Coventry Network Review - September 2019

[paulb1973]

The 12x alone is as frequent as the 25 ever was without the 9 and 11

There should be perfectly adequate coverage from those services (in fact the 11 will be enhanced slightly). I guess some of the current 8/8A users to the station will migrate to the 9/9A - which they probably use already.

[JoNi]

There should be perfectly adequate coverage from those services (in fact the 11 will be enhanced slightly). I guess some of the current 8/8A users to the station will migrate to the 9/9A - which they probably use already.

Many people travelling to the station from town catch the bus at convenient stop behind Primark, some passengers even campaigned for a shelter there.
I assumed the 9 and 11would provide a 7/8 minute service but its actually 4 and 11 in the peak. The 10/A will be useless because the walkway from the station to Warwick Road was closed last week in preparation for building works. I assume the 10/A arent going to serve the station as it isn't mentioned on the timetable.

[paulb1973]

Many people travelling to the station from town catch the bus at convenient stop behind Primark, some passengers even campaigned for a shelter there.
I assumed the 9 and 11would provide a 7/8 minute service but its actually 4 and 11 in the peak. The 10/A will be useless because the walkway from the station to Warwick Road was closed last week in preparation for building works. I assume the 10/A arent going to serve the station as it isn't mentioned on the timetable.

This might well be the first time there hasn't been a direct city centre terminating at the Rail Station service since 1967 (unless one existed before then). The 25 was launched by Coventry Transport around that time. For users at the station travelling inbound its simply a case of jumping on the next bus to town (being careful not to go the other way on the 9/9A, 11/12X more recently!). But for many passengers in town it was grab the bus with 'Railway Station' on the front of it - that won't actually exist from 22/9/19. But they'll still be good coverage here.

[Sandy Lane]

This might well be the first time there hasn't been a direct city centre terminating at the Rail Station service since 1967 (unless one existed before then). The 25 was launched by Coventry Transport around that time. For users at the station travelling inbound its simply a case of jumping on the next bus to town (being careful not to go the other way on the 9/9A, 11/12X more recently!). But for many passengers in town it was grab the bus with 'Railway Station' on the front of it - that won't actually exist from 22/9/19. But they'll still be good coverage here.

Yep, the 25 ran to a 10 min freq. and could regularly get to PM in 7 mins or less via Hertford St. Sometimes it can now be quicker to walk rather than wait for a bus that then goes on a circular route around the town centre to get to PM. Is that progress? One for the council.

[JoNi]

Yep, the 25 ran to a 10 min freq. and could regularly get to PM in 7 mins or less via Hertford St. Sometimes it can now be quicker to walk rather than wait for a bus that then goes on a circular route around the town centre to get to PM. Is that progress? One for the council.

The role of the bus in the Coventry is one for the council!

[JPC]

A report in a 'local rag' indicates the route to/from Fenside (3/3A) has been put on hold from serving the Rail Station (and Corporation St both directions?) until NX can assess the completion of a amended road layout at the Rail Station - so maybe the start of next year if we're lucky.

[JoNi]

A report in a 'local rag' indicates the route to/from Fenside (3/3A) has been put on hold from serving the Rail Station (and Corporation St both directions?) until NX can assess the completion of a amended road layout at the Rail Station - so maybe the start of next year if we're lucky.

The Commercial Director's comments in this rag regarding the route of the 11 in the City Centre dont seem to match up with those of the bod who wrote the detail of the changes on the web stating it was going outbound via Corporation Street!

[JPC]

The Commercial Director's comments in this rag regarding the route of the 11 in the City Centre dont seem to match up with those of the bod who wrote the detail of the changes on the web stating it was going outbound via Corporation Street!

To be fair the article does state 'from the rail station to Pool Meadow' and the 11 is staying the same in that direction, but outbounds via Corporation St would be half-heartedly replacing the 8/8A, it's still an utter mess and not simple for average Joe.

[paulb1973]

Was the actual immediate plan to run the 3/3A via the Rail Station? I assumed it wasn't, just using the outbound 23/23A route to reach Fenside, with the 9/9A, 11/12X looking after Rail Station passengers. I still think the City - Rail Station link will be missed - passengers having instead to use services that travel well beyond the station, albeit they do enter the station hub itself.

[JoNi]

To be fair the article does state 'from the rail station to Pool Meadow' and the 11 is staying the same in that direction, but outbounds via Corporation St would be half-heartedly replacing the 8/8A, it's still an utter mess and not simple for average Joe.

Some comments in press releases are very amusing such as the reducing the headway of 23 improves reliability when it is the running time and layover resilance that facilitates reliability!

[JPC]

Was the actual immediate plan to run the 3/3A via the Rail Station? I assumed it wasn't, just using the outbound 23/23A route to reach Fenside, with the 9/9A, 11/12X looking after Rail Station passengers. I still think the City - Rail Station link will be missed - passengers having instead to use services that travel well beyond the station, albeit they do enter the station hub itself.

In the consultation they had indicated they were considering serving the Rail Station on both the current 4 and 23/23A services.  I suppose in the interim they'll be looking at how well the 3/3A performs and if it'll have enough time to reliably operate via the Rail Station.

[JPC]

Timetables now on Traveline, indicating a few tweaks in the city centre stopping arrangements including..

13/13A/16 to Whitmore Pk/Keresley will park at the shelter in the Burges,
3/3A coming in from Holbrooks will (à la 16A) fly past Pool Meadow but doesn't stop anywhere near it,
4/4A/8/8A/10 will not stop inbound on Croft Rd but will instead stop around the corner on Queen Victoria Rd.

Over on the way to Tanyard Farm is the 6/6A not stopping at Sainsbury's on Herald Avenue (which will cause a load of moans) or is that a mistake again? (which has happened before here).

[highland]

The route map they uploaded showed all 6/6A services going along Tile Hill Lane, and not serving Herald Avenue, which I assumed was either a mistake or easier than trying to depict something similar to what the current 5 does towards Tile Hill. Apparently not, then. While passengers from stops towards the city at least have the 4 and 11 running more frequently to Sainsbury's, pretty rubbish for anyone hoping to get back to Tile Hill. It can't be that much quicker either via Tile Hill Lane, can it? Besides the obvious point that you'd carry fewer passengers, which seems to defeat the point of a bus company. Baffling.

On a separate note, it looks like the 11 will go via Quadrant to Pool Meadow and via Burges/Corp Street to Leamington. I thought they were reducing the number of buses that took different routes through the centre in opposite directions? I opposed the rerouting but if they're going to go via Corporation Street at least run it both ways! Again, baffling.

[JoNi]

Traveline reveals the allegedly frequent service for dudes in Keresley is only every 10 minutes.
My perception of a frequent service service is every 7-8 Mins with turn and go every 3-4 minutes or less, probably comes from frequent use of the Victoria line where even the every 10 minute Nightube service has advertised departure times!

[paulb1973]

Traveline reveals the allegedly frequent service for dudes in Keresley is only every 10 minutes.
My perception of a frequent service service is every 7-8 Mins with turn and go every 3-4 minutes or less, probably comes from frequent use of the Victoria line where even the every 10 minute Nightube service has advertised departure times!

I must admit when something is advertised as at 'frequent intervals' - I take that to be less than 10 mins frequency, I'm surprised there aren't more services timetabled like that then! (would cut out those 'my bus didn't turn up at the specified time' type of complaints).

Re. Tile Hill Lane/Herald Ave and the 6/6A - why don't they run all services along Herald Ave past Sainsbury's?! I assumed once Herald Avenue was completed some years ago now all bus services would run that way in both directions, but obviously not.