Any updates on POMC?

[Pompey Boy]

Last Newport and Ryde arrive about 8pm give or take, add the time it takes to go from Southsea to Eastleigh and there's your answer, collections come over on the hovercraft and take 10mins if collections were to be moved onto red funnel to Soton you could add 50 minutes to that time plus the journey time to the mail centre, and that's if red funnel have the capacity to carry mail! Also remember we are talking the islands main collection here, so everything posted after midday, an mpu will probably include some night sorting plus the mail sequencers

Pretty well spot on!

[Pompey Boy]

Maybe they could fly it in to Eastleigh ?

From where?

[rainbowwarrior72]

and they were talking about parts of GU going down the A3 to you guys.

[SpacePhoenix]

From looking on the net, it looks like it's more viable viable via Southampton (the Cowes to Southampton Route). Looking at Google Maps directions using the postcodes for the Red Funnel terminal at Southampton and SOMC, the routes it suggests come out around 19-20mins.

* Via A335 4.5 miles 16 mins
* Via A33 5.2 miles 18 mins
* Via Hill Lane and A35 5.7 miles 19 mins

A better route I think would be near enough A33 then the M271, then the M27

Looking at the Newport DO, it looks like it's a big building so if it's not already they could turn that into an MPU for sequencing IoW stuff, and they could also have it preparing collections for SOMC. Google Maps has it has being about 14mins from the Newport DO to the Cowes ferry terminal.

@hubbahubba, as it stands could SOMC physically handle all of POMCs work (both outward and inward)?

I can't see the existing PO DO staying in the Slindon Road building given how much land there is there, a developer could squeeze on a load houses and flats on that site

[cloherty1976]

Pompey boy ave you never flown to the island ?

[ritchie_54]

From looking on the net, it looks like it's more viable viable via Southampton (the Cowes to Southampton Route). Looking at Google Maps directions using the postcodes for the Red Funnel terminal at Southampton and SOMC, the routes it suggests come out around 19-20mins.

* Via A335 4.5 miles 16 mins
* Via A33 5.2 miles 18 mins
* Via Hill Lane and A35 5.7 miles 19 mins

A better route I think would be near enough A33 then the M271, then the M27

Looking at the Newport DO, it looks like it's a big building so if it's not already they could turn that into an MPU for sequencing IoW stuff, and they could also have it preparing collections for SOMC. Google Maps has it has being about 14mins from the Newport DO to the Cowes ferry terminal.

@hubbahubba, as it stands could SOMC physically handle all of POMCs work (both outward and inward)?

I can't see the existing PO DO staying in the Slindon Road building given how much land there is there, a developer could squeeze on a load houses and flats on that site

Using your figures then Space Phoenix its works out like this, Ryde hoverport to Southsea 10 mins, Southsea to POMC 10 mins = 20 mins. East Cowes to Royal Pier Southampton 1hour Royal Pier to SOMC 19-20mins =1hour and 19-20mins so in other words it will take an extra 60mins to get IOW collections to Eastleigh, so your talking about the last knockings arriving around 9ish, now our network wagons leave the MC around 9:15 so that gives them around 15 mins to process that mail, touch and go don't you think?

[ritchie_54]

Further to my last I haven't factored in loading and unloading of vehicles lol, also there is the logistics of getting the collections over to the mainland, we use the 19:00 hover to get the main collections over, it amounts to all the island offices converging on ryde hover terminal for that time, the island has only one 600cf vehicle which is used for parcel work and one would expect given the island roads has a very limited coverage as some roads are only wide enough for one car let alone a 600, also as the review team will find out the Royal Pier is in a very poor position when it comes to traffic because you have to negotiate traffic from West Quay shopping centre and from the new Ikea store that they built on the old Pirelli factory, so the 20mins to SOMC is a bit pie in the sky, my whole moan about this is that no work as been done on the logistics of moving our entire processing operation to SOMC before they announced it as being their preferred option, surely you should check all this out beforehand rather that just relying on figures on a piece of paper! I've not heard much on here from Soton ppl as to their views on whether our operation will fit (I'm guessing outward might but doubtful about inward) but views from our staff (managers included) who have worked at SOMC before is that there is not the room to fit our Inward PDC in, and I do believe that they are unable to extend the mail centre given that it is on an airport and BAA have not given permission to extend in the lease (also BAA would love to kick them out, and use the land for more profitable purposes) not being a Luddite here, at the end of the day I will still have a job, be it in Pompey or Soton, my gripe is that we have to endure all this uncertainty and maybe an extra 1 1/2 hrs travelling on our working day just as a cost cutting exercise, because no way is this about improving customer service, it will worsen it as has been proven in the other mail centre amalgamations

[hubbahubba]

First off,to answer SP's question,NO SOMC probably couldn't handle PO outward and inward with the current setup,BUT the canteen is on its last legs,and there are some offices on the ground floor that are only studwalls,so with a but of thought more processing space could be found,if it would be enough is another question?
Another option that RM could use would be to process all SO/SP/PO 2c packets (parcels ) at a different site,maybe a purpose built parcel depot for the whole southcoast(only guesswork on my part).If that was done,they could then make the early shift a day shift 0900-1700,as that is roughly the time the streamline and DSA arrives,and you would have a load more space where the outward parcels used to be sorted.
As for the Cowes/SO ferry crossing,the traffic issues Richie mentions wouldn't be as bad because Westquay/Ikea are further up the road in the opposite direction to which a driver would take to get to SOMC.

Even if all this was to happen,the late shift would still struggle,as PO has a few bulk posters (Wiggle/Liz Earle) who post a lot of 24hr tracked items,but i dare say RM have shut/merged plenty of MC's in the past with similar issues,so why should this stop them?

[ritchie_54]

Will bow to your better knowledge hubbahubba, but in my book, royal pier town quay, west quay road/A33 goes right past Ikea, and having been caught in the traffic coming back from the island and trying to get back to Pompey I know to my cost the jams round there, in fact red funnel force you to park in mayflower park if u arrive too early as they haven't the space to fit everyone in, but as I say I'm not from Soton and maybe I just caught it on a bad day

[hubbahubba]

Will bow to your better knowledge hubbahubba, but in my book, royal pier town quay, west quay road/A33 goes right past Ikea, and having been caught in the traffic coming back from the island and trying to get back to Pompey I know to my cost the jams round there, in fact red funnel force you to park in mayflower park if u arrive too early as they haven't the space to fit everyone in, but as I say I'm not from Soton and maybe I just caught it on a bad day

Traffic can be bad at rush hour,but the roads should be clear by the time the last collection arrives,the roads should be clear anway?

[Pompey Boy]

Pompey boy ave you never flown to the island ?

No they only have 2 airports, neither which would be suitable for RM. Very expensive too for such a short distance, even more expensive than what we pay Hovertravel i would have thought.

[cloherty1976]

Funny how your last despatch is 9.15 when I used to do it was 22.00 despatch so all that needs to happen is load to correct time at Southampton. You also have a very speedy drive as straight on motorway to ndc prdc and hwdc and Southampton mail gets into these earlier than most so you could also leave a little later and still arrive before the rest.

[whisperstar24]

First off,to answer SP's question,NO SOMC probably couldn't handle PO outward and inward with the current setup,BUT the canteen is on its last legs,and there are some offices on the ground floor that are only studwalls,so with a but of thought more processing space could be found,if it would be enough is another question?
Another option that RM could use would be to process all SO/SP/PO 2c packets (parcels ) at a different site,maybe a purpose built parcel depot for the whole southcoast(only guesswork on my part).If that was done,they could then make the early shift a day shift 0900-1700,as that is roughly the time the streamline and DSA arrives,and you would have a load more space where the outward parcels used to be sorted.
As for the Cowes/SO ferry crossing,the traffic issues Richie mentions wouldn't be as bad because Westquay/Ikea are further up the road in the opposite direction to which a driver would take to get to SOMC.

Even if all this was to happen,the late shift would still struggle,as PO has a few bulk posters (Wiggle/Liz Earle) who post a lot of 24hr tracked items,but i dare say RM have shut/merged plenty of MC's in the past with similar issues,so why should this stop them?

I am very surprised that someone from Southampton would want to encourage sending their own 2c work from their mail centre to another site,let alone pompey's mail as well.
Who do you think would do this work,probably casuals !!!
Secondly I am sure all of your early shift would love to work 0900-1700 hours every day

[Pompey Boy]

Funny how your last despatch is 9.15 when I used to do it was 22.00 despatch so all that needs to happen is load to correct time at Southampton. You also have a very speedy drive as straight on motorway to ndc prdc and hwdc and Southampton mail gets into these earlier than most so you could also leave a little later and still arrive before the rest.

Not sure what you mean. If POMC closes the last IOW mail would need to be at SOMC for processing in time to make their last despatch

[cloherty1976]

If they send all the second class to a different office then say goodbye to a lot of night and early shift overtime and duties but the other office will enjoy the work. This is what they do at a lot of offices nowadays and you go in fill a 98 Yorker and go . Southampton this is easy but you try getting them into Portsmouth. The old offices are going and that is just a fact. Just to name a few twickenham Kingston brighton redhill Maidstone tonbridge nine elms and Leicester.........