News:

Welcome to the WM Buses in Photos Forum! New and existing members are kindly reminded to respect and abide by the Forum Rules that are in place here.

Main Menu
Menu

Show posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

Show posts Menu

Topics - Kevin

#1
General Discussion & Questions / Cross Country
September 13, 2018, 11:06:13 AM
....could have sworn there was a topic for XC on here already

Anyone know which way the Brum - Stansted services are diverting at the moment with the Nuneaton line closed? I'd imagine via the recent Derby diversion and down through Loughborough

Also, curious that the replacement coaches are running Nuneaton - Coleshill - Birmingham International, is it really that much quicker to get a train there than coach from New Street?
#2
What are people's opinions on bus gates being installed? There's a few places I would consider them to be useful.

The Deer's Leap in Pheasey is one that's screaming out to me, a bus gate across the Queslett Road would allow the 33 to cross and better serve the Doe Bank area leaving the 997 to use main roads.
Also across Cuckoo Road for the 66 to and from Star City, avoiding queues on Long Acre and the tight turn on Nechells Park Road

Any other suggestions?
#3
Erm
Something I've just found out, apparently next week is just a Saturday timetable with mostly no extra am peak journeys
So my commute will suddenly get about quarter hour longer just because the X51s don't start early enough on a Saturday
Joy
#4
Anyone tried to use the new NWM website, especially the journey planning and timetables bit?

The previous one was fine, I could search for a place name (eg Tamworth or Halesowen) and it would return all the routes that serve there, with the full timetable and route map (without having to actually download it)

Now you have to know the service number or do the whole "journey planner" thing which isn't useful if you want to know general things like the frequency or the route it takes.
#5
http://m.greatbarrobserver.co.uk/Passenger-boom-leads-creation-hundreds-taxi/story-27628499-detail/story.html

"A passenger 'boom' caused by disgruntled bus users means hundreds of jobs are being created at a West Midlands taxi firm"

Hmmm......Wonder who these disgruntled bus users are and why they're disgruntled? Especially with so many "improvements" to bus services of late
#6
Perhaps a long shot but worth trying

Anyone on here recognise the name?
Apparently he used to  drive at Perry Barr garage until he was sacked for drink driving (potentially a decade or so ago)

This guy was a local at me sister's work (Scott Arms) and sadly passed away over the last week, and the staff there and some other locals are looking for any information anyone has about   him. Everyone there and in the local area knew him as "Bob the bus" and could always be found with timetables in his pocket, but no one knew more than this, only that he had a brother
#7
The Archive / Inner Circle
January 10, 2015, 11:47:38 AM
Something I've been thinking about for a long time, and even gone into a fair amount of detail about just for procrastination purposes... Anyone else reckon the Inner Circle (8a/8c) could do with a complete change?

I know that at the moment it isn't terribly unreliable and does a job fairly well, but personally I think the areas it serves could be much better connected in other ways, and I know in the latest "South Birmingham review" they were hinting at the possibility of changes (which obviously never happened).

I would suggest replacing the circle with a host of end-to-end routes either starting and finishing in different bits of the city centre or heading out from the city round a bit of the route and out to somewhere useful like City/Heartlands/QE hospitals. One particular service I'd suggest would be something specifically linking the various bits of Ladywood and Hockley with the city centre and markets, ie markets - bath row - five ways - monument road - st Vincent street - tesco spring hill - Camden st - Hockley Circus - unnett st - hospital street - Snow Hill and maybe even terminating at the markets again.

Got other ideas meself, and even gone as far as a full on spreadsheet detailing all of the current connections available and how they'd be maintained, but just curious what other people's thoughts.
#8
The Archive / Merry Hill shuttles
November 30, 2014, 10:26:57 PM
Cradley Heath station - Merry Hill - Dudley Bus station. Only those stops. Every 10 mins connecting with each train arriving at Cradley. 6 (maybe, haven't done maths) dedicated branded buses.

I appreciate current efforts from NWM and NX to route loads of buses between Cradley and Merry Hill. But how about this instead? And general consensus i seem to get is the X96 is a bit of a waste of an X service, as it isn't really express in any way shape or form. This could take over as the main Dudley - Merry Hill route.

I dunno. It's just a thought really. And it's down here in the bit of the forum labelled "where they can be ignored" so hopefully don't get ridiculed for it
#9
The Archive / Booths Farm
September 27, 2014, 08:47:29 AM
Currently, the 952 only really serves Booths Farm on the way to Perry Barr and the city. I think they wanted to change that in the Pheasey network review but there was opposition to sending a bus down quiet residential streets to do it.

My suggestion would be to completely change the route, run it from Perry Barr via Aldridge Road, left onto Thornbridge, right Hassop rd, left Beeches rd, right Turnberry rd as it does now by the swimming baths, continue through to Calshot rd instead of Booths Farm rd, and up to terminate at Scott Arms.

This would serve more of the Beeches estate than currently, serve Booths Farm in both directions, and provide a better link up to the Scott Arms. Granted it'll be missing out a bus stop on Beeches rd and i think two quite close together on Booths Farm rd itself but i think it'll be conveniencing more people than it inconveniences.

The only real issue i see with it is that it cuts a link for some people to the new Tower Hill medical centre, but maybe then the 28 could be moved from serving Scott Arms to serving One Stop like the 28A used to.

Btw, I'm not counting the 424 in all this, personal opinion is that needs to be chopped up into little bits anyway
#10
The Archive / 49 to Quinton
September 13, 2014, 12:26:58 PM
another suggestion of mine likely to be ridiculed on here... But here goes anyway...

With the possibility of either Metro or Sprint... Would it make sense for the 49 to be re-routed from Brandhall either via Perry Hill Road or Kingsway to Quinton to link people along that route to the Hagley Road instead of the section to Bearwood? Pretty much all of the 49 route at the moment is connected by another route to Bearwood as it is, but the only connection to Quinton is the 54/54A from the Warley direction.
#11
Genuine question.

I'm sat here in the square peg, and just saw an nx56 go round Priory Square. My mind wondered a bit and this is a question I've always asked myself. Why does this route even exist? Why not run the 59 all day every day?
Same question applies to the 28, if the route between Heartlands hospital and Small Heath is so necessary, why not run the 28a (or whatever it's called atm) all day every day, instead of extending the 28? I know that used to be the route years ago but it bears less and less resemblance nowadays to the daytime route it seems a bit out of place.

When NWM/Centro started doing all the network reviews and started to get rid of some of these routes (especially around Walsall) I was hoping they'd go the whole hog and sort al of them out.

Curious. What are peoples thoughts?
#12
The Archive / Meriden
August 01, 2014, 08:17:32 AM
Would just like to share my views on the routes around Meriden.

I say all the 900 journeys should run direct along the A45, and express in the Coventry area (not serving Allesley or Parkhill drive). That would make them quicker and more attractive for prospective travellers to/from Coventry.

Replace the stopping service and route through Allesley, Parkhill and Meriden itself with a half hourly frequency on the 82, with every other journey terminating short at Meriden.

Then from the Birmingham/Airport direction either a new all stops service or extension of the existing 900E journeys to Meriden and perhaps on to Balsall Common
#13
Something that always intrigues me, is there a set place for each route to layover?
I ask because Monday morning things kinda came to a head on Priory Queensway, with all the saltley buses parked up at the top, blocking the 66 stop (as is usual), a 67 bendi came up and sat patiently behind the 87 so it could leave, a 72 came round both of them and parked in the 65/67 stop.... 66 then comes and gave up on everything, choosing instead to unload and wait at the 16 stop right at the bottom.
Thing is, this sort of situation ain't exactly uncommon, why can't all the saltley buses unload and head straight round to wait at their own stops?
#14
More often than not these days getting the 51 instead of the X51 in the peaks makes not a lot of difference at all. I say this because it takes a long time to load with all the people wanting to use it instead of the 51, and invariably it's standing room only. This morning (possibly more due to the Walsall trains being cancelled) it went past without even considering stopping because he physically couldn't fit any more people on board, and this isn't exactly a the height of the peak hour yet so it can only get worse.

In the meantime, and rather ironically, the 51 doesn't really encounter anywhere near as much traffic so takes near enough the same time and by the time it gets to town is only half full
#15
The Archive / Barr Beacon
October 19, 2013, 07:45:34 AM
Interesting letter into the Great Barr Observer this week, someone complaining that Barr Beacon has no bus in the evening or on Sunday.
I have to say I think NX and NWM screwed up big time there, there was potential to improve the network and keep the existing links but they had to ruin it for some people didn't they?

My suggestion would be to run a 936E to Aldridge in place of the current 934Es. I'm fact if I'm honest I reckon the full 934 at these times would work as well but what am I to know I only use the buses I don't run them.
#16
The Archive / Good Hope Hospital
September 19, 2013, 07:01:14 PM
Considering the near enough constant calls for a proper replacement to the 68A/C, especially the link to Good Hope Hospital.... Apparently extending the 907 just beyond Sutton Town centre isn't an option, so how about any of these?


  • Extend the 119 from Sutton through Boldmere, New Oscott, Perry Common to Kingstanding (along with an increase in frequency
  • Adjust the 604 so it better serves the hospital and covers more of Boldmere / Perry Common (also with a bit of an increased frequency)

Yes? No?
#17
The Archive / 952
September 09, 2013, 10:58:05 PM
Something I'd been thinking about for a while....

Hows about extend the 952 from Beeches estate through Old Oscott to Kingstanding Circle?
In doing that it can replace that part of the 997 so it can go straight up Aldridge road, and provide a more permanent link between Old Oscott and Kingstanding instead of the 88A situation now
#18
The Archive / City Centre emissions rule
August 06, 2013, 07:19:22 PM
Chance anyone could clarify what appears to me to be a bit of a grey area regarding the use of older buses in the city centre?

basically, the way I understand it is if a service is more than 3 tines per hour then it needs to use compliant buses. But what about evenings or Sundays when the service is reduced? Equally the other way round, if a service is normally every 20/30 mins but in peak hours has more buses (eg, the 936, X51, sure there's more than that) could it get away with non compliant buses during the peak hours?
#19
What would people think of the idea of bus routes that went just that little bit further the other way out of the city centre? Or even a small network of city centre routes? Things that would create links from, say, Aston science park and University to Five Ways, or between the Jewellery Quarter and Eastside. U personally think those sort of links would be very useful as they eliminate the need to a) trudge across town from one "interchange" to another, and b) use the inner circle, because that service is hopeless at the best of times
#20
National Express West Midlands / Fitted timetables
July 16, 2013, 07:00:52 PM
Just wondering what peoples thoughts on this are, the idea of fitting the timetables of different bus routes so they provide a joint frequency on common sections of the route.

Personally, it annoys me. As NX seem to have a tendency to do it with routes that are completely different. For example, the 33/51... Yes as far as Perry Barr they are the same, bit beyond they are completely different, and I'd say the 51 carries more people and as such deserves to be more frequent, especially of an evening and Sunday. Yes you can say the 51 has the 952 and X51 to help, but the 33 has even more routes to help it out. Also, the 907/952, similar problem I'd say the 907 needs to be more frequent than the 952.

Yes, sometimes they do get it right, such as the 61/63 Bristol Road at the moment.
SMF spam blocked by CleanTalk