Inner Circle

[Kevin]

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.

[CL]

I'd love for it to go back round Hockley, Heaton Street. VERY close to home, quite literally. Saves me losing yet another bus route to somewhere I wouldn't like to walk to/alight onto various buses.

Quite far to walk to the closest stop now, which is Hunters Road.

[:D]

I'd like 8A/C to cover Heartlands hospital, but not sure how they can do this without losing bus service to busy sections of 8A/C route in Small Heath and Bordesley. Following thye

8A/C covering Heartlands hospital does sound like a good idea, but I don't think it's possible to cover it without either losing a heavily used sections in Small Heath and Bordesley or doubling back on Bordesley Green road.