(17 Oct 2024, 2:25 pm)L469 YVK wrote But the big problem is off peak. Agree about the Cobalt situation during peak times, but off peak would be a risk commercially and wouldn't capture much 'leisure' traffic.
Via Billy Mill not only has fairly strong peak time flows, but has better leisure traffic opportunities.
- Nice day or event in Newcastle = Passengers wanting to head to Newcastle or the Coast and healthy loads
- NUFC home game = Queue of black & white shirts & scarves at stops with potential standing room only before hitting any non-stop sections
Not sure it would though like if you done the X39 doing this route including looping behind the cinema off peak only:
You've created a new link to Silverlink Retail Park and the cinema without having to walk around busy roundabouts. You just have to look at where like Arnison or Teesside Park and you'd pick a few people up. Right now it's a good 10 minute walk to the cinema.
There's absolutely nothing at the purple stops really where people want to be to create traffic. Remember these will have a quiet bus at this point since all the Blyth <> Whitley Bay traffic will be on the X39. Not to mention they'd gain a clean 10 minute service, unlike now where it's 8/12.
Not to mention if you done it the other way round the 309 would become completely pointless - it pretty much is anyway but the time difference would be substantial enough that there's no reason, bar going to Cobalt for anyone from New York to Blyth to use it at all. Least the 308 corridor has some traffic to make sense for both to actually exist.