Extend route 76 to Harborne High Street

[j789]

Maybe one of the YW drivers can answer this but how much hang up time does the 76 get at the Q.E? Being originally from the area I have always thought a bus from Harborne to Solihull could be useful as they are similar 'types' areas, and as the 76 goes quite close could this route not be extended to serve Harborne too and perhaps terminate at Harborne Baths? if there is only a short turn around at the Q.E. this may not be feasible but if perhaps only 1 extra bus was needed then maybe it could work.

[trident4370]

On the topic of that general area, I've always wondered why the 18 couldn't be extended to provide a proper link into the Black Country from South brum, maybe just up the road from Bartley Green to Halesowen? Imagine the benefits that could provide with buses connecting to Stourbridge, Merry Hill, West Brom, Dudley, Walsall etc... with Diamonds 002 only running to Weoley Castle, it hardly serves the masses this side of town... Even if it was just every other bus, ie every 20 minutes.

[John]

You've got a point there Joe. That's a good idea

As for the 76, another good idea. How long is the 76 from Solihull to the Q.E though, and how much longer would it be if it was extended to Harborne? (It would depend if the 76 was quicker to Solihull from Harborne rather than getting a bus into Town from Harborne and geting the 957, 37, 6, etc, if people would use it end to end

[trident4370]

At the minute it takes just over an hour end to end on the 76 daytime, if it was extended to Harborne I guess it would be just under 1hr 10 end to end, then a bit longer at peaks. The only problem is reliability, you'd be contending with three "busy" roads then that have a habit of clogging up, Blossomfield Road, Aston Webb Boulevard/Chapel Lane and of course Harborne High Street, the traffic after 3 o clock is pretty bad now and can have a knock on effect making buses late across the whole route, that would be my only concern with the idea.
I think the 76 is timetabled to have 6 minutes layover at the Q.E. so yes another bus would be required.

[Liverpool Street]

To hell with it, make the 76 go via Earlswood whilst we're here ;) hah

[the trainbasher]

Extend it to city via the 98 route and send the 98 via Harborne and Five Ways Morrisons...

[Sh4318]

I don't think the 76 needs to go any further than QE/B'ham Uni, but that's what I think. Passengers for Harborne can change in Selly Oak for the 11, or (for Harborne High St) at QE for the 48/99. I think the 49 is evidence of what can happen if routes have long running times, but that's just what I think, it could be a success.

[Mike K]

Traffic issues at peak times on Harborne High Street aside, I think extending the 76 to Harborne would be a potentially good idea. I would certainly use it end to end on occasions as getting across to Solihull via the city centre is a pain.

But it would also restore the link from the Green Man end of Harborne to Selly Oak lost when the 21 was withdrawn (the 48 only goes as far as Gibbins Rd) and would also provide valuable links from student areas into Harborne (loads of students drink in Harborne these days). Finally it would introduce a useful new link from the Green Man end of the High St through to Kings Heath. I'm sure this would be welcomed by school kids of KE Camp Hill school, quite a few of whom travel from Harborne each day.

Do it.

[Liberator9]

This is actually a good idea; it would crucially provide a direct ink from South West Birmingham/Solihull to Harbourne which is currently non-existant. The 76 is certainly an excellent route already in my opinion; I use it 5 days a week and rarely have any problems; they have the timetable at the route perfected. They allow time to be caught up between the bottlenecks of Selly Oak and Kings Heath + Kings Heath and Haunch Lane. As Trident 4370 said the layover time is roughly 6-7 minutes but this may need increasing in case of traffic issues. The PVR requirement by my working is 8 (with the normal daytime requirement 7) so if the route was extended the PVR would go up to 9 or 10 I reckon. If NX could perfect the timetable and ensure no knock on effects further down the route, then it would be a good idea.