(27 Aug 2013, 5:41 pm)aureolin wrote I know Washington is undergoing major redevelopment of leisure facilities, I'm really all for choice, but I don't think there'll ever be a demand for most of those services.
22/22A - To me, it would make more sense just to increase the frequency of the 50 if you were going to do that. Birtley/Oxclose/Blackfell services could be improved by increasing the frequency on the existing Street Shuttle routes.
311/312 - I don't think there'd ever be a demand for a route that size. Plus I think there are amenities far closer to them than Washington. Silverlink and Newcastle for example.
X8 - Would love to see it happen, but can't really see the demand other than proving a link between the Galleries and Doxford Park.
10B/10C - People travelling from that area are going to go to either; a) Metro Centre. b) Newcastle, and have exactly what Washington will offer, but on a bigger scale with more choice. Even the Silverlink is going to be an easier option.
X72/X73 - The areas served are more in the catchment area of the Metro Centre, so I can't see people wanting to travel twice the distance to Washington.
48 - Same as above.
203 - Sunderland has a modern cinema, Durham has a modern leisure centre, and both between them have a vast range of restaurants and eateries.
Obviously these wouldn't just be for the sake of the redevelopment in Washington, but they provide a number of Brand New Links which currently Washington doesn't have and could be of benefit to passengers. Take the 311/312 for example, Passengers who currently live in Washington, but work at the Cobalt will either go straight into Newcastle on the X1 and get on the 309/310 or they'll get Metro and change at Monument or they'll go to Jarrow and get the 9. Which I worked out is Longer in time, than getting on my 311/312 suggestion.
It's the same with the examples for the 10's and X32/3 and X72/3, Say I wanted to go to Hexham or Lanchester for Example, I would have to go to Either Gateshead or Newcastle to Catch the Bus I wanted to get from A to B. Whereas you could Insert the Link for Passengers.
I think Washington is one of those Areas that are Isolated from Certain Areas, and in which the Passenger has to make more than one journey on a Bus to get to where they want to go, and on top of that pay more money. If it was made into a HUB like Sunderland/Newcastle and Gateshead I think it would benefit from it.