Service Changes from 27th April

[Busmapper]

Mirroring the 1 and 31 btwn Acocks Green and Pitmaston Rd is leaving significant sections of existing route with no service, ie the whole of Olton Blvd East, most of Gospel Lane and Shirley Rd south of School Rd. I appreciate the flip to this of course is that the chosen route does gain what NX describe as a 'turn up and go' frequency.

[spudnick]

Mirroring the 1 and 31 btwn Acocks Green and Pitmaston Rd is leaving significant sections of existing route with no service, ie the whole of Olton Blvd East, most of Gospel Lane and Shirley Rd south of School Rd. I appreciate the flip to this of course is that the chosen route does gain what NX describe as a 'turn up and go' frequency.

I agree it does leave many roads unserved, the Shirley Road - Pool Farm Road section on the 3 at least isn't busy at all and Pool Farm Road really isn't suitable for buses so doubling the number using it I don't think is a great plan, although it may get busier now its served by a more convenient service, its only really turn up and go if you only want to go as far as Springfield anyone wishing to go to town now has a longer wait than now unless they want to change onto another service, but of course neither NWM or NXWM will publicise where the service offered is actually getting worse.

[Sh4318]

Does the 24 require Double Deckers on a Sunday?

I tend to see them around the Court Oak pub and by there loadings are quite light. The Harborne to City section can get busy but alternate Hybrid DDs on the 22/23 and B7RLEs on the 24/29 would cope I would imagine. All speculation of course.

I'd feel quite hard done by if I lived in the 24, the Sunday daytime frequency got reduced from every 20 to 30 minutes, then they lost a direct service to the Markets, now their Sunday service could possibly see buses with less capacity

[Stu]

Mirroring the 1 and 31 btwn Acocks Green and Pitmaston Rd is leaving significant sections of existing route with no service, ie the whole of Olton Blvd East, most of Gospel Lane and Shirley Rd south of School Rd. I appreciate the flip to this of course is that the chosen route does gain what NX describe as a 'turn up and go' frequency.

I agree it does leave many roads unserved, the Shirley Road - Pool Farm Road section on the 3 at least isn't busy at all and Pool Farm Road really isn't suitable for buses so doubling the number using it I don't think is a great plan, although it may get busier now its served by a more convenient service, its only really turn up and go if you only want to go as far as Springfield anyone wishing to go to town now has a longer wait than now unless they want to change onto another service, but of course neither NWM or NXWM will publicise where the service offered is actually getting worse.

For once, I'm actually a bit disappointed with this review outcome. I thought one of the objectives was to provide Gospel Oak with a faster and improved bus link to the city centre. Granted, the 3 probably wasn't a useful option in that respect, but at least the 31/A is every fifteen minutes. Now though, the 31 will be every 20 minutes, and will still get slowed down by traffic on the Stratford Road. And the 1 doesn't go to the city centre!

And yes I can see there being potential problems on Pool Farm Road, which is very narrow with enough room for one bus. At least with the current 3 service, the timings meant that buses didn't pass each other there, but now buses are going to be going up and down every 10 minutes, it will only take a delay somewhere, and buses will end up getting stuck!

Having witnessed some of the loadings myself on the 3, I wonder who all these people on Pool Farm Road are who asked for more buses?  :o

[Busmapper]

Network review page, which disappeared for a bit, is now back up on NWM, complete with new style network map - http://www.networkwestmidlands.com/BusReview/BusReview2.aspx

[Ex BC driver]

Does the 24 require Double Deckers on a Sunday?

I tend to see them around the Court Oak pub and by there loadings are quite light. The Harborne to City section can get busy but alternate Hybrid DDs on the 22/23 and B7RLEs on the 24/29 would cope I would imagine. All speculation of course.

I'd feel quite hard done by if I lived in the 24, the Sunday daytime frequency got reduced from every 20 to 30 minutes, then they lost a direct service to the Markets, now their Sunday service could possibly see buses with less capacity

I used to hate the drop back time on Sundays, 24-27 minutes, three times.

[JB93]

Thank god they're finally making the 73 share a stop on Moor St. with the 17 now though. Makes a lot lot more sense as they follow pretty much the same route, and means the 73 will actually start getting decent loadings from Birmingham.

[monkeyjoe]

Thank god they're finally making the 73 share a stop on Moor St. with the 17 now though. Makes a lot lot more sense as they follow pretty much the same route, and means the 73 will actually start getting decent loadings from Birmingham.

My understanding is that it was originally given a separate stop so the people who specifically needed the 73, didn't lose out to the 17s loadings (if for example one didn't turn up). I guess has not worked. 

[Roy]

Some timetable leaflets are available at the NXWM travel centre in The Pavilions.  Yesterday, the following were on display :-

2/3, 5/5A/6, 18, 22/23/24, 29/29A, 31, 55/55A,56, 61/63, 72, 76, 98/99.

[Nathan4775]

Sorr not had time to read the topic,

Whats happening witn 61/3 ? Is it just timetable changes

[Stu]

Sorr not had time to read the topic,

Whats happening witn 61/3 ? Is it just timetable changes

Just timetable changes:
http://www.networkwestmidlands.com/BusReview/BusReview2.aspx

[Stu]

I suppose if some good comes out of all this, at least it will mean the end (for now anyway!) of Dennis Tridents and ADL Enviros in Acocks Green village! :P

[Rob H]

I've also noticed the map of the NEW 73 Timetable is wrong atm the 73 turns right out of Sedgmere Road onto Garretts Green Lane then left onto Horrell Road but the map is saying the 73 will be turning left onto Garretts Green Lane down to the island in conjuction with Sheldon Heath Road turn round there then back up Garretts Green Lane then left onto Horrell Road.

Does anybody know whether the 73 will be doing that from 27th April or is it just a misprint?

[monkeyjoe]

I suppose if some good comes out of all this, at least it will mean the end (for now anyway!) of Dennis Tridents and ADL Enviros in Acocks Green village! :P

How do you mean?

[Steve3229vp]

NXWM and NWM still don't get it, by making routes longer (especially the routes to and from City) they will become more unreliable. A good example of this is the extension of the 29 to Frankley. So here are some of my ideas instea

Leave the 29 as it is terminating at Northfield.
A new route (lets call it 44) Harborne to Longbridge via War Lane, Barnes Hill, Weoley Castle, Northfield, Frankley, Rubery, Leach Green Lane, Lickey Road and Longbridge Lane - every 30 minutes in between the 49's combining to give an approximate frequency of every 15 minutes between Northfield and Longbridge.
Shorten the 98 to Rednal only.