(07 Sep 2023, 10:05 am)Adrian wrote IMO this is one of the biggest issues, and not unique to Quorum, but buses generally don't serve business parks. Despite them being typically the largest density of workers in one place.
Look how long it took Follingsby to get a proper bus service, for example, or that the IAMP and Turbine don't have a bus service. Further afield, integra61 in Bowburn, there's a 20 minute walk from the Amazon site to the nearest bus stop.
In the case of the North Tyne Rockets not serving Quorum, I think it's interesting that this 'deal' has been announced after the service launch. I appreciate that things don't always happen in the order you'd perhaps prefer, but hopefully a service revision in the near future would see them diverted in? Not knowing the traffic around that park, is that even feasible?
The other thing, and really this is more for Nexus, but our bus stop infrastructure is really poor. With the Quorum example, you've potentially got folk with a 10 minute walk down from Q12, in heavy rain, all trying to hunch up in a tiny and open front bus shelter. If you had access to a car, and that was your experience, you'd never bother again.
(07 Sep 2023, 10:21 am)streetdeckfan wrote My brother works at Amazon at Bowburn and he has to get a lift in as it's nigh on impossible to get there by bus in time for his shift.
Getting back is fine, as long as you don't mind the 20 minute walks and half hour waits for connections.
As I've said before, when he started there was a direct bus from Durham to Amazon, but that was binned off presumably due to lack of funding from Amazon?
How long would the diversion into Amazon really take? And you cant say it's due to lack of space because they built a dedicated bloody bus station there!
(07 Sep 2023, 11:02 am)Adrian wrote I know that the local Councillors at the time, not only worked with the developer and Amazon to ensure there was bus infrastructure in place, but also with Arriva in attempt to get buses to serve integra61.
From what I understand, Arriva would not play ball at all, refusing to divert anything from the main road. So you now have the crazy situation of a site layout with buses in mind, several bus stops and shelters, but no buses...
(07 Sep 2023, 11:12 am)streetdeckfan wrote Don't the council fund the routes that go past? Couldn't they have added it to the tender?
(07 Sep 2023, 11:21 am)Adrian wrote This is going back to around 2018, at a time that I believe everything (bar the 58) was commercial.
I've long since moved, so not really following what the situation is nowadays.
(07 Sep 2023, 11:28 am)streetdeckfan wrote What was the crack around Stagecoach taking over the 59, was it due to Arriva not making enough money on it?
It would have been a relatively simple job diverting it down to Amazon and I reckon they could have made an absolute killing judging by the amount of cars that clog up the area at shift change!
(07 Sep 2023, 10:05 am)Adrian wrote IMO this is one of the biggest issues, and not unique to Quorum, but buses generally don't serve business parks. Despite them being typically the largest density of workers in one place.
Look how long it took Follingsby to get a proper bus service, for example, or that the IAMP and Turbine don't have a bus service. Further afield, integra61 in Bowburn, there's a 20 minute walk from the Amazon site to the nearest bus stop.
In the case of the North Tyne Rockets not serving Quorum, I think it's interesting that this 'deal' has been announced after the service launch. I appreciate that things don't always happen in the order you'd perhaps prefer, but hopefully a service revision in the near future would see them diverted in? Not knowing the traffic around that park, is that even feasible?
The other thing, and really this is more for Nexus, but our bus stop infrastructure is really poor. With the Quorum example, you've potentially got folk with a 10 minute walk down from Q12, in heavy rain, all trying to hunch up in a tiny and open front bus shelter. If you had access to a car, and that was your experience, you'd never bother again.
(11 Sep 2023, 8:26 pm)F114TML wrote Has the 701 route changed? I've noticed it turning right immediately after the bridge rather than going up to Roker Avenue.
If so, why? Seems strange to me as there's often students using that stop,presumably cos it serves the retail park and there's probably student flats nearby.
(11 Sep 2023, 8:35 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote Isn't it to serve St Peter's (campus and the church) more directly?
(11 Sep 2023, 8:26 pm)F114TML wrote Has the 701 route changed? I've noticed it turning right immediately after the bridge rather than going up to Roker Avenue.
If so, why? Seems strange to me as there's often students using that stop,presumably cos it serves the retail park and there's probably student flats nearby.
(14 Sep 2023, 5:03 pm)Rapidsnap wrote The North Tyneside Rocket brand isn't going to work if they keep hiding the buses (or are the rockets disappearing into black holes). Everytime I've went to photo or even seen a NT Rocket route today (not using the bus times tracker and going old school), it was mainly a standard roadstripe livered Streetlite, and in one case one of the workings was a Cobalt and Coast Gemini. I only managed to photo only one NT rocket today, and I'm sure yesterday there was at least 2 on the Coaster as I saw 2 pass my shop within a short timespan (not long enough for it to reach either Whitley Bay or Metrocentre and come back to Wallsend). If they want the brand to work, then the brand needs to be seen.
(12 Sep 2023, 2:50 pm)Retro Nero wrote 726/727/728 are going to Percy Main eventually after repaint
(11 Sep 2023, 8:26 pm)F114TML wrote Has the 701 route changed? I've noticed it turning right immediately after the bridge rather than going up to Roker Avenue.
If so, why? Seems strange to me as there's often students using that stop,presumably cos it serves the retail park and there's probably student flats nearby.
(11 Sep 2023, 8:26 pm)F114TML wrote Has the 701 route changed? I've noticed it turning right immediately after the bridge rather than going up to Roker Avenue.
If so, why? Seems strange to me as there's often students using that stop,presumably cos it serves the retail park and there's probably student flats nearby.