(08 Apr 2016, 7:24 am)LeeCalder When I went to Manchester on Monday, it was a case of parking in Rochdale and buying a tram/bus day ticket which allows travel on ALL bus and train services after 0930.
We travelled with Rosso to Bury, First to Bolton and then again First to Leigh.
Once we got to Leigh we used the shambles of a service that was Vantage to Bolton. On the way back it was a simple case of First Bus 135 to Bury then Rosso to Rochdale.
Plenty of opportunity for photos throughout the day for photos, especially with so many high frequency services.
I may be reading this wrong but the Vantage doesn't serve Bolton?
I sampled the new busway on Monday and made a few observations:
Plagued with bunching of services due to traffic in Manchester City Centre. The route goes right through both the Metrolink second city crossing roadworks and the Portland Street roadworks to reach the rather odd terminus of Stevenson Square in the Northern Quarter. The driver on the inbound service allowed us to alight in traffic on Cross Street and I walked the rest of the route. I overtook
5 Vantage Streetdecks on foot which were stuck in traffic.
The busway itself, once you reach it, seems effective. I lived in Manchester for 4 years and that East Lancs corridor was a nightmare for getting into Manchester quickly. There is a 'pinch point' were buses get into traffic around Pendleton but other than there the other bus priority measures such as bus lanes work well to keep buses ahead of cars. The only suggestion I'd make would be for the traffic lights where the busway crosses regular roads could change earlier so the bus isn't required to slow right down to a crawl before crossing.
Passengers on the buses seemed very impressed with not only the buses themselves but the quicker journey times. I overheard many conversations from people who were quite clearly not bus enthusiasts who were taking a great interest. The general negative is that there are overall fewer stops along the busway compared to previous bus stops. They are laid out more comparable to tram stops.
Judging by social media, particularly the Manchester Evening News, the whole system is hated by car users who've lost a lane on some sections of the East Lancs Road. It's just the usual selfishness from motorists. I used the new Park and Ride on the main road to get into the city centre; it was quicker and cheaper to change onto the bus than to stick with the car. If anybody has an issue with the traffic, get on the bus!
What were your observations?
