(30 Aug 2021, 10:45 am)DeltaMan wrote Sunderland is very good example of where you are disenestivised for even thinking of using a bus if you want to visit the city centre. If you park at the multi story you walk undercover a few meters and you are in the centre. Get the bus and the main facility is 1/4 of a mile away, uncoverd to the elements and seagull excrement.
Car users can travel where and when they want, buses by there very nature have a timetable, so aren't as flexible. So make car users walk further when accessing these popular facilities. No doubt the usual motor opinion formers would say this is a "war on motorists" though
I think GNE would be better served showing parts of Sunderland on its network map they don't serve with the Stagecoach routes with an add for the Day Rover or Smartzone, at least that way they may get some additional revenue if they buy it from GNE! That would cost nothing to do
Cars also have the opportunity to go wherever they want so if you want to make them walk further then they'll just go somewhere else - most do anyway as Sunderland is crap and has nothing there hence it's dying on it's arse. There's more at Washington Galleries than Sunderland nowadays and that's a fact and strangely one is free to park and difficult to park half the time whereas the other is £1.60, I believe, and empty most the time.
The reason most people get a bus to Sunderland is they have no choice to go elsewhere since it's difficult to get anywhere else in Sunderland without going via the centre.
The majority of routes go along Fawcett Street or Holmeside anyway so I don't really get the fuss there's only the 60 and a few rump services that don't and they could easily do a loop around if it was such a big deal.