I'm wondering if this is the perfect opportunity to review and revise the cross-Tyne services.

It's been spoken about before, but do we really need a multi-coloured convoy of all those buses following each other in and out of the town?

Honestly can't disagree. Personally I'd love to see the likes of the 27 and 57 terminating at Gateshead. There's a perfect Metro station at Heworth where people could change over and get the buses away from the town centre.

I know will moan about a change but it's a culture we need to change and use those buses to run a more frequent service where the people actually live. 

There's no reason why people heading towards Newcastle are travelling through Heworth, it's just bad transport planning other than the X10 and it's a far enough distance out that it would be quicker at peak times if done properly aswell.

After that, other than the 25/28/29, which are more difficult to sort, everything else probably has a reason to cross over.

Surprised the Tyne Bridge hasn't been burned down yet, isn't that what councils normally do when it's a faff to repair something

Hmm don’t think so. Which council owned infrastructure or buildings are you referring to that have burned down?

Honestly can't disagree. Personally I'd love to see the likes of the 27 and 57 terminating at Gateshead. There's a perfect Metro station at Heworth where people could change over and get the buses away from the town centre.

I know will moan about a change but it's a culture we need to change and use those buses to run a more frequent service where the people actually live. 

There's no reason why people heading towards Newcastle are travelling through Heworth, it's just bad transport planning other than the X10 and it's a far enough distance out that it would be quicker at peak times if done properly aswell.

After that, other than the 25/28/29, which are more difficult to sort, everything else probably has a reason to cross over.

It's not a culture change that's needed, it's an integrated transport network.

No point in doing anything, until a time that you can ensure cooperation and team work from all parties; without it becoming a money-making exercise for operators, like these TNE day tickets appear to have become.

This really has nothing to do with the Tyne Bridge works though.

Hmm don’t think so. Which council owned infrastructure or buildings are you referring to that have burned down?

Everything, since time began, is the fault of 'the council' man...

The most frustrating part is that there used to be a bus lane straight onto bottle bank completely avoiding the A167, and Gateshead Council have just finished bricking it up.

The most frustrating part is that there used to be a bus lane straight onto bottle bank completely avoiding the A167, and Gateshead Council have just finished bricking it up.

For a long while before it was closed it was only really used by unauthorised cars, as since traffic reduced on Askew Rd it was quicker for Metrocentre bound X66s to use Askew instead of snaking to Bottle Bank

The most frustrating part is that there used to be a bus lane straight onto bottle bank completely avoiding the A167, and Gateshead Council have just finished bricking it up.

Gateshead Council change the road layout every other week, so no doubt it'll be back open soon

You could send some uses across the Swing but turn left and enter town that way. It’d be far more efficient to route all buses through Newgate street and avoid Eldon square

You could send some uses across the Swing but turn left and enter town that way. It’d be far more efficient to route all buses through Newgate street and avoid Eldon square

Only problem with that is Forth Banks is horrific, so will just be as bad as going via the Tyne Bridge pretty much.

Only problem with that is Forth Banks is horrific, so will just be as bad as going via the Tyne Bridge pretty much.

plus the traffic lights just after railway bridge, and traffic lights at start of pink triangle and the traffic lights at the barking dog, then all the traffic on newgate street.  Nightmare any way you look at it

Wonder if they could experiment with diverting some Newcastle bound services to the Metrocentre to open up more connections.
Perhaps one X21 an hour to Newcastle, one to Metrocentre, same with the Angel

Wonder if they could experiment with diverting some Newcastle bound services to the Metrocentre to open up more connections.
Perhaps one X21 an hour to Newcastle, one to Metrocentre, same with the Angel

Maybe an X22....

West Aukland, Bishop, Durham, A1, Heworth, Gateshead, Metro 

Surely this would take passengers away from the X66

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Turn Bottle Bank into a Bus Lane, over the swing bridge, Dean Street, Market Street (where 1 goes) turn that into a bus lane only, then take it up John Dobson street.

HOwever really due to added time to get into NEwcastle Like it says 10 mins on the timetable no one goes from Gateshead to Newcastle in 10 mins anytime from 8am-6pm, its just years of not adjusting timetables aswell, the X1 been expanded no PVR increase, cut wait times, same with the 56 in Sunderland how you need to go the winter gardens there was no time added to accomodate that for any services yes it might only add on say 3-4 mins, but when youre already 3 mins late and youve got a 5 mins layover in Newcastle, or a 2 min in Silksworth running 4 mins late

Wonder if they could experiment with diverting some Newcastle bound services to the Metrocentre to open up more connections.
Perhaps one X21 an hour to Newcastle, one to Metrocentre, same with the Angel

Not sure how the traffic is going to end up being but wonder if there mind be scope for running a few peak time buses on the X1, 56 and 21 maybe via the Tyne Tunnel or via the A1 and miss the Tyne Bridge altogether. 

Be longer but if it's as bad as I could imagine it being at least it'll get people in.

Not sure how the traffic is going to end up being but wonder if there mind be scope for running a few peak time buses on the X1, 56 and 21 maybe via the Tyne Tunnel or via the A1 and miss the Tyne Bridge altogether. 

Be longer but if it's as bad as I could imagine it being at least it'll get people in.

reliability is something which is only getting worse these days, even 12mins layover cannot combat 15 mins late running buses. 

Cancellations don't help but i think its time GNE get it sorted with all these late buses now everything has been cut to the bone, change most timetables add PVRs but I have now got freinds who will not get the bus over the car into Newcastle now due to the absolute hell we had last time.

Even the tables and the chargers which is the reason we went on the bus couldn't fix the shitshow last time

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...e-28330586

Park and ride from metrocentre to newcastle announced

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...e-28330586

Park and ride from metrocentre to newcastle announced

I'm at the stage where I genuinely question whether the councils actually know where people are going while crossing the Tyne Bridge as I'd be pretty certain that most of them will be going no-where near Gateshead heading South in the morning, considering the vast number of car parks are empty at 10am / 4pm.

Another white elephant that no-one will be using, not to mention that if you're at the Metrocentre then it's pretty much certain you'll be going via Scotswood Road anyway...?

No-one and I mean no-one will be heading the 'wrong' direction all the way to the Metrocentre from South of Team Valley to then sit on a bus, not to mention if you drive to the Metrocentre you might aswell go to the Metrocentre...

I'm at the stage where I genuinely question whether the councils actually know where people are going while crossing the Tyne Bridge as I'd be pretty certain that most of them will be going no-where near Gateshead heading South in the morning, considering the vast number of car parks are empty at 10am / 4pm.

Another white elephant that no-one will be using, not to mention that if you're at the Metrocentre then it's pretty much certain you'll be going via Scotswood Road anyway...?

No-one and I mean no-one will be heading the 'wrong' direction all the way to the Metrocentre from South of Team Valley to then sit on a bus, not to mention if you drive to the Metrocentre you might aswell go to the Metrocentre...

I'm glad it's not just me who spotted this. 

Imagine travelling from Chester le Street to Quorum in the car normally and then deciding to follow the guidance in parking the car in the Metrocentre and then paying to sit on a bus in to the town and then struggle on changing bus to get to Quorum.
Throw in a handful of people doing a similar journey, but from Washington or Wrekenton and it really rams home how daft this proposal is. 

Then throw in the mix all those people traveling north to south. How does it work for them? 

Regardless of that, I'm baffled as to how the funding is actually being utilised and who approved it. 
If the bus was free, then I can see where some of the money is going. 
As it stands, it just looks like it's paying to hire the car parking space.

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...e-28330586

Park and ride from metrocentre to newcastle announced

I see that the P&R is funded by BSIP!! Surely BUS SERVICE improvement plan has nothing to do with forcing people onto the same buses that need to be improved. These extra passengers won't even get any benefit from this as the journey times will more than triple while driving in the wrong direction to then pay £4 to travel the second part of the journey,  and the buses will get stuck in that traffic they have been told to avoid

In my opinion they could've gave money to Northern to provide an extra train an hour each way Heworth - Metrocentre only which can cope with the extra loads. Every 20 mins for a train from a P&R isn't bad and if you miss one its not too long or you have the option of a variety of buses. They should have initiatives to want people to use public transport not the opposite. As most will not bother and go to more local shops or the Metrocentre. They should have at least one more P&R situated actually South of the Tyne Bridge. (Trains don't get stuck in road traffic and are generally reliable and simple to use)

And I've heard enthusiasts on here before be laughed at for coming up with cross Tyne connections on buses yet we've seen the abandonment of the long lasting Tyne Tunnel connections and city link 57/58 (from GNE) and 6/7 frequency to the Metrocentre (from SNE) halved within 4 years. And these companies say people aren't travelling so they're not viable. There are so many areas that are not near the metro that cannot go where they need to be if it is across the Tyne (besides the City Centre). However most cars pass over the bridge and continue over the Coast Road, A167 & Great North Road (I wonder where they are going? Would they switch if a bus went there ? We will never know because public transport (at every level) is run by people who drive cars and have no intention to switch. There they are just managing the books only caring about money.

Rant over, thanks for listening to my TED Talk 

Agreed with both, it just doesn't make sense to me. Is there actually anything stopping you using the Metrocentre as a P&R anyway...? Obviously there's so much demand though that you can't parked.

If this was somewhere like Team Valley (on the site of the Funfair) then I'd totally get it, with Bensham Bank bus only at both ends - it should be anyway to improve traffic flow and get buses moving instead of it being full of cars rat running clogging it up.

That would be more popular, even long term, as it's in the right place for people commuting, you also have the added bonus that if there's a park and ride heading from Team Valley to Newcastle; you've now got an express bus service from Newcastle and Gateshead heading towards Team Valley so it kills two birds with one stone. Also agreed with the Heworth comments, for the same reason as the Metro / train already exists and is direct.

It's no wonder transport in the North East is a mess as it's riddled with incompetence throughout.

Agreed with both, it just doesn't make sense to me. Is there actually anything stopping you using the Metrocentre as a P&R anyway...? Obviously there's so much demand though that you can't parked.

If this was somewhere like Team Valley (on the site of the Funfair) then I'd totally get it, with Bensham Bank bus only at both ends - it should be anyway to improve traffic flow and get buses moving instead of it being full of cars rat running clogging it up.

That would be more popular, even long term, as it's in the right place for people commuting, you also have the added bonus that if there's a park and ride heading from Team Valley to Newcastle; you've now got an express bus service from Newcastle and Gateshead heading towards Team Valley so it kills two birds with one stone. Also agreed with the Heworth comments, for the same reason as the Metro / train already exists and is direct.

It's no wonder transport in the North East is a mess as it's riddled with incompetence throughout.

Perhaps someone should come up with a BSIP bingo card with the current and no doubt future outlandish services that the authorities may concoct.

Failing to see how a P&R to cover a road closure can use money from a pot intended to improve bus services?

It's like using the money to pay for a Metro Replacement 900 service.

They'd be better off tidying up the facilities at Heworth but that would have people hoping a Metro turned up.

30-40 minute delays could be the clincher in persuading me take the train, though. When it runs.

They'd be better off tidying up the facilities at Heworth but that would have people hoping a Metro turned up.

30-40 minute delays could be the clincher in persuading me take the train, though. When it runs.

I caught the Metro yesterday to see a friend in Benton after work. The fleet are in a shocking state, with rattily compressors and the motors making a wine/griding sounds that sounds like they need new carbon brushes (a consumable part on such motors).

and where are they getting the drivers for this

if this is happening both ways go through the CentreLink its the only way to regulate it the best

Perhaps someone should come up with a BSIP bingo card with the current and no doubt future outlandish services that the authorities may concoct.

Ha I wouldn't know where to start with that mind.

Failing to see how a P&R to cover a road closure can use money from a pot intended to improve bus services?

It's like using the money to pay for a Metro Replacement 900 service.

No doubt, the same way they've ringfenced some of it towards traffic light replacement. Be interesting to see what's getting cut from their plans for all this money being wasted elsewhere which was meant to be used for public transport users.

Doesn't surprise me one bit though.

No doubt, the same way they've ringfenced some of it towards traffic light replacement. Be interesting to see what's getting cut from their plans for all this money being wasted elsewhere which was meant to be used for public transport users.

Doesn't surprise me one bit though.

It's mental. Loads of communities in the North East with extremely limited public transport, yet they're spending millions on a P&R at a place which already has a train and multiple direct buses per hour doing the same journey.

Bus priority measures in Jesmond sound interesting. Maybe bus lane all the way from Corner House to the Punch Bowl? Or from Coast Road / Station Road?

Only thing I'll say........no one will ditch their cars unless an 'X' variant of the 308 similar to the old 44 is introduced!

Was there a thing before where the Metro Centre was used as a Park and Ride site for Newcastle? X67 branded Solos but unsure if I'm getting confused with something else (many years ago)?

Was there a thing before where the Metro Centre was used as a Park and Ride site for Newcastle? X67 branded Solos but unsure if I'm getting confused with something else (many years ago)?

https://flic.kr/p/2hQt6sR

Aye, there was. 
It didn't last.

When is the park and ride site at the angel/birtley going to be ready... it would make sense for this to be sorted before anything is done with the bridge. Plus this might just be my imagination but could they not build a temp bridge over the type to take the traffic for the closed one?

When is the park and ride site at the angel/birtley going to be ready... it would make sense for this to be sorted before anything is done with the bridge.  Plus this might just be my imagination but could they not build a temp bridge over the type to take the traffic for the closed one?

A temporary bridge? Where, how?

We’ve barely got the money to repair our current bridges never mind build another.