(17 Oct 2024, 7:42 pm)L469 YVK wrote Saying that.....maybe it would work with something like the following
GoNE X39 (every 30 mins) - As mentioned
ANor 306 (every 30 mins) - Same as now, but Tynemouth to Newcastle only
GoNE 307 (every 30 mins) - Same as now
ANor 308 (every 30 minutes) - Same as now but via Battle Hill Drive
GoNE 309 (every 30 mins) - Same as now Newcastle to Cobalt, then via New York Road and Norham Road North picking up same route as 307 to North Shields
57/57A - extended to North Shields & Ferry, maybe use Tanners Bank rather than Linskill Terrace to create some new links along the Fish Quay!
Billy Mill to Newcastle - Every 15 mins
Battle Hill & Coast Road / Station Road to Newcastle - Every 7-8 mins**
High Farm to Newcastle - Every 15 mins
Blyth to NTGH - Every 15 mins
** Would be every 6-9 through Battle Hill Drive
Current PVR - 33
- 57/57A - 5x
- 306/308 - 14x
- 307 - 6x
- 309 - 8x
New PVR - 30
- 57/57A - 7x
- 306/308 - 10x
- 307 - 4x
- 309 - 4x
- X38 - 5x
There you go, some faster and improved links with cleaner headways, as long as ALL Coast Road routes are ALWAYS double deck!
See I'd probably more services than that and personally go for something like this:
So you'd have
X38 - Orange Route (Every 20 Minutes) - Newcastle to Blyth Express via Cobalt
33: Light Blue (Every 30 Minutes) - Newcastle to Wiltshire Drive
34: Purple (Every 30 Minutes) - Newcastle to Whitley Bay via Holystone
35: Green (Every 30 Minutes) - Newcastle to North Shields via Meadowell
36/37: Dark Blue (Every 20 Minutes Each) - Newcastle to North Tyneside Loop
33/34/35/36/37: Every 5 Minutes Combined, Newcastle to Station Road
It's basically just going backwards and restoring the 315/316 in a new form and the 308 being reinvented but on the 309 corridor instead through Cobalt. With 3 less frequent services doing the niggly bits which are awkward (basically the old 305/307/355 in bits) so people in the likes of Verne Road aren't having to go on a magical mystery tour.
Plus you'd also get:
- Southern end of Norham Road where the new houses have a bus service.
- New houses at Holystone and also around The Range at Benton have an acceptable bus service to Newcastle (Hourly isn't that).
- Southend end of Monkseaton have a reasonable bus service (the W1 isn't that).
- New North Tyneside Loop linking most the major destination points which can be difficult currently, even if it's not the quickest (it's better than nothing).
Obviously not really possible without franchising, but imo it would be a much better service than what's there now. The duplication from New York to Blyth, in particular, is just stupid imo. It's crazy the amount of houses which have popped up in recent years and the bus services (as usual) just haven't turned up.