things
have changed a great deal since Merseylink was launched in 1984; the
public transport network has become much more accessible than ever
before and Merseylink has an important role to play in filling the “missing
links” in the network.”
Merseylink vehicles are designed for easy access and include;
wheelchair access, low steps, wide comfortable seats, seatbelts for
all passengers and on board communications. It runs from 7am to 11pm
every day, including a limited service on Christmas Day. It
can be used for members to travel anywhere in Merseyside.
For details of the consultation please visit Merseytravel’s
website
and click on “information”, then “publications” – it
is under “corporate documents”.
Alternatively, users can contact Merseytravel’s Community Links team
on 0151 330 1200.
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INSURERS ACTION ON UNINSURED DRIVING
A LOOPHOLE
allowing vehicles seized by the police from uninsured motorists to
be returned to their owners is set to be closed. The police and
insurance companies have taken this move as a further step forward
in the fight against uninsured driving.
New model policy wordings issued by the ABI (Association of British
Insurers) will prevent drivers collecting confiscated vehicles using
the ‘Driving other Cars’ provision in their motor policy,
which normally enables them to drive any other vehicle with the
owner’s permission. The new wording specifically excludes collecting
impounded vehicles. Up to 1 in 5 of the 50,000 uninsured
vehicles now being seized by the police are thought to be retrieved
this way. One man in the Midlands recovered 60 vehicles by abusing
this provision!
Justin Jacobs, the ABI’s Head of Motor Insurance, said:-
“Since the police highlighted this abuse we have acted quickly to
stamp it out. This wording will help the police to make full use of
their powers to tackle the menace of these illegal, often dangerous,
motorists. And law - abiding drivers will still be able to use this
provision for its original use of driving other cars on an
occasional basis.”
Meredydd Hughes, Chief Constable, South Yorkshire Police, said:-
“The police have been frustrated by individuals abusing this
provision to recover seized vehicles, which often end up back on the
roads uninsured. I welcome this move by the industry, which should
outlaw this practice and help police forces in their crackdown on
this serious problem.”
STUDENTS HEAD TO THE BEACH
HUNDREDS of
students are banding together to transform a litter-strewn beach
into a picturesque paradise. It may seem a chilly time of year
to get down to the beach, but around 200 people from more than 10
universities and high education institutions are expected to head
down to Hightown beach in Sefton next Wednesday. They will get rid
of all the rubbish that has been either directly dumped on the sands
and that which has washed on to the beach because it is a tidal
inlet.
Anna Boekweit from the University of Liverpool is a volunteer
co-ordinator at the Guild of Students and is helping to organise the
mass litter-pick. Anna said:- “We’ve been down to have a look
at the levels of rubbish and there is all sorts, like plastics and
fly-tipped wood. It really is disgusting what people will leave
behind in such a beautiful place, so we hope to bring some of that
beauty back by clearing the rubbish away.”
The Liverpool Culture Company is supporting the event by providing
equipment such as gloves, bags and litter pickers.
Liverpool City Council Leader, Cllr Warren Bradley, said:-
“Liverpool becomes an adopted home to so many students, and we
welcome them with open arms. It’s fantastic to see that they are
giving something back to the city by making the effort to make
Liverpool sparkle.”
Further litter picks are planned for the coming months. For
more information about Liverpool, European Capital of Culture, 2008,
please visit
www.liverpool08.com. |