I was asked to start a separate thread giving my top ten reasons why I thought Derby bus station was so bad. I don't like to be negative on a forum, as there is often a good reason for something not being or working as it should. Occasionally, no good reason can be found. Thus, the following is my personal feelings about the current Derby bus station.
1) A number of services approach along Morledge. This was remodelled in parallel to the Riverlights development by River Derwent of which the bus station is a part. It was originally rumoured that this road was to be buses taxis and delivery vehicles only. It was not to be, and this road, already subject to congestion, was nevertheless reduced to one lane each way, making the congestion even worse.
2) The bus bays are too tightly packed, making driver observation very difficult, exacerbated by the modern trend for vinyls on windows or no windows at all (Solo).
3) The layout of the station is herringbone pattern, the buses driving onto the stands forwards and reversing off. Though far from ideal, this pattern works well for low frequency services and a small station, say, six stands, set approximately 45 degrees to the passenger area. This makes it easier for reversing drivers to see approaching vehicles, and for approaching drivers to see reversing vehicles soonest. The station at Nottingham Victoria is a reasonable example.
The Derby station has 24 conventional bus stands set at 75 degrees or more, with many high frequency services. It is not unknown for five buses on adjacent stands to attempt to depart at the same time.
4) In addition to the 24 bus stands, there are five coach stands (25-29) at the far end, two of which are for National Express. The small platforms to these stands are outside the station building, with simple shelters, which equates to no protection at all.
5) The far end of the building turns slightly and narrows considerably. This area often becomes crowded with waiting passengers, causing congestion of movement. This is made worse in bad weather, when National Express passengers with their luggage, seek shelter.
6) There is a strict protocol which drivers must observe when using the station. Drivers reversing off stands have priority, and must reverse straight, and not turn the wheel to the left. This is not possible on stands 24-29 with a 12 meter bus without resorting to a double reverse. Many coaches using stands 25-29 are longer than 12 meters.
7) The station is in one nearly straight line. Stands at the far end are over 100 meters from the bus station entrance. Coach stands are the furthest and taxis cannot get any nearer than the opposite end of the building.
8) The protocol says that passengers can travel into the bus station, but there are no setting down stops. Passengers must be set down either on the services allocated stand, or on coach bays 27-29. To obey this protocol, approaching buses must give way to vehicles reversing off stands (note last part of point 3). To take four minutes from entering the bus station to finally getting the bus doors open is a frequent occurrence. I have known it take SIX minutes. You have to be there to appreciate the frustration of alighting passengers, as they see their connection depart.
9) It is a 90 degree turn off Morlege in both directions into the station. This point is also where buses loop round into the station from the other entrance, and where buses from the first of the stands reverse off. When approaching from the north west, drivers have to have constant 220 degree vision to observe everything. This error was seen before the station even opened, as stand 1 has never been used for passenger services. For safety, this should have been extended to bays 1-3, but that may have been seen as an admission of bad design, and would have put additional strain on the other stands.
10) The dynamics were obviously worked out with little or no allowance made for delays, breakdowns, emergencies etc. In theory, when it opened, it was operating well within capacity. As we all know, when it comes to buses, theory is not enough. When observing the congestion, slow movements, and even gridlocks, it was obvious from the start that it was already beyond its sensible practical limit.
11) The exits are on two busy roads protected by traffic lights, and by necessity, waiting time is long. Only two vehicles at a time can get onto Morlege, and, if you are lucky, three onto St. Alkmund's Way.
12) The design as a whole results in an astonishingly high number of conflicting bus movements every time a bus enters the station. The stress on the drivers must be enormous.
13) I do not know how many collisions there have been, or if such information is available, but it must be one of, if not the highest for any bus station. I have witnessed, or been in the bus station, for seven of them.
14) If you want to get to the far stands without walking through the bus station, you can access the top entrance by walking behind the building. To this day, no retailers have taken units on this side, exterior plywood being the order of the day.It's an eyesore.
Well, there are other things, but that's more than ten, so it's time to stop. I have never stood in the bus station to monitor events, observing all of the above while simply passing through. One almost feels as though it was designed to make drivers have a collision. If I ever buy a video camera, I might one day just go on top of an adjacent building to film all the conflicting movements, jams and near-misses that are an everyday occurrence in Derby bus station.
1) A number of services approach along Morledge. This was remodelled in parallel to the Riverlights development by River Derwent of which the bus station is a part. It was originally rumoured that this road was to be buses taxis and delivery vehicles only. It was not to be, and this road, already subject to congestion, was nevertheless reduced to one lane each way, making the congestion even worse.
2) The bus bays are too tightly packed, making driver observation very difficult, exacerbated by the modern trend for vinyls on windows or no windows at all (Solo).
3) The layout of the station is herringbone pattern, the buses driving onto the stands forwards and reversing off. Though far from ideal, this pattern works well for low frequency services and a small station, say, six stands, set approximately 45 degrees to the passenger area. This makes it easier for reversing drivers to see approaching vehicles, and for approaching drivers to see reversing vehicles soonest. The station at Nottingham Victoria is a reasonable example.
The Derby station has 24 conventional bus stands set at 75 degrees or more, with many high frequency services. It is not unknown for five buses on adjacent stands to attempt to depart at the same time.
4) In addition to the 24 bus stands, there are five coach stands (25-29) at the far end, two of which are for National Express. The small platforms to these stands are outside the station building, with simple shelters, which equates to no protection at all.
5) The far end of the building turns slightly and narrows considerably. This area often becomes crowded with waiting passengers, causing congestion of movement. This is made worse in bad weather, when National Express passengers with their luggage, seek shelter.
6) There is a strict protocol which drivers must observe when using the station. Drivers reversing off stands have priority, and must reverse straight, and not turn the wheel to the left. This is not possible on stands 24-29 with a 12 meter bus without resorting to a double reverse. Many coaches using stands 25-29 are longer than 12 meters.
7) The station is in one nearly straight line. Stands at the far end are over 100 meters from the bus station entrance. Coach stands are the furthest and taxis cannot get any nearer than the opposite end of the building.
8) The protocol says that passengers can travel into the bus station, but there are no setting down stops. Passengers must be set down either on the services allocated stand, or on coach bays 27-29. To obey this protocol, approaching buses must give way to vehicles reversing off stands (note last part of point 3). To take four minutes from entering the bus station to finally getting the bus doors open is a frequent occurrence. I have known it take SIX minutes. You have to be there to appreciate the frustration of alighting passengers, as they see their connection depart.
9) It is a 90 degree turn off Morlege in both directions into the station. This point is also where buses loop round into the station from the other entrance, and where buses from the first of the stands reverse off. When approaching from the north west, drivers have to have constant 220 degree vision to observe everything. This error was seen before the station even opened, as stand 1 has never been used for passenger services. For safety, this should have been extended to bays 1-3, but that may have been seen as an admission of bad design, and would have put additional strain on the other stands.
10) The dynamics were obviously worked out with little or no allowance made for delays, breakdowns, emergencies etc. In theory, when it opened, it was operating well within capacity. As we all know, when it comes to buses, theory is not enough. When observing the congestion, slow movements, and even gridlocks, it was obvious from the start that it was already beyond its sensible practical limit.
11) The exits are on two busy roads protected by traffic lights, and by necessity, waiting time is long. Only two vehicles at a time can get onto Morlege, and, if you are lucky, three onto St. Alkmund's Way.
12) The design as a whole results in an astonishingly high number of conflicting bus movements every time a bus enters the station. The stress on the drivers must be enormous.
13) I do not know how many collisions there have been, or if such information is available, but it must be one of, if not the highest for any bus station. I have witnessed, or been in the bus station, for seven of them.
14) If you want to get to the far stands without walking through the bus station, you can access the top entrance by walking behind the building. To this day, no retailers have taken units on this side, exterior plywood being the order of the day.It's an eyesore.
Well, there are other things, but that's more than ten, so it's time to stop. I have never stood in the bus station to monitor events, observing all of the above while simply passing through. One almost feels as though it was designed to make drivers have a collision. If I ever buy a video camera, I might one day just go on top of an adjacent building to film all the conflicting movements, jams and near-misses that are an everyday occurrence in Derby bus station.