Go North East: Service Suggestions v2

14,218

07 Jan 2022, 12:05 pm #2,000

(07 Jan 2022, 11:35 am)Adrian You could never design a route or timetable to cater for where everyone's friends or family might live. It's impossible to cater for all the variables that would throw up.

I'd imagine when trying to design or develop a service, that the starting point should be where there's a logical link, e.g. connecting villages to Town or City Centres, to services (e.g. Hospitals), or to employment hubs and so on.

For all we know, the demand you're suggesting hasn't been explored, could have been explored. It's not like operators haven't got access to this data, with so many using smart cards, ticketing and so on, all that leaves a trackable footprint every time you scan it. I'd argue that operators have a greater ability to measure demand now than they've ever had.

I'm starting to agree. I think the original purpose of these threads was to suggest minor tweaks or alterations with some logic behind them, not wholesale changes or complete network overhauls that are pure fantasy, and would really serve no objective than to suit a poster's own circumstances.

I agree, if used appropriately, the data they have access to will be more accurate than ever before. However, there will still be gaps.

Using OrangeArrow49's example of travel from the West End to Blaydon, the use of multi-operator tickets or singles, will not give GNE or Stagecoach enough data to determine demand for that particular route.
SNE will be more than happy that their services to Central Station are attracting punters. GNE will be more than happy to see people choose one of their many services heading to Western Gateshead.
However, GNE will also complain about the amount of traffic delaying their buses along the way and SNE will have issues with traffic building up around the A1 and the widening scheme going on around West Denton.

The lack of joined up thinking has allowed that situation to happen and for all we know, those people in the queues of cars we see every day along Chainbridge Road and the traffic which has forced the hand on the western bypass works, could be attracted to the bus to make their journeys.

The greatest shame of all, was the 2006 changes to the GNE network and the data used to make those changes. It will have been flawed on so many levels, yet was deemed accurate enough to remove links and re-route services. Those changes will have encouraged flexible users to their cars and encouraged younger people to make the switch sooner than they may have done if they could still get a bus from Herrington Burn to St Roberts 6th form.

I look at the people I've met from the West End, look at their habits, hobbies or interests think about Pulse & Cocktails and maybe... Just maybe, there is a demand from Slatyford or Chapel House to Blaydon.

'Illegitimis non carborundum'

Andreos1