Northgate Hits Is Moving Its Travel Bulletins

Northgate Hits Is Moving Its Travel Bulletins

From Monday, travel on Northgate Hits moves to twenty past and twenty to the hour through breakfast and drive, instead of on the half hour.

The reason is simple enough. The half hour bulletin was landing after most people had already left, which is a strange time to tell somebody a road is blocked. Ada has been arguing for the change since about March and the listener panel in July agreed with her, so it is happening.

The new times

Breakfast, six until ten: travel at 06:20, 06:40, 07:20, 07:40, 08:20, 08:40 and 09:20.

Drive, four until seven: travel at 16:20, 16:40, 17:20, 17:40 and 18:20.

Outside those hours we still break into the programme for anything serious. That has not changed and it is not going to.

What goes in a bulletin

The main roads in and out of town, the coast road, the harbour crossing, and the rail service as far as the junction.

We take the same feeds everybody takes, but we also take calls, and the calls are usually first. If you are sitting in something, ring the studio and tell us where you are and which way you are facing.

The bit we get wrong most often

Clearing. We are quick to say a road is blocked and slow to say it has reopened, because nobody rings in to report that the traffic is moving nicely.

If you go past something that has cleared, that is genuinely useful and it takes ten seconds.

Weekends

Weekend travel stays where it is, on the hour from eight until noon. Sana has looked at moving it, and the pattern of hold ups at the weekend is different enough that there is no case for it yet.

Everything else in the schedule is unchanged.