'Ghost' Bus Infrastructure
'Ghost' Bus Infrastructure
![[Image: a20d8403e6d5417d1cd27502da611250.jpg]](http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160531/a20d8403e6d5417d1cd27502da611250.jpg)
There's about 3 of these on West Wylam Estate in Prudhoe from the old Arriva 604 service before GNE took over and (annoyingly) changed the route (as it stopped outside my house). There's also an Arriva 602 sticker on the bus shelter at Prudhoe Waterworld on the westbound side of the road.
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(31 May 2016, 10:00 pm)James101 I'm glad you like it!
The areas both east and west of the town are residential and busless.
I read a piece at uni about the impact of the cuts which featured Elwick. I'm struggling to find the document now but it was pretty heart-wrenching stuff about how not only are the elderly stuck in the village, their relatives can't reach them either so they end up lonely for days on end. It's worth noting Pauls Travel have stepped in since with their limited service which was in the news recently:
http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/loc...-1-7939079
In the article, the operator explains how the service runs at a £5,500 annual loss but they have no plans to withdraw it as long as people need their service. It's very concerning how the mobility of our most vulnerable is left to a generous local businesswoman after being abandoned by both Stagecoach and the local authority.
The stops on the A19 itself are a bit of a worry! I'm certain the X7/X9/X10 won't observe them but I wonder if any service has ever served them in the past? I wonder who ever thought it would be a good idea!
Those stops are indeed the ones which the 58 observes. While Hartlepool does not fund the service, I wonder in DCC are more open minded to the idea that the residents of Wingate/Station Town may have a need to go into another area. Indeed, their Link 2 service will take passengers up to 5 miles into the Tees Valley.
(31 May 2016, 10:00 pm)James101 I'm glad you like it!
The areas both east and west of the town are residential and busless.
I read a piece at uni about the impact of the cuts which featured Elwick. I'm struggling to find the document now but it was pretty heart-wrenching stuff about how not only are the elderly stuck in the village, their relatives can't reach them either so they end up lonely for days on end. It's worth noting Pauls Travel have stepped in since with their limited service which was in the news recently:
http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/loc...-1-7939079
In the article, the operator explains how the service runs at a £5,500 annual loss but they have no plans to withdraw it as long as people need their service. It's very concerning how the mobility of our most vulnerable is left to a generous local businesswoman after being abandoned by both Stagecoach and the local authority.
The stops on the A19 itself are a bit of a worry! I'm certain the X7/X9/X10 won't observe them but I wonder if any service has ever served them in the past? I wonder who ever thought it would be a good idea!
Those stops are indeed the ones which the 58 observes. While Hartlepool does not fund the service, I wonder in DCC are more open minded to the idea that the residents of Wingate/Station Town may have a need to go into another area. Indeed, their Link 2 service will take passengers up to 5 miles into the Tees Valley.
The industrial estate in billingham where husband works is full of dead stops, btw. Nearest buses now go to the high street which is a brisk 15-20 minute walk away.
I'm the same as BusLoverMum regarding your map, James101. I really like it!
https://goo.gl/maps/iQqBNN2orwm
I've never really given it a thought before but it is somewhat alarming with the amount of red on there. For somewhere predominantly served by one of the largest companies in the UK, it's quite odd to see.
(20 May 2016, 1:16 pm)GMitchelhill Greenlee Drive in Cochrane Park (Behind the olds Wills Factory) has a number of laybys and a turning circle which were intended for a bus service that never came about. Until a few years ago you could see faded Bus Stop marking on the road.
(20 May 2016, 1:16 pm)GMitchelhill Greenlee Drive in Cochrane Park (Behind the olds Wills Factory) has a number of laybys and a turning circle which were intended for a bus service that never came about. Until a few years ago you could see faded Bus Stop marking on the road.
(31 May 2016, 9:37 pm)BusLoverMum I'm a little bit in love with that!
I do also wonder about the life expectancy of people living in and around Elwick, as the stats for serious accidents entering the A19 from there are pretty scary.
(31 May 2016, 10:00 pm)James101 I'm glad you like it!
The areas both east and west of the town are residential and busless.
I read a piece at uni about the impact of the cuts which featured Elwick. I'm struggling to find the document now but it was pretty heart-wrenching stuff about how not only are the elderly stuck in the village, their relatives can't reach them either so they end up lonely for days on end. It's worth noting Pauls Travel have stepped in since with their limited service which was in the news recently:
The stops on the A19 itself are a bit of a worry! I'm certain the X7/X9/X10 won't observe them but I wonder if any service has ever served them in the past? I wonder who ever thought it would be a good idea!
(31 May 2016, 9:37 pm)BusLoverMum I'm a little bit in love with that!
I do also wonder about the life expectancy of people living in and around Elwick, as the stats for serious accidents entering the A19 from there are pretty scary.
(31 May 2016, 10:00 pm)James101 I'm glad you like it!
The areas both east and west of the town are residential and busless.
I read a piece at uni about the impact of the cuts which featured Elwick. I'm struggling to find the document now but it was pretty heart-wrenching stuff about how not only are the elderly stuck in the village, their relatives can't reach them either so they end up lonely for days on end. It's worth noting Pauls Travel have stepped in since with their limited service which was in the news recently:
The stops on the A19 itself are a bit of a worry! I'm certain the X7/X9/X10 won't observe them but I wonder if any service has ever served them in the past? I wonder who ever thought it would be a good idea!
I'm off to Foursrtones/Newborugh tomorrow - lets see how many old bus stops I can find!
Target - 5
(01 Jun 2016, 7:51 pm)MurdnunoC Much like BusLoverMum and Northern156, I also enjoy your maps and appreciate the effort it must take.
Speaking of Elwick and the A19, I have found at least one service from 1978 which would have served both the west of the town, Elwick Village and, quite possibly, the stops on the A19 judging by the route it took.
There also used to be local service which served Dalton Piercy and the Dalton Lodge and quite possibly Elwick as well although I can't remember the number.
(01 Jun 2016, 7:51 pm)MurdnunoC Much like BusLoverMum and Northern156, I also enjoy your maps and appreciate the effort it must take.
Speaking of Elwick and the A19, I have found at least one service from 1978 which would have served both the west of the town, Elwick Village and, quite possibly, the stops on the A19 judging by the route it took.
There also used to be local service which served Dalton Piercy and the Dalton Lodge and quite possibly Elwick as well although I can't remember the number.
(01 Jun 2016, 8:08 pm)Jackamcardle I'm off to Foursrtones/Newborugh tomorrow - lets see how many old bus stops I can find!
Target - 5
(01 Jun 2016, 8:08 pm)Jackamcardle I'm off to Foursrtones/Newborugh tomorrow - lets see how many old bus stops I can find!
Target - 5
(01 Jun 2016, 8:13 pm)MurdnunoC I do hope you uncover some old bus stops, however as a regular visitor to that area, I think you'll struggle to meet your target.
While services have passed between operators over the years, the service is pretty much the same. If you really want to find some old bus stops around the area served by GNE's Tynedale Links, try Acomb - there's at least one there.
(01 Jun 2016, 8:13 pm)MurdnunoC I do hope you uncover some old bus stops, however as a regular visitor to that area, I think you'll struggle to meet your target.
While services have passed between operators over the years, the service is pretty much the same. If you really want to find some old bus stops around the area served by GNE's Tynedale Links, try Acomb - there's at least one there.
(31 May 2016, 8:23 pm)James101 https://www.scribblemaps.com/create/#id=cWDtSS7Yvk&lat=54.6898257447798&lng=-1.2383426126251607&z=13&t=custom_style
EDIT: I think the above link only works on a desktop browser
Combining my interest of buses, maps and urban development/decay, I've spent a few hours plotting Hartlepool's bus stops.
I'm not claiming its 100% accurate and I'm open to corrections. The basic key is green = an active stop, red = a disused stop. I've classed an active stop as one which has a registered service stopping at least once per day. As such, stops on the minibus route 65 are excluded but stops on once-a-day service 20 is included.
I collated the information through my own knowledge of the area verified using Streetview, so it's possible that some disused have disappeared since the last Google images were taken. Equally, where there is a route of disused stops, there is occasionally only a marker on one side of the road as the opposite has been taken down and therefore no stop now exists.
Zooming our to see the whole town at once it's interesting to see that Hartlepool is well covered by stops, wether they be used or disused. At this level it is also easy to see the areas which have been left bus-baren as services have retrenched; largely the rural west of the town and the immediate east and west of the town centre as routes have been simplified as they pass through the middle of the town.
On zooming in there's some interesting detail. Areas in Seaton Carew, Clavering and Throston have disused stops where two routes have merged into one or have been revised to operate in a terminal loop and therefore only serving one side of a road. There's also so oddities such as the lone stops on Ocean Drive & Summerhill which I believe were last used by the Countryside bus 401. There's also a stop on the now blocked road around Jacksons landing, last served I think by Shopping Shuttle 25 operated by Cleveland Transit's Leyland PD3.
To crunch some numbers:
I counted 536 stops overall
Of which 209 are disused
That equates to 39% of stops in Hartlepool are not in use
Or to put it another way, if you pick a stop at random and head there today, there's only a 3 in 5 chance a bus will ever come!
(31 May 2016, 8:23 pm)James101 https://www.scribblemaps.com/create/#id=cWDtSS7Yvk&lat=54.6898257447798&lng=-1.2383426126251607&z=13&t=custom_style
EDIT: I think the above link only works on a desktop browser
Combining my interest of buses, maps and urban development/decay, I've spent a few hours plotting Hartlepool's bus stops.
I'm not claiming its 100% accurate and I'm open to corrections. The basic key is green = an active stop, red = a disused stop. I've classed an active stop as one which has a registered service stopping at least once per day. As such, stops on the minibus route 65 are excluded but stops on once-a-day service 20 is included.
I collated the information through my own knowledge of the area verified using Streetview, so it's possible that some disused have disappeared since the last Google images were taken. Equally, where there is a route of disused stops, there is occasionally only a marker on one side of the road as the opposite has been taken down and therefore no stop now exists.
Zooming our to see the whole town at once it's interesting to see that Hartlepool is well covered by stops, wether they be used or disused. At this level it is also easy to see the areas which have been left bus-baren as services have retrenched; largely the rural west of the town and the immediate east and west of the town centre as routes have been simplified as they pass through the middle of the town.
On zooming in there's some interesting detail. Areas in Seaton Carew, Clavering and Throston have disused stops where two routes have merged into one or have been revised to operate in a terminal loop and therefore only serving one side of a road. There's also so oddities such as the lone stops on Ocean Drive & Summerhill which I believe were last used by the Countryside bus 401. There's also a stop on the now blocked road around Jacksons landing, last served I think by Shopping Shuttle 25 operated by Cleveland Transit's Leyland PD3.
To crunch some numbers:
I counted 536 stops overall
Of which 209 are disused
That equates to 39% of stops in Hartlepool are not in use
Or to put it another way, if you pick a stop at random and head there today, there's only a 3 in 5 chance a bus will ever come!
(01 Jun 2016, 9:33 pm)Andreos1 Unfortunately I can't see the map, with being on my phone.
Tried on two now, with no joy.
I knew there was a fair few stops not served now - like the ones on the roads I mentioned a few weeks back.
Genuinely had no idea that there were so many across the town - the sort of numbers which could open up a debate around de-regulation, the big operators leaving communities excluded etc.
(01 Jun 2016, 9:33 pm)Andreos1 Unfortunately I can't see the map, with being on my phone.
Tried on two now, with no joy.
I knew there was a fair few stops not served now - like the ones on the roads I mentioned a few weeks back.
Genuinely had no idea that there were so many across the town - the sort of numbers which could open up a debate around de-regulation, the big operators leaving communities excluded etc.
(01 Jun 2016, 8:08 pm)Andreos1 Although further north than Elwick and Dalton Piercy, I am pretty sure a forerunner to what is now the 58, called at the stop on the southbound A19 at the eastern end of Hutton HenryI believe the Jayline 211 ran through Hutton Henry in both directions and presumably servered the stops you mention in the hamlet of Sheraton. I believe when GNE took over they wanted to avoid the need for the bus to cross the carriageway of the A19 to head south so the route was revised away from there.
(01 Jun 2016, 8:08 pm)Andreos1 Although further north than Elwick and Dalton Piercy, I am pretty sure a forerunner to what is now the 58, called at the stop on the southbound A19 at the eastern end of Hutton HenryI believe the Jayline 211 ran through Hutton Henry in both directions and presumably servered the stops you mention in the hamlet of Sheraton. I believe when GNE took over they wanted to avoid the need for the bus to cross the carriageway of the A19 to head south so the route was revised away from there.
(01 Jun 2016, 9:33 pm)Andreos1 Unfortunately I can't see the map, with being on my phone.It was your comments which got me thinking in the first place!
Tried on two now, with no joy.
I knew there was a fair few stops not served now - like the ones on the roads I mentioned a few weeks back.
Genuinely had no idea that there were so many across the town - the sort of numbers which could open up a debate around de-regulation, the big operators leaving communities excluded etc.
(01 Jun 2016, 9:33 pm)Andreos1 Unfortunately I can't see the map, with being on my phone.It was your comments which got me thinking in the first place!
Tried on two now, with no joy.
I knew there was a fair few stops not served now - like the ones on the roads I mentioned a few weeks back.
Genuinely had no idea that there were so many across the town - the sort of numbers which could open up a debate around de-regulation, the big operators leaving communities excluded etc.
(01 Jun 2016, 10:20 pm)BusLoverMum And the daft thing is that quiet routes and even areas can be turned around. What's impressed me, this week, is how busy most of the 22s we've caught have been. We don't have many more buses per hour than 12-13 years ago, when we moved here and actually fewer buses than about 5 years ago when we had the 21, 21A, 22 and 57A, but the vehicles are much, much nicer and the connectivity is much better to the places people want to visit the most (apart from the Trimdons and Sedgefield, which take over an hour to get to by 2 buses, now, rather than the previous 20-30 minutes on a single bus, which is annoying for people with family that way). I've also noticed that more fares are taken than there used to be. Was a time when most passengers towards Durham were ENCT and students.
I think there's a vicious circle. If a route isn't very frequent, people CBA. If the service is unreliable, people really CBA (particularly if it means they run the risk of a £15 taxi fare if they need to be home for a certain time and the hourly bus is a no show). The 22 was both of those before it went twice hourly, swapped over to finishing in Sunderland instead of Hartlepool and then got the Sapphire streetlites. People actually quite like using it, now. I don't know what ANE's figures are for the first year of being a Sapphire route, but there has to have been at least a 50% increase in usage.
(01 Jun 2016, 10:20 pm)BusLoverMum And the daft thing is that quiet routes and even areas can be turned around. What's impressed me, this week, is how busy most of the 22s we've caught have been. We don't have many more buses per hour than 12-13 years ago, when we moved here and actually fewer buses than about 5 years ago when we had the 21, 21A, 22 and 57A, but the vehicles are much, much nicer and the connectivity is much better to the places people want to visit the most (apart from the Trimdons and Sedgefield, which take over an hour to get to by 2 buses, now, rather than the previous 20-30 minutes on a single bus, which is annoying for people with family that way). I've also noticed that more fares are taken than there used to be. Was a time when most passengers towards Durham were ENCT and students.
I think there's a vicious circle. If a route isn't very frequent, people CBA. If the service is unreliable, people really CBA (particularly if it means they run the risk of a £15 taxi fare if they need to be home for a certain time and the hourly bus is a no show). The 22 was both of those before it went twice hourly, swapped over to finishing in Sunderland instead of Hartlepool and then got the Sapphire streetlites. People actually quite like using it, now. I don't know what ANE's figures are for the first year of being a Sapphire route, but there has to have been at least a 50% increase in usage.
(01 Jun 2016, 1:19 pm)northern156 I'm the same as BusLoverMum regarding your map, James101. I really like it!
https://goo.gl/maps/iQqBNN2orwm
I've never really given it a thought before but it is somewhat alarming with the amount of red on there. For somewhere predominantly served by one of the largest companies in the UK, it's quite odd to see.
(01 Jun 2016, 1:19 pm)northern156 I'm the same as BusLoverMum regarding your map, James101. I really like it!
https://goo.gl/maps/iQqBNN2orwm
I've never really given it a thought before but it is somewhat alarming with the amount of red on there. For somewhere predominantly served by one of the largest companies in the UK, it's quite odd to see.
(01 Jun 2016, 7:51 pm)MurdnunoC Much like BusLoverMum and Northern156, I also enjoy your maps and appreciate the effort it must take.
Speaking of Elwick and the A19, I have found at least one service from 1978 which would have served both the west of the town, Elwick Village and, quite possibly, the stops on the A19 judging by the route it took.
There also used to be local service which served Dalton Piercy and the Dalton Lodge and quite possibly Elwick as well although I can't remember the number.
(01 Jun 2016, 7:51 pm)MurdnunoC Much like BusLoverMum and Northern156, I also enjoy your maps and appreciate the effort it must take.
Speaking of Elwick and the A19, I have found at least one service from 1978 which would have served both the west of the town, Elwick Village and, quite possibly, the stops on the A19 judging by the route it took.
There also used to be local service which served Dalton Piercy and the Dalton Lodge and quite possibly Elwick as well although I can't remember the number.
![[Image: 0a85ed5b4e97324e338555472f222830.png]](https://public.railmiles.me/signatures/0a85ed5b4e97324e338555472f222830.png)