(28 Sep 2021, 5:41 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote Those road improvements (which actually delivered improved infrastructure and reduced journey times for all road users) weren't done at the detriment of others. If the bus priority measures meant an extra lane added which buses could whizz along with those who have to use them, I'd have no issue with it. The reality though will doubtless be some hairbrained half arsed attempt like the Felling bypass, which turns an already congested pollution hotspot into even more of one. A key issue is that these the bus priority measures are stated as being done to discourage cars. It is madness since, as you acknowledge, a proportion of those cars wont be heading to the City Centre so wouldn't switch anyway. Also makes something of a mockery of the Big Bus Conversation... if they really want to know what would make people get out of the car, maybe they shouldn't assume they already know the answer (I'd wager more will have said convenient links, direct services etc than bus priority measures).
I think this hits the nail on the head.
Operators seem to think that everyone wants to go to town centres and are happy changing buses along the way.
I'm pretty sure that isn't the case at all.
I'm also pretty sure there wouldn't be the need for bus lanes, if buses took people where they needed to be.
They're in their car for a reason. Except nobody seems to have the nous to find out why that is the case nor find out what they can do to encourage car drivers to make the switch.
Operators maintaining the status quo, whilst adding a few tables, sockets or wifi and bleating about priority measures or doing their utmost to force car drivers on to buses - isn't going to solve the problem.
I've mentioned it before and I'll mention it again. Team Valley. There's a very poor service down there and operators don't seem willing to do much about it.
Telling punters about alternative weekday peak services is a start. But it seems to be the easy option. Almost a quick fix. Except I don't think it's going to fix anything, cos there will still be queues of cars clogging up Kingsway and there will be the same old delays to the 93/94.
(28 Sep 2021, 12:28 pm)ne14ne1 wrote Note I was talking about bus users on those three corridors. I didn’t claim general traffic was all heading to the city centre.
Newcastle City Council is rightly prioritising buses so that bus passengers within the City of Newcastle (& no doubt beyond too) can have a quicker more reliable journey into the city centre where they are either heading to alight or connect to onwards travel.
In the wider region hundreds of millions has been spent in recent years on the Silverlink junction, Testos junction, A1 Team Valley to Metrocentre and now A1 Metrocentre to Great Park and A1 Team Valley to Coal House(?).
I don’t see why spending a little on bus priorities on three key bus commuter corridors within the city isn’t being welcomed, especially here on a bus enthusiast forum.
To say there shouldn’t be bus services on the Coast Rd is rather odd. Communities in Sandyford, North Heaton, High Heaton, Cochrane Park, Station Rd, Battle Hill, Norham Rd, Billy Mill, Preston Village etc aren’t all within walking distance to Metro stations, and therefore need buses along the Coast Rd. The same applies to communities along the West Rd and Great North Rd corridors.
What are bus services like in those areas?
I think the fact that they're pretty naff will explain why the roads are chocker blocker and why they're having to spend a fortune improving them.
If services were decent, if there was a North/south connection through Silverlink or Testos and people could use public transport to complete their journeys, maybe the works wouldn't need to have happened.
It's the same elsewhere too.
Millions being spent at Wolviston on the A19 and widening it. Talks of a new Tees crossing. But absolutely nothing about improving connectivity or looking at improving public transport in the area.
Just the same old links and connections, that don't take people to places they need or want to be in an effective or cost effective manner.
We just see a pretty naff railway network and buses that go from town centre to town centre, with a couple of estates served along the way.
Ingleby Barwick - Billingham: car that is direct and benefits from the widened road or 2/3 buses in each direction?