Couldn't find a thread for this, or any previous mention of it, so I'll start my own. The suggestion is that there should be one from the south of the town, in an attempt to ease some of the worst congestion. I'm not familiar with that part or the area, so can't really comment on it, either positively or sceptically.

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/middle...wsTeesside&utm_medium=twitter

(24 Nov 2015, 10:10 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Couldn't find a thread for this, or any previous mention of it, so I'll start my own. The suggestion is that there should be one from the south of the town, in an attempt to ease some of the worst congestion. I'm not familiar with that part or the area, so can't really comment on it, either positively or sceptically.

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/middle...wsTeesside&utm_medium=twitter

I've only been to Middlesbrough once, by car. Entered via the A19 and came in from the west, the traffic wasn't bad. As nobody who I was with knew the area I've probably been everywhere in the town. 

Exited through the North over a bridge and travelled via Seaton Carew and Hartlepool, exiting wasn't too bad either.

(24 Nov 2015, 10:21 pm)GX03 SVC wrote I've only been to Middlesbrough once, by car. Entered via the A19 and came in from the west, the traffic wasn't bad. As nobody who I was with knew the area I've probably been everywhere in the town. 

Exited through the North over a bridge and travelled via Seaton Carew and Hartlepool, exiting wasn't too bad either.

Husband has worked around Teesside for over a decade (Stockton, Redcar, then Billingham), but isn't familiar with the route concerned. Thankfully he doesn't have to cross it anymore, but his personal rush hour nightmare has always been the Tees flyover, though he had fun with the Portrack interchange for many years. I thikn much of the congestion in the area is rush hour traffic - he beats the worst by getting into work for 8, so he can leave between 4 and 5. Any later and his journey takes at least half as long again. His journey is always much better in the school holidays.

If the same traffic patterns are true on the road concerned, then I don't think a P&R just for the town centre during shopping hours would fix anything much.

The Marton Road crawl is a well known phenomenon both on a morning and evening, between Borough Road, Longlands, James Cook Hospital and Marton Shops. We already have a number of frequent bus services covering this stretch, our 28, 29 and 63 and Stagecoach's service 10. There needs to be a well thought out strategy for sorting the congestion and the road network needs to be able to cope with the ever increasing levels of traffic.

A Park & Ride scheme would be great for the area but it needs to ensure suitable levels of bus priority if it was to work efficiently - look at York's scheme as a good example. They carry huge amounts of people on a number of routes, indeed recently added to with the new Park & Ride site at Poppleton.

The first site they appear to have identified would appear to be in the Nunthorpe area, already partially served by my Sapphire service (every 15 minutes) and the 28 every 20 minutes, plus an hourly train service into town. It would ideally serve as a great base for people from east Cleveland, particularly neighbouring areas of Guisborough and beyond. it would need a high frequency bus service (or indeed trams?!) on dedicated infrastructure to avoid the congestion that it is supposed to be sorting, as at the moment Marton Road and indeed Cargo Fleet Lane are both rammed on a morning into town, and on an evening heading out of town, which would just hold up any dedicated Park & Ride bus.

(25 Nov 2015, 11:34 am)tyresmoke wrote The Marton Road crawl is a well known phenomenon both on a morning and evening, between Borough Road, Longlands, James Cook Hospital and Marton Shops. We already have a number of frequent bus services covering this stretch, our 28, 29 and 63 and Stagecoach's service 10. There needs to be a well thought out strategy for sorting the congestion and the road network needs to be able to cope with the ever increasing levels of traffic.

A Park & Ride scheme would be great for the area but it needs to ensure suitable levels of bus priority if it was to work efficiently - look at York's scheme as a good example. They carry huge amounts of people on a number of routes, indeed recently added to with the new Park & Ride site at Poppleton.

The first site they appear to have identified would appear to be in the Nunthorpe area, already partially served by my Sapphire service (every 15 minutes) and the 28 every 20 minutes, plus an hourly train service into town. It would ideally serve as a great base for people from east Cleveland, particularly neighbouring areas of Guisborough and beyond. it would need a high frequency bus service (or indeed trams?!) on dedicated infrastructure to avoid the congestion that it is supposed to be sorting, as at the moment Marton Road and indeed Cargo Fleet Lane are both rammed on a morning into town, and on an evening heading out of town, which would just hold up any dedicated Park & Ride bus.

It wouldn't be so bad if the 5's didnt stop every hundred yards (or so it seems!) from Swan's Corner, all the way down Ormesby bank and along Cargo Fleet lane, then Borough Road into the town. By the time you've got through all that, it's not exactly been an enjoyable journey.

Part of the reason I think the majority of people from say Loftus get the X4 rather than the 5 to go to Middlesbrough, although its actually a slightly longer journey, is the number of stops you've got heading into Middlesbrough. Psychologically its better to have routes which dont stop as often, especially on a long journey.
Bring back the X56 or a similar express service from East Cleveland!

Thinking out loud... If the P&R was ever built, it would need to take into account the needs of those travelling from East Cleveland.
Would Nunthorpe be an attractive option for those in East Cleveland?

They have the option of the existing bus network (which has improved over the years) and the half hourly train service - which can take punters into the heart of Middlesbrough.
It can be easier driving to places like Saltburn and using the train in, than it is driving into Boro.
I am not sure a site near Nunthorpe would make the existing train or bus service any less attractive.

There was some sort of Park and Ride many years ago involving the rail service from Nunthorpe I think. Was there also a bus service ionvolved? The 261 number comes to mind.