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Planning ahead

by David Gambles

Added to website 15 April 2011

Having just seen Colin's photos of Church Way Chesterfield (on this website HERE) it reminds me that, as an infrequent visitor to Chesterfield, I'm always shocked to see where the "new" Tourist Information centre was built. I never get used to the idea that such a building was allowed to be built in that location, when it could have been housed in one of the many empty shops in centre of the town.

My main concern is that by erecting the building where it is, the facility to turn buses at this location was lost for ever, thereby extending the distance and journey times for services departing from Church Way.

The buses now take a torturous route through many sets of traffic lights before emerging on St Mary's Gate just a few yards from where they set off, sometimes having taken over five minutes to do so. This is a prime example of how councils pay lip service to buses and expect more people to use them, whilst at the same time doing nothing to improve journey times.

When I had the opportunity to interview Norman Baker, the Transport Minister in October of last year about Green Bus Funding I asked him whether priority was ever given to areas where councils worked with operators to improve access for buses, he replied that they didn't, but that the DFT supported low cost schemes that would ease pinch points and have big effects on traffic flow, especially for buses.

I realise that demolishing the Tourist Information Centre couldn't be regarded as a low cost scheme and it is never going to happen but if the council employees could be prised from their comfy seats to look at the possibility of allowing buses and coaches to turn right from the bus lane on Beetwell Street into Lordsmill Street, this is the type of low cost scheme that the minister was referring to.

Currently five or even ten minutes can be lost at peak times, whilst buses shuffle forward along Hipper Street and eventually Markham Road whilst trying to travel south out of the town. A right turn into Lordsmill Street would solve all of this and by taking buses out of the queue and would help other traffic as well, by reducing vehicles on the current route.

Maybe if someone from Stagecoach in Chesterfield or Trent Barton is reading this, they could put forward this suggestion. It's no use me trying to do it, I've very little patience when it comes to dealing with such matters!

Webmaster's comment: As a resident of Mansfield, just a few miles from Chesterfield, I note that around half the services terminating at Mansfield Bus Station (those from Woodhouse, Warsop, Oak Tree, Rainworth and Forest Town) are routed to enter the town centre to drop off at one end of town before negotiating narrow streets and lights to go back on the ring road to make their way to the bus station. Had the entrance for buses been made from Quaker Way years ago (in other words, Walkden Street been one-way in the opposite direction) all this, and an added four or five minutes running time on each and every journey, would have been avoided. Let's hope thought goes into this when the new bus station is opened. At least those in charge of Mansfield see the need for a bus station (a massive advantage in my opinion), unlike those making the decisions in Chesterfield.

Have you examples of thoughtless schemes that delay public transport in your area?

Richard Lomas adds (15 April 2011)

Convoluted bus routes: Matlock

I think that the majority of towns and citys have examples of buses being forced to take indirect and convoluted routes to suit the town hall planners whims. I will take Matlock as an example.

The centre of Matlock is essentially a crossroads called Crown Square next to a river bridge with a roundabout in the middle of the square. Until 1953 buses simply took the most direct route through the town stopping at convenient bus stops adjacent to Crown Square. When the first bus station opened all buses had to make a short diversion via Bank Road and Imperial Road to the bus station entrance. The bus station exit was into Bakewell Road and all buses had to turn left which brought them back to Crown Square where those travelling northwards towards Bakewell had to swing right round the roundabout. This applied to all services including Derby to Buxton and Nottingham to Manchester where the gyration through the bus station must have added a couple of minutes particularly to northbound journeys.

Over the years the number of buses reduced and the open air bus station with 12 stands was replaced by a new bus station slightly further north with only 3 stands. This was an improvement because southbound through services now used a lay by just outside the bus station and the the no right turn at the bus station exit was abolished for north bound buses.

Then in the autumn in 2007 the planners triumphed and the bus services suffered. A new bus station opened on the far side of the river but most bus services don't use it. The old bus station and its lay by were retained and after some confusion over the first few months they are used by all buses except northbound Nottingham to Buxton/Manchester services. The problem is that Matlock Bridge is now one way southbound for all traffic and there is no access to the new bus station from the bridge. Northbound buses from Derby to Bakewell now call at the new bus station and then travel about a mile on the new by pass, over the new river bridge and then turn south to go back to Crown Square and into the old bus station. This diversion also had the effect of breaching the 50km limit for local services. The two bus stations are connected by Matlock local services which are supported by Derbyshire County Council. No commercial bus services serve both bus stations in both directions.

If public transport really was a priority then Matlock Bridge would have been buses only in both directions with a transponder operated right turn into the new bus station.

Webmaster's comment: I am embarrassed by my negative comment further up the page inviting people to send in examples of bad planning with regard to public transport. While such contributions are interesting, it is better if we can find examples of schemes that have improved matters.

On Saturday 9 April, I was in Peterborough and travelled on Stagecoach Citi 1 route. Once out of the centre, this went along a road through the centre of several housing estates. Though parts of the road were shared by local traffic, only the buses were permitted as through traffic. I did not notice cars abusing this, but I daresay it does happen! When the bus crossed major roads there appeared to be a mechanism to quickly change the lights in favour of the bus. On the two journeys I took, this made for speedy progress.

I am hesitant to fully recommend the Peterborough scheme without hearing comments from potential bus users living on the estates the services pass through. The reason for this is that in the 1970s I lived in Redditch as vast housing estates were built as it became a 'new town'. A similar system was implemented (bus only roads passing through the centre of the estates) but some people complained that it was far too far to walk to the bus stop. Oh dear, who would be a planner?

David Gambles. Added to website 15 April 2011.
Addition by Richard Lomas added to website 17 April 2011

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Electric buses: worth having?

by David Gambles

Added to website 13 April 2011

As reported in our news pages HERE, £1.7m is to be spent on a fleet of emission-free, electric powered buses that will run on the streets of Nottingham in the autumn.

It is forecast that the eight battery-powered buses will save £8,000 annually compared to conventional diesel buses.

Battery powered buses are rare in the UK, a small fleet of three electric Optare Solos is currently operated in the City of Durham where a service between the city centre and the Cathedral is run. The route is operated by two of the buses which frequently struggle to operate all day in service and the third bus is brought into service to replace whichever vehicle is showing the lowest level of battery charge - not an ideal situation.

The road to transport by electrically driven buses is littered with failures due to battery technology not being up to the demands of the operator, the most recent example being the Newcastle Gateshead Designline hybrid buses, all ten of which are still parked out of use at the Stagecoach depot in Newcastle.

Newcastle City Council, who are part owners of the Designlines, persuaded Stagecoach to use them on an alternative route to the Quaylink service for which they were bought five years ago. It was thought that the less demanding route would allow them to operate more successfully, but this wasn't the case and the route returned to operation by Stagecoach Volvo B10M's. It is said that during this route trial, the Designlines could be seen abandoned throughout the route with flat batteries, so once again the batteries couldn't do the job expected of them.

Hopefully the vehicles for Nottingham will be up to the job and that those responsible for sanctioning their purchase have made sure that the battery range is more than sufficient for the demands which will be put on them.

More information on the BBC website HERE.

Comment from Richard Lomas (13 April 2011): I read David Gambles' article on electric buses with interest and am looking forward to seeing them in service.

Our grandfathers faced a similar problem with horse buses when the bus and the driver could work longer hours than the motive power source. The solution was to change the horses from time to time during the day. Perhaps in the long term the answer will be to have detachable battery modules that can be changed at bus stations. In the short term in Nottingham perhaps the answer will be to have battery charging facilities at Broadmarsh or Victoria and for each bus to have a top up during the middle of the day.

Coincidentally I had a ride on one of the new Optare Versa diesel electric hybrids on the Metroshuttle services in Manchester on Saturday and was quite impressed. It seemed more like riding on a trolleybus than the deckers on the airport services.

Comment from Tony Wilson (13 April 2011):

Electric buses: the past!

First image from Tony Wilson collection: photographer unknown. Other photographs by Tony Wilson.

David Gambles. Added to website 13 April 2011.
Comments from Richard Lomas & Tony Wilson added 14 April 2011.

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We do not need any survey to prove to us that ownership of cars and traffic congestion have increased greatly in recent years. In view of this, I find it astounding that so many bus companies turn in good profits and at the same time run modern, sophisticated vehicles often on more frequent services than ever before.

Last Saturday (15 January 2011), I was present at an Omnibus Society meeting at which the guest speaker was Mark Howarth, Managing Director of Western Greyhound.

Following time gaining experience with the big bus groups, Mark founded Western Greyhound Ltd (known as WGL) as a small coach operator in 1998, but since then has moved into bus work and expanded such that the Company is now the main bus operator in Cornwall, with minimal involvement with private hire and school contracts. See the WGL routemap on their website HERE.

Rural, stuck-in-a-corner Cornwall does not strike one as a remunerative place for bus services, so how has WGL managed to expand so rapidly and profitably?

First and foremost, Mark tries to ensure his drivers enjoy driving and getting on with people, and accept their part in the Company philosophy that every service will run, whatever the operational difficulties.

Mark has built up a good relationship with local councils and involved community groups in the launch of new services.

Particularly as Cornwall is a tourist area, easily found and quickly digested information is a high priority. Mark takes pride in that vehicles are properly destinated and that bus stops provide meaningful up-to-date information, and that places such as train stations prominently display comprehensive details of available bus services.

Mark has looked out for local opportunities. Having won several tenders, he suspected a need for a Newquay – Bodmin bus service and persuaded the Countryside Commission to initially subsidise it. Holiday camps were another source of revenue, at times running fully loaded VR’s back from the local town at 3am! The Company worked with the Council for a long time culminating in the introduction of Truro Park & Ride.

Mark believes in the philosophy that if a bus service is to fully serve the needs of potential passengers then it must run at all reasonable times. Against all the odds, he has added evening and Sunday journeys to some services with encouraging results. Not a usual practice in rural areas!

Western Greyhound was one of the first companies to provide easily downloadable timetables online. More recently, all buses have been fitted with modern ticket machines which include Smart card readers for a recently introduced scheme. The location of all buses can be tracked at head office real time.

The predominant operator was Western National which came under the ownership of First. Mark has never deliberately set up a service against First, whose network has severely contracted in Cornwall over the years, providing further opportunities for WGL to fill the gap.

Mark has looked carefully at the overall network and has provided several town interchanges, allowing passengers easily to undertake longer journeys, although because of possible traffic congestion these connections cannot be guaranteed.

Mark claims that putting together his Company and First, more bus journeys are taken in Cornwall today than ever before! I find that amazing and most encouraging.

I hope from memory I have covered above the main points given by Mark to explain the rapid expansion of Western Greyhound. His illustrated talk was extremely interesting and most enlightening.

Many would advocate low floor, modern buses as an important part of a modern company. Indeed, WGL run Mercedes Citaro on Truro Park & Ride and Enviro 400 deckers on some trunk routes, but the mainstay of the fleet are Mercedes Benz Varios, minibuses with a step entrance! Though Mark is aware their days are numbered, he points out from his experience that a modern, low-floor replacement (Optare Solo) requires much more maintenance, costs more to buy and uses around a third more fuel than the ultra-reliable Vario.

Undoubtedly, in rural Cornwall Western Greyhound has been a success story, though not without a great deal of hard work, dedication and attention to detail. Who knows what the future has in store! Certainly rising fuel prices, adjustments to concessionary fare reimbursement and the abolition of fuel rebate do not bode well.

However, there have been setbacks before but the bus industry always seems to come to terms with them. Please let me know your views on the qualities necessary for a bus company to prosper and details of other success stories like Western Greyhound. Please make CONTACT soon.

Oliver Foreman

For a quiz (now closed for entry) of the Cornwall area on this website CLICK

Visit the Western Greyhound website HERE.

Until the writer went on holiday to Bude, Cornwall in July 2010, he had never heard of Western Greyhound. This photograph, taken at the main bus stop in Bude, shows one of the growing number of Western Greyhound buses and a First bus on a network that has greatly contracted in recent years. Oliver Foreman July 2010

Oliver Foreman. Added to website 18 January 2011.

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Extreme Bus-passing

Found by Phil G (22 November 2010):

See the Mirror website HERE.

Phil G. Added to website 23 November 2010.

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Bendy Buses

Dan Sellers writes (26 September 2010):

Hi there everyone,
Does this Danish bendy bus look familiar? CLICK (on Wikipedia)

It's one of the Leyland DAB artics of the type used by South Yorkshire PTE in the 1980s and 1990s (see similar one in the image below). I always think it's surprising that they lasted as long as they did.

I think if Meadowhall hadn't been built, they'd probably have been withdrawn when the Clipper finished.

Suppose Boris Johnson had been in Sheffield 25 years ago?

It was Mercedes Benz considering converting ex- London Citaro bendibuses to left-hand drive and selling them on the continent that prompted me to say this. It can be done, so I think they should have done it 20 years ago with the SYPTE ones and send them to Denmark. Tony Wilson sent me a photo once of a London Fleetline that had been converted to LHD for service in China, so it's been done before. If it could be done now, the ex- London Citaro artics would suit DB / Arriva's mainland European operations, as they already own the buses.

The UK is largely unsuited to bendy bus operation; for example, I consider York especially, as it has a lot of narrow streets and tight bends (largely medieval street layout). Everyone I speak to in York (some taxi drivers and the Jorvik Viking Centre staff all agree with me) say the same. "Ragnar" at Jorvik says he doesn't like the FTRs. I think these should DEFINITELY be sold abroad. Las Vegas (like most places in the USA) appears to be all long, straight roads.

From Dan (Hafdan)

Webmaster's comment: We live on a crowded island with much congestion caused by too much traffic using too little road space. Yet a bendy bus uses about twice as much road space as a double decker for approximately the same number of passengers. Similarly, around twice as much depot space is required to house a given number of bendy buses compared to double deckers. Then there is maintenance pits to be considered, and backing off the bendy buses.

Some would argue that more can be carried in a bendy bus as standing passengers can be packed in. I maintain that British people object to being treated like cattle and expect a seat to be available. My view is supported by the survey carried out by the Passenger Focus Group. The third of thirty most voted for improvements was 'All passengers are able to get a seat on the bus for the duration of their journey'. (See HERE: on the bottom of the page click on 'Bus passenger priorities for improvement', click to open the PDF document and scroll to page 11.)

Incidentally, the top two voted for priorities were '1. More buses are on time or within five minutes of when they are scheduled to arrive; 2. Buses run more frequently at times when you want to use the bus'.

For THE BENDING BUS by Tony Wilson on the TRANSPIRE website CLICK

Dan Sellers. Further comment Oliver Foreman. Photograph Tony Wilson. Added to website 26 September 2010.