(09 Aug 2021, 11:09 am)Keeiajs wrote [ -> ]Maybe it was, but its better than some of the new branding, "BLUE" like seriously. A bit more creative would be nice
The whole point of the new branding scheme in Sunderland is that it's based around colours, so Blue is one of the more sane options.
I personally hate the 'Blonde' brand, why not just go for yellow?.
Then again, if it's based around colours, where did Berries and Cherry come from?
(09 Aug 2021, 11:34 am)streetdeckfan wrote [ -> ]The whole point of the new branding scheme in Sunderland is that it's based around colours, so Blue is one of the more sane options.
I personally hate the 'Blonde' brand, why not just go for yellow?.
Then again, if it's based around colours, where did Berries and Cherry come from?
To me its the names and branding, they are just boring. Look at BLUE, you have the destinations along the top, and the word blue and a parrot. Just a bit more detail would be nice.
(09 Aug 2021, 11:47 am)Keeiajs wrote [ -> ]To me its the names and branding, they are just boring. Look at BLUE, you have the destinations along the top, and the word blue and a parrot. Just a bit more detail would be nice.
But arguably its easy to understand. You need the cherry route to go here, blue route to go there, and so on. I think some of the choices could have been better, but the idea of having them around colours is probably good from a marketing perspective.
(09 Aug 2021, 11:55 am)Adrian wrote [ -> ]But arguably its easy to understand. You need the cherry route to go here, blue route to go there, and so on. I think some of the choices could have been better, but the idea of having them around colours is probably good from a marketing perspective.
To me, route branding makes buses easier to understand for the average person, as long as the branding is unique per route.
The Angel is a perfect example.
If I say to someone go Eldon Square and get The Angel, it's obvious which bus to get.
In the past, I could have said to someone get The Castles Express, and it too would have been obvious. But with the roll out of X-Lines, I think while it has made a more cohesive network, it has taken away some of the ease. Visually, the distinction is still there though which is good.
So, I think I am a fan of the concept behind the Sunderland District network, just perhaps not some of design choices!
(07 Aug 2021, 11:23 pm)6049 wrote [ -> ]Can't help but wonder if the stand allocations are correct or if there's been a gremlin in the system somewhere. The changes in Eldon Square add up but the changes in the Galleries seem odd. X1 now running off Stand C to Easington Lane, Peterlee and Dalton Park along with the 50, while the minibuses are switched to Stand A with the 4.
Sent from my SM-G981B using Tapatalk
It was constant chaos having the X1 and the 4 (plus the 8, in one direction) all running from the same stand.
(09 Aug 2021, 12:08 pm)streetdeckfan wrote [ -> ]To me, route branding makes buses easier to understand for the average person, as long as the branding is unique per route.
The Angel is a perfect example.
If I say to someone go Eldon Square and get The Angel, it's obvious which bus to get.
In the past, I could have said to someone get The Castles Express, and it too would have been obvious. But with the roll out of X-Lines, I think while it has made a more cohesive network, it has taken away some of the ease. Visually, the distinction is still there though which is good.
So, I think I am a fan of the concept behind the Sunderland District network, just perhaps not some of design choices!
If yiu told someone to catch the angel from Eldon Square, they would have no idea which stand to look for.
(09 Aug 2021, 12:40 pm)BusLoverMum wrote [ -> ]It was constant chaos having the X1 and the 4 (plus the 8, in one direction) all running from the same stand.
If yiu told someone to catch the angel from Eldon Square, they would have no idea which stand to look for.
If I told you to catch Sapphire or Max from Stand A
(09 Aug 2021, 12:40 pm)BusLoverMum wrote [ -> ]It was constant chaos having the X1 and the 4 (plus the 8, in one direction) all running from the same stand.
If yiu told someone to catch the angel from Eldon Square, they would have no idea which stand to look for.
To be fair, if I told someone to catch the 21 they'd be equally buggered given the lack of signposting and working displays in Eldon Square!
(09 Aug 2021, 10:57 am)Rapidsnap wrote [ -> ]No point calling the Berries "Intercity links" as it only goes to one City.
The blue one is a disappointing one, could have branded the 61 as Graphite / coal instead with the coal mining history in the area.
And just have the 39 as the blue brand as the Sunderland District Bluebell.
Yes it’s a shame with the 61, Seaham and Murton’s mining heritage could have been linked in. I’ve just noticed the 61 PDF new timetable has an error, towards Sunderland Station Estate and Webb Avenue are the wrong way round.
I must also say that I’m not a fan of what they’re trying to do in Sunderland, I get it what it’s about but it’s almost as if they’re trying to do two things at once, have colour names but also names that sort of mean something. And you’re left with names that are vaguely colours, such as Berries, Cherries, Graphite. Violets and Blonde which are a bit more colourful and then Blue which feels a bit like someone ran out of ideas and wanted a vague link to Drifter 60. If it’s just colours, why not have more explicit colours like “Little Pinks” or “Peterlee Purples”, things like Cherries and Violets I just can’t see them catching on/resonating with the general public. On the previous page we’re saying that things like “Laser” were pointless/meaningless brands and whilst maybe true, that sort of one word brands were easy to remember and didn’t feel childish, I for one used to call it “The Laser” and not the 35, we did used to joke the Laser went around the world from Houghton to Sunderland but we still called it the Laser! So whilst it didn’t mean much, it stuck to me at least.
Can I ask/confirm that Blonde is going to be the brand for the 38 and 33?
(09 Aug 2021, 1:04 pm)Drifter60 wrote [ -> ]Yes it’s a shame with the 61, Seaham and Murton’s mining heritage could have been linked in. I’ve just noticed the 61 PDF new timetable has an error, towards Sunderland Station Estate and Webb Avenue are the wrong way round.
I must also say that I’m not a fan of what they’re trying to do in Sunderland, I get it what it’s about but it’s almost as if they’re trying to do two things at once, have colour names but also names that sort of mean something. And you’re left with names that are vaguely colours, such as Berries, Cherries, Graphite. Violets and Blonde which are a bit more colourful and then Blue which feels a bit like someone ran out of ideas and wanted a vague link to Drifter 60. If it’s just colours, why not have more explicit colours like “Little Pinks” or “Peterlee Purples”, things like Cherries and Violets I just can’t see them catching on/resonating with the general public. On the previous page we’re saying that things like “Laser” were pointless/meaningless brands and whilst maybe true, that sort of one word brands were easy to remember and didn’t feel childish, I for one used to call it “The Laser” and not the 35, we did used to joke the Laser went around the world from Houghton to Sunderland but we still called it the Laser! So whilst it didn’t mean much, it stuck to me at least.
Can I ask/confirm that Blonde is going to be the brand for the 38 and 33?
I am on sure which one is getting which but Silver or Blonde but they are going on 38 or 33 or vicea versa
A bus branding is something you can call a bus :
Drifter
Angel
red Kite
TyneDale Links
IndiGO, imagine saying I am getting on the Cherry or Violet. Or the Blue. A cheap connection to the Drifter.
Going off the map Martijn posted to Twitter.
Silver is 33
Blonde is 38.
I'd heard that the brands were named after the colour of the actual paint.
So someone, somewhere called a yellow paint 'blonde', hence the name of that brand.
Ditto with the berry etc.
I've just had a look online and I've had a look at some paint colours in B&Q.
Dunno about you lot, but I think the following would be much better brand names.
The Color Trends 2020 Palette
White Heron. OC-57.
First Light. 2102-70.
Crystalline. AF-485.
Windmill Wings. 2067-60.
Buxton Blue. HC-149.
Golden Straw. 2152-50.
Thunder. AF-685.
Cushing Green. HC-125.
Appreciate this is so 2020 and colours move on, but that SDO Windmill Wings definitely has a ring to it.
Years ago, I remember decorating the room with Dulux Crispy Crumble.
Apart from making my belly rumble, it looked good on the walls.
However, I'm not sure a Versa on the SDO Crispy Crumble 2A to Washington/The Galleries (depending where it is on the route) has much of a ring to it.
Probably less of a ring than the brand they've chosen. Not by much though.
Had a look on the rest of the Dulux range and I think they've missed a trick
https://www.dulux.co.uk/en/colour-detail...7f008e70fa
(09 Aug 2021, 1:04 pm)Drifter60 wrote [ -> ]Yes it’s a shame with the 61, Seaham and Murton’s mining heritage could have been linked in. I’ve just noticed the 61 PDF new timetable has an error, towards Sunderland Station Estate and Webb Avenue are the wrong way round.
I must also say that I’m not a fan of what they’re trying to do in Sunderland, I get it what it’s about but it’s almost as if they’re trying to do two things at once, have colour names but also names that sort of mean something.
I agree, its as if they can't decide whether they are having a network name "SunderlandDistrict" replacing "Black Cats" or individual service names like GNE have traditionally done ("Laser" etc), or a First Overground style Blue Line, Red Line, Green Line etc
So they are basically doing all three things at once
(08 Aug 2021, 9:05 pm)ASX_Terranova wrote [ -> ]Why are there Biddick - Galleries 2A shorts on the Evenings in the New Timetable.
The SD berries are going from two buses an hour to one on an evening, so I'd guess this is so Biddick still have a bus to Sunderland on an evening. I know it shows up on the timetable that it runs Biddick to the Galleries and back only, but I'm assuming anyone getting this may be able to stay on the bus when it changes to the 2. With the 8 running on an evening and Sundays from next month, almost all the other parts of the 2A are covered.
(06 Aug 2021, 4:20 pm)Adrian wrote [ -> ]I'm not surprised to see most of these changes. Some feel a bit premature, some I think were inevitable and others feel like a problem solved by cobbling everything together - the old square pegs in round holes approach.
I think the idea of producing a booklet for network changes is a good one, but I feel like I could have gotten around an 18 hole golf course in the time I've read through that intro. Headlines like 'Getting buses fit for the future', in a booklet of service cuts, and force-feeding readers with 11 pages of 'look how good we are', feels like the work of an excessively-paid consultant or spin-doctor. I somehow think that those losing their bus services in parts of West Durham and East Durham, will feel very little positivity from hearing about the 'luxury Xlines network' or how there's been a £17 million investment in modern, green buses. Can we just have spin-free in the future, please!
The statement "The pandemic has, however, had a detrimental impact on the usage of all public transport and is changing the way people work, shop and more, in turn impacting travel patterns that we must work through adjusting to" feels somewhat premature. Although services are pretty much all reopened, the guidance to work from home if you can" has only been dropped on the 19th July, and in fact a lot of employers are yet to start the transition of those staff back into the workplace yet - including the Government and local authorities themselves. It's inevitable that office-based workers patterns of work will change, which is why flexible ticketing is going to be so important, but it feels premature going down this road so soon.
A few that stand out -
- 21 - Good to see the Brandon extension still happen. It'll give people there a real choice, rather than the current offering they have from Arriva.
- 28/28A - I'm a bit surprised about this one, as I'm not sure how operationally practical it is to terminate at Ouston. Unless it moves to Riverside for driver changeovers at GHM? Feels somewhat of a ransom note to DCC for cash, as if its not supported between CLS-Ouston, it'll end up being another service left to die.
- 71 - See below
- 8 - Sensible to divert via Brady Square, as the 85 doesn't really do much. The new 84 will at least serve the Vic and towards the Village again. Also pleased to see evening and Sunday services introduced.
- 56 - I'm surprised at the move to drop this down to every 15 minutes. I probably use it more than I do the X1 now and find it to be quite busy no matter the time of day. I also find it odd telling people in Washington or Southwick that your bus is being cut so that Old Durham Road can have a bus every 7/8 minutes...
- X1 - Extensions to Peterlee and Dalton Park are nice, but it remains to be seen how they're promoted and how popular they are. I really cannot see many shopping trips from Washington to Dalton Park, nor can I see any real reason to go to Peterlee, other than for employment.
On the Washington Locals - I'm pleased to see the ridiculous system of splitting at the Galleries is being axed, and not surprised to see the Heworth extension also axed.
For the new 82, I think its a mistake using Waterview Park as a terminus point. You're cutting a shopping links off to the main High Street and a retail park from Washington Village, and instead extending to an office complex that is earmarked for closure. The age demographic in Washington Village is above retirement age, so having a half hourly service to an office complex is pointless. There's already regular links from the Galleries for anyone who does work there. I wonder if the 82 changes are largely to 'make' Barmston Court fit, which is a bit of an anomaly due to its location.
The new 84 looks OK, but I wish we could avoid this ridiculous system of needing to serve both Barmston Bus link and Horsley Road. Even at the furthest distance, they are in walkable distance from each other. It would make more sense to omit the bus link and serve Horsley Road only. I also think it'd have made more sense to retain the 83 service number throughout, as customers are going to find it confusing with the current 84.
I'm not surprised to see the 85 curtailed at the Galleries. It doesn't do much between there and Brady Square, and there are already plenty of links to the main road, and now the 8 if required to the old terminus.
I used the 71 lately for the entire route and I was surprised how busy it was from Seaton onwards into Seaham. There were about 3 of us into Houghton, but nobody boarded or alighted there. I had forgotten it even existed, before I went to use it, but the route reminds me a bit of a service that has been designed to die - a bit like the North Sunderland estates fiascos of a couple years ago. Whilst I don't think promoting connections to the rail network at Seaham are likely to make much impact, given the 21/X21/X1s links to Newcastle, the 21/X21 links to Durham, and the upcoming increase of services at Chester-le-Street, I do think they could have done more to promote the Houghton to Seaham section of the route.
I really hate the ransom demands to local authorities though, and that is exactly how the wording on the 71 changes come across - and after 18 months of the Treasury funding the business.
I like the changes to service 82 but I do agree that it should be extended to Concord. Anyone living in Teal Farm and anyone working in Waterview Park would have a much quicker service to Concord and Peel Retail Park making it more attractive to use the bus. Can't believe Waterview is being earmarked for closure. Feels like it was only 5 minutes since it was built! Still looks a nice modern building, so hopefully some business will move there if it closes.
I have to disagree about the 84 though as serving both Barmston Waskerley Road and the Village Centre is essential. There needs to be links to a bus within short walking distance for the elderly, and people would probably be put off having to walk more than 5 minutes to get to a bus stop. Serving both parts of Barmston now means more frequency for the whole village with less buses.
Agree about 85. Brady Square no longer works as a terminus and is better for it to be served by a route that currently passes it.
I can understand to agree why the extension to Heworth on the 84 is being scrapped as I think the half hour frequency on that part of the work is a bit much. I would however suggest maybe bringing back the old 291/2 as an hourly service, so that some villages retain a link to Heworth to connect with the metro and local rail, and to take a bit of pressure off service 4. I don't use the bus as much these days but it's amazing how much the number of buses to Heworth from Washington have dwindled over recent years.
(09 Aug 2021, 5:20 pm)Washingtonian wrote [ -> ]The SD berries are going from two buses an hour to one on an evening, so I'd guess this is so Biddick still have a bus to Sunderland on an evening. I know it shows up on the timetable that it runs Biddick to the Galleries and back only, but I'm assuming anyone getting this may be able to stay on the bus when it changes to the 2. With the 8 running on an evening and Sundays from next month, almost all the other parts of the 2A are covered.
I hadn't noticed it before, but potentially replaces the missing journeys through Biddick on an evening? Currently there are three - 1x 83, 1x 85 and 1x 86. This would mean there'd be 1x 84 and 1x 2A.
Although we're unsure how the Nexus timetable will look with the new contract, it wouldn't provide much of an option... you'd have two buses leaving within 15 minutes and nothing for the next 45. If they run xx.20 Biddick to the Galleries after 7pm, then at least that'll retain a half hourly service.
I'm more curious at how the buses are going to be turned at Biddick. There's a 3 minute gap between the outbound trip arriving at Biddick and then the inbound trip departing, which would probably be enough time to go down to the A195 roundabout between the schools and back. There's not really another place to practically turn the bus, other than to loop Parkway (which would actually be a more sensible option, but you couldn't serve the Biddick stops in both directions)
Not sure where to put this but it seems like the 60 & 9 will interwork on evenings. But isn’t the 9 already interworking with the 5 out of Jarrow? That’s going to be a long evening cycle.
(09 Aug 2021, 5:54 pm)Adrian wrote [ -> ]I hadn't noticed it before, but potentially replaces the missing journeys through Biddick on an evening? Currently there are three - 1x 83, 1x 85 and 1x 86. This would mean there'd be 1x 84 and 1x 2A.
Although we're unsure how the Nexus timetable will look with the new contract, it wouldn't provide much of an option... you'd have two buses leaving within 15 minutes and nothing for the next 45. If they run xx.20 Biddick to the Galleries after 7pm, then at least that'll retain a half hourly service.
I'm more curious at how the buses are going to be turned at Biddick. There's a 3 minute gap between the outbound trip arriving at Biddick and then the inbound trip departing, which would probably be enough time to go down to the A195 roundabout between the schools and back. There's not really another place to practically turn the bus, other than to loop Parkway (which would actually be a more sensible option, but you couldn't serve the Biddick stops in both directions)
Yeah you raise some interesting points there. I was also trying to work out how the 2A will turn around at Biddick. Maybe it will just serve the bus link in one direction only and go round the other side of the village on the return journey?
I'm also interested too see what's going to serve Washington Village on an evening after the 82 stops around 8/8.30pm? It's still to be announced what the late evening journeys are going to be. Assuming the 84 remains half hourly late evenings, I wonder if it will continue to serve Washington Village once an hour as it does now and Biddick once an hour as it does now, or whether it will serve Biddick half hourly.
(09 Aug 2021, 6:16 pm)Washingtonian wrote [ -> ]Yeah you raise some interesting points there. I was also trying to work out how the 2A will turn around at Biddick. Maybe it will just serve the bus link in one direction only and go round the other side of the village on the return journey?
I'm also interested too see what's going to serve Washington Village on an evening after the 82 stops around 8/8.30pm? It's still to be announced what the late evening journeys are going to be. Assuming the 84 remains half hourly late evenings, I wonder if it will continue to serve Washington Village once an hour as it does now and Biddick once an hour as it does now, or whether it will serve Biddick half hourly.
I had thought that, but it's timetabled twice within 3 minutes of each other. Unless that is an arrival/departure at the same stop, which would be fine, as long as it looped the ring-road on the outbound journey from the Galleries, meaning it can serve the NW bound stop inbound to the Galleries, thus avoiding confusion from the daytime service.
(09 Aug 2021, 6:10 pm)Drifter60 wrote [ -> ]Not sure where to put this but it seems like the 60 & 9 will interwork on evenings. But isn’t the 9 already interworking with the 5 out of Jarrow? That’s going to be a long evening cycle.
Thats like a 4 hour round trip.
So I want to create a list of all buses being re-branded.
Deptford
55
35
39
38
33
60
61
20
Peterlee
201/204/206/209/210/62
65
Chester-Le-Street
X22
8
Consett
78
16/16A
Riverside/Hexham
10/10A/10B
Orbit 51/52