It is good news to see that the sea defences along Felixstowe seafront are so far advanced, especially given the recent weather. Perhaps more worrying on first hearing was the news about the Spa Pavilion. However, I do think that these moments allow for better solutions to come forward. Save the Spa is a good rallying cry and that includes encouraging the people of Felixstowe to come forward and say what they want at the Spa, what will encourage you to go there more often if at all? I met Tourism Minister John Penrose last week for a briefing on tourism matters. John's constituency of Weston-super-Mare faces similar challenges but there have been moves to remove unnecessary legislation and renewed focus on coastal towns.
The A14 challenge has been started to bring forward thoughts on how the A14 can be improved, particularly with key bottlenecks. You do not need a full-blown motorway to keep traffic moving - anyone stuck on the M25 or other motorways can tell you the junctions where they usually get stuck at peak times as cars queue to get on and off.
Of course, one of the other disruptions that we have seen more of than we should recently are the mindless, criminal acts of dropping or throwing stones at cars. Heaven knows what possesses someone to do that but it is absolutely right that the Police put their full efforts into finding these thugs, hopefully before someone is killed.
We all know how important the A14 is but the other popular form of travel in Felixstowe and East Suffolk is the train. I met Felixstowe Travelwatch (Richard Holland and Bryan Frost) last week to discuss their concerns and it was opportune as I met Abellio on Monday. The rail summit later in the work where my excellent colleague Ben Gummer MP pressed the case for investment on the main line. Concerning our branch lines, Abellio will not be able to make significant investment but they are planning to give a facelift to existing carriages and to improve the customer experience through better information available particularly on delays and to make it easier to buy tickets. That includes better deals available online which till now you would need to pick up at a ticket office or upgraded ticket machine. Instead, you can print out at home or buy on your smartphone. One of the key reasons for delays are issues with signalling or disruption to the track. In the short term, Abellio cannot fix that but they also hope to be able to bid for work which would provide useful competition to Network Rail.
Finally, can I wish all readers of the Evening Star a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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