Southern Birmingham + Solihull Bus Route Consultation

[Matt.N0056]

Seen this advertised on an AG bus today, the questionnaire is on NWM site:

http://networkwestmidlands.com/BusReview/BusReviewIndex.aspx

Routes in question are: 2, 3, 5, 8A/8C, 29, 29A, 31, 31A, 49, 58, 59, 60, 73, 98, X64

[trident4370]

All I can say is about time, the 3 in its current format is ridiculous...

[Liverpool Street]

Bring the 21 back!! Lol

Indeed the 49 is dreadfully unreliable.

I don't exactly know what the big idea is to serve the Great Park. The clientele around there shouldn't have a service anyway with their glass bottles and junk.

[trident4370]

Bring the 21 back!! Lol

Indeed the 49 is dreadfully unreliable.

I don't exactly know what the big idea is to serve the Great Park. The clientele around there shouldn't have a service anyway with their glass bottles and junk.

I second that :P

[Liverpool Street]

Bring the 21 back!! Lol

Indeed the 49 is dreadfully unreliable.

I don't exactly know what the big idea is to serve the Great Park. The clientele around there shouldn't have a service anyway with their glass bottles and junk.

I second that :P

I thought you might ;)

In addition, there is no mention of the stupid reliability issues of the Pershore Road .. reliability issues that were none existent until they ruined it with the Sept. changes. How is it possible to do a round 47 in 1hr 13minutes?

[Russ Smith]

Bring the 21 back!! Lol

Indeed the 49 is dreadfully unreliable.

I don't exactly know what the big idea is to serve the Great Park. The clientele around there shouldn't have a service anyway with their glass bottles and junk.

I second that :P

I thought you might ;)

In addition, there is no mention of the stupid reliability issues of the Pershore Road .. reliability issues that were none existent until they ruined it with the Sept. changes. How is it possible to do a round 47 in 1hr 13minutes?

I thought there were going to be chances on the Pershore Road in this review - isn't the 45 meant to be extended to Rednal?

[Liverpool Street]

Bring the 21 back!! Lol

Indeed the 49 is dreadfully unreliable.

I don't exactly know what the big idea is to serve the Great Park. The clientele around there shouldn't have a service anyway with their glass bottles and junk.

I second that :P

I thought you might ;)

In addition, there is no mention of the stupid reliability issues of the Pershore Road .. reliability issues that were none existent until they ruined it with the Sept. changes. How is it possible to do a round 47 in 1hr 13minutes?

I thought there were going to be chances on the Pershore Road in this review - isn't the 45 meant to be extended to Rednal?

Or so I was told, some sort of opportunity for the 2 to interwork at the outer. Turns out NX turned their back on that idea then. It could've improved reliability a snatch but the way things are going on that road is disgusting and is a big middle finger to NX's paying passengers.

[Justin Tyme]

Very interesting!  There are one or two good ideas in the leaflet but some surprising ones as well. 

For one thing, is there much demand for through buses between Frankley and Weoley Castle?

[Liverpool Street]

For one thing, is there much demand for through buses between Frankley and Weoley Castle?

I wouldn't of thought so. If you live in Frankley then the demand is to go to Northfield, surely? More like Bartley Green and Woodgate side will have a demand for the Castle.

[the trainbasher]

I think NXWM also need to look at the Stourbridge network as it is a right so and so for unreliablity and chaos. (hint the cross Stourbridge routes!)

[winston]

I think NXWM also need to look at the Stourbridge network as it is a right so and so for unreliablity and chaos. (hint the cross Stourbridge routes!)

The entire Dudley network may be up for a second review in the not too distant future

[Stuharris 6360]

I think NXWM also need to look at the Stourbridge network as it is a right so and so for unreliablity and chaos. (hint the cross Stourbridge routes!)

The entire Dudley network may be up for a second review in the not too distant future

The X96 needs definite revision, it is a service that just does not work, very tight timetable, no recovery time, no resting time for the buses and finally Mercs, you cannot expect 15 year old buses to keep going for that that many hours a day, non stop.

[nitromatt1]

I think NXWM also need to look at the Stourbridge network as it is a right so and so for unreliablity and chaos. (hint the cross Stourbridge routes!)

The entire Dudley network may be up for a second review in the not too distant future

The X96 needs definite revision, it is a service that just does not work, very tight timetable, no recovery time, no resting time for the buses and finally Mercs, you cannot expect 15 year old buses to keep going for that that many hours a day, non stop.

The Mercs are living on borrowed time now, it's such a shame really, I love them, had a ride on 1633 today, hadn't realised what a brilliant bus it was, one of the best of the mark 2 Mercs

[wilmotm (Matt Wilmot)]

I think NXWM also need to look at the Stourbridge network as it is a right so and so for unreliablity and chaos. (hint the cross Stourbridge routes!)

The entire Dudley network may be up for a second review in the not too distant future

Well as long as they don't dare touch our route numbers! Surely they can't return all areas to single digit numbers, it well end in chaos

[Stu]

Getting back on topic...

Having read through the proposals in the leaflet, I have to admit that so far they do seem like good ideas.

Certainly the 3 has long been a bone of contention, so any changes to that service would be most welcome.

Taking the 2 and/or 3 off the Stratford Road altogether is another useful idea; the stretch of that road between Camp Hill and Highgate Road is bad for traffic as it is, and ironically most of the congestion is caused by the sheer number of buses, as cars stack up behind them when they stop and can't safely pass round them, as the road is too narrow. So in this situation, fewer buses might actually improve traffic flow.

The idea of a new express bus from city centre to Shirley via Gospel Oak and Acocks Green is an interesting one, but does Acocks Green really need another 'fast' service to Birmingham, and how would it impact patronage on the 37? From Gospel Oak, isn't the current 31/31A sufficient enough a service to the city centre?

I'd say, from Haslucks Green Road, run the 3 to Solihull via the current 31 route, and then have all 31/A journeys run as 31 to The Green Business Park every 15 minutes.

I don't know or use the other services listed that well to make well-informed comments. But the proposed suggestions seem viable to me.