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#41

General Discussion, Questions & Route Suggestions / Re: Election Day Mayoral Pledg...

Last post by Stu - Yesterday at 07:41:07 PM

I pretty much agree with everything apart from this bit. Enhancing active travel does play a big part in reducing congestion if done correctly. A lot of car journeys that people take can usually be done via means of walking or cycling. The road system here is extremely hostile to cycling, we don't have to look very far to see the benefits of good cycling infrastructure (Paris, London, Netherlands). Bus lanes and cycle lanes please.

I'm not averse to 'active travel', I just said there was 'too much focus', that's all.

The WMCA and local councils have been spending millions of pounds on building cycle lanes/routes, which is all very well and good, but from my own observations, I rarely seem to see any cyclists using them.

Maybe they are being built on the wrong roads, because I do see plenty of cyclists using other roads that I travel along, which don't have cycle lanes.

I would prefer that more money and effort was spent on bus lanes and bus priority measures, that's all.

#42

General Discussion, Questions & Route Suggestions / Re: Election Day Mayoral Pledg...

Last post by Ronnoc - Yesterday at 07:21:53 PM

There's too much focus (and money being spent) on 'active travel' and cycle lanes; 

I pretty much agree with everything apart from this bit. Enhancing active travel does play a big part in reducing congestion if done correctly. A lot of car journeys that people take can usually be done via means of walking or cycling. The road system here is extremely hostile to cycling, we don't have to look very far to see the benefits of good cycling infrastructure (Paris, London, Netherlands). Bus lanes and cycle lanes please.

#43

General Discussion, Questions & Route Suggestions / Re: Election Day Mayoral Pledg...

Last post by Stu - Yesterday at 07:02:17 PM

Franchising is a very very small piece of the puzzle in terms of transport improvements.

As I have said many times before, franchising won't magically make bus services punctual and reliable overnight, you'll still have the same issues. What needs to be looked at is the 'infrastructure'. More bus lanes, and more bus priority measures, such as 'smart' traffic light signals that alter traffic flows to allow buses through quicker.

There's too much focus (and money being spent) on 'active travel' and cycle lanes; bus lanes would be far more useful and used by far more people.

Birmingham City Council missed a trick years ago by not investing in park-and-ride sites dotted around the middle ring road, ahead of demolishing city centre car parks. We now have the ridiculous situation where the two remaining multi-storey car parks at the Bullring and Moor Street are regularly full on Saturdays, and because they are located on a main entry and exit point for buses to/from Moor Street Queensway, the resulting congestion from drivers queuing to get into these car parks causes the buses to also get stuck and delayed.

Sort out the infrastructure and get to grips with congestion and roadworks programme scheduling, and the privately-operated bus services will become more reliable and punctual without the need for 'taking back control'.

#44

National Express West Midlands / Re: Training Bus Sightings

Last post by ellspurs - Yesterday at 06:51:55 PM

I saw a training bus (couldn't see the number) on the roundabout above the m42 at junction 9 (the Kingsbury turnoff) yesterday.

#45

National Express West Midlands / Re: Vehicles seen in service, ...

Last post by Wba_lad - Yesterday at 06:17:38 PM

6918 not tracking on the 2.

#46

National Express West Midlands / Re: Oddities, defects, faults ...

Last post by Wba_lad - Yesterday at 06:17:17 PM

6918
The upstairs CCTV screen is broken and not working, the USB ports on the top deck front row on the drivers side have a issue where it looks like they have been ripped out the inside of them is missing. 

#47

National Express West Midlands / Re: Training Bus Sightings

Last post by a4 funcool 2022 - Yesterday at 05:12:02 PM

4131 passing Cradley Heath town

#48

National Express West Midlands / Re: Oddities, defects, faults ...

Last post by frostjay974 - Yesterday at 04:55:36 PM

6172 has a giant national express logo on the front without the West Midlands text

@frostjay974 - I assume you mean 6712? There is no 6172, Winston

#49

Other Operators / Re: Chaserider

Last post by CKD - Yesterday at 04:33:17 PM

Guessing this was the one that collided with the pub in Burntwood?

It still amazes me how you can hit a stationery object when you're completely fit to drive 

#50

General Discussion, Questions & Route Suggestions / Re: Election Day Mayoral Pledg...

Last post by Ronnoc - Yesterday at 04:17:38 PM

Excellent public transport is the solution, the West Midlands has some of the highest car usage of any urban area in the UK and Europe. This requires radical investment, and with radical investment there will be some form of disruption. Franchising is a very very small piece of the puzzle in terms of transport improvements.