Rush Hour Overcrowding - Washwood Heath Road

[MK]

Morning all,

I know this topic has been covered a lot - and i know that there is only a limited amount of resources. So i don't really have the answers. I just want to share with you my experiences and drastic measures that i'm now having to take in terms of my daily bus journey to work.

My daily morning commute is the 55 from Kingshurst to Nechells (Just past Saltley Gate). This is a daily weekday journey i've been making for over 10 years. During that time i've seen various changes of vehicle allocation & routing - even changes in the bus depot that operates the route. The biggest change though for me is increase in patronage along the Washwood Heath Road.

The huge number of people trying to board in the morning rush hour, coupled with the reduction in bus services that operate along this corridor (loss of route 70 and route 72 never replaced) has now resulted in large amounts of passengers (15-20) standing on many single deck services.

The majority of these people that board at these stops are students, that all seem to have bulky rucksacks/backpacks on their backs with no intention of removing them, which just adds to the problem. The other major issue is that all standing passengers want to stand at the very front of the bus, within 2-3 feet of the driver, rather than spreading themselves equally along the aisle. This means that it is becoming impossible to fight my way through the bus to disembark at my stop, with a situation last week where i actually missed my stop because the driver could not see that i was trying to get through the masses of people in order to get off. When mentioning these issues to drivers, they point to notices on vehicles conveying passenger numbers regarding safe standing etc. In this often over-zealous health & safety world that we live in, how can these overcrowding issues be acceptable?

On 2 occasions within the last 10 days i've been forced to take the most drastic measure possible, by leaving the bus through the emergency exit at the rear. I don't condone this, but i really have no alternative to leaving a ridiculously overcrowded bus.

[markcf83]

Drivers should be more forceful in getting passengers to move down the bus, so that those who are already on board are able to get off.

[2206]

Drivers should be more forceful in getting passengers to move down the bus, so that those who are already on board are able to get off.

I've been on pleanty of 11's where there's no more room for passengers, but the drivers don't seem to have that much control over overcrowding, the passengers don't listen and won't get of or move down when the drivers ask, what else do you expect them to do.
I regularly have to force and shove to get if an 11C at the Swan in the AM peak through crowds gathered on the stairs and bottom deck, eg this morning on 4294.

The 72 was replaced by the 55/94, few ever used it to Drews Lane, likely why it was never replaced.

The only thing that they can do is not stop or stop at a distance from where the passengers are waiting to unload only.

[monkeyjoe]

So glad after 20 years in the past I will never use a bus on that corridor again, even when I come home. Uber all the way if I don't want to drive . In their defence I used the x12 once but walk takes away the benefit

[Kevin]

The issue here is they've taken buses away but haven't compensated by increasing the frequency on the remaining routes
Unfortunately the X12 hasn't taken all the Chelmsley Wood / Castle Brom to city traffic so the 94 has a fair load already when it gets to Washwood Heath

[B.C Driver]

Similar problems elsewhere... 52 replaced by 952 with no improvement to frequency of 33 or 51.

98 replaced by X20 leaving the 63 to try to cope between Selly Oak and Longbridge.

[MasterPlan]

This has been the case for years in Weoley Castle, with the X64, the 29 which was messed about with repeatedly, and now the ☓21. But unless you live on one of NX's favourite routes they don't care.

[2206]

The issue here is they've taken buses away but haven't compensated by increasing the frequency on the remaining routes
Unfortunately the X12 hasn't taken all the Chelmsley Wood / Castle Brom to city traffic so the 94 has a fair load already when it gets to Washwood Heath

The X12 and 94 are very different routes and serve different areas throughout the route, it was never going to take all of the passengers from Chelmsley/Castle Brom areas to the City Centre.
eg - the X12 doesn't serve the area where Morrisons is on the Chester Road.

[monkeyjoe]

To be fair I imagine a lot of these routes must run next to empty in the off peak hours and to make them profitable, squash people on like peas in a pod at rush. Same on the tubes.

[2206]

To be fair I imagine a lot of these routes must run next to empty in the off peak hours and to make them protisble squash people on like peas in a pod at rush. Same on the tubes.

The 11, 94 and 55 are usually relatively busy for most of the day and always carry decent loads.

[monkeyjoe]

If that's the case no excuse then.

[Stu]

The other major issue is that all standing passengers want to stand at the very front of the bus, within 2-3 feet of the driver, rather than spreading themselves equally along the aisle. This means that it is becoming impossible to fight my way through the bus to disembark at my stop, with a situation last week where i actually missed my stop because the driver could not see that i was trying to get through the masses of people in order to get off. When mentioning these issues to drivers, they point to notices on vehicles conveying passenger numbers regarding safe standing etc.

I agree completely, and I've encountered similar myself, this isn't restricted to the Washwood Heath Road corridor.

Just this evening, I fought myself onto a crowded 2 on the Stratford Road in Sparkbrook. Despite the large crowd standing in the gangway, I managed to get to the staircase and half the seats upstairs were empty!

Some people are just so anti-social that they really don't want to sit next to another fellow human being, so will leave seats empty and will then stand usually in the most awkward part of the bus. The thing then is that it only takes a couple of people to do this, then the next few passengers that get on end up standing there too, because they falsely believe there is nowhere to sit.

[Brummie45]

Claribels 94s are also full at rush hour especially from city centre in the evening.

On a different note the X12 can be slower than the 94 sometimes to Castle Bromwich.

[Sh4318]

Morning all,

I know this topic has been covered a lot - and i know that there is only a limited amount of resources. So i don't really have the answers. I just want to share with you my experiences and drastic measures that i'm now having to take in terms of my daily bus journey to work.

My daily morning commute is the 55 from Kingshurst to Nechells (Just past Saltley Gate). This is a daily weekday journey i've been making for over 10 years. During that time i've seen various changes of vehicle allocation & routing - even changes in the bus depot that operates the route. The biggest change though for me is increase in patronage along the Washwood Heath Road.

The huge number of people trying to board in the morning rush hour, coupled with the reduction in bus services that operate along this corridor (loss of route 70 and route 72 never replaced) has now resulted in large amounts of passengers (15-20) standing on many single deck services.

The majority of these people that board at these stops are students, that all seem to have bulky rucksacks/backpacks on their backs with no intention of removing them, which just adds to the problem. The other major issue is that all standing passengers want to stand at the very front of the bus, within 2-3 feet of the driver, rather than spreading themselves equally along the aisle. This means that it is becoming impossible to fight my way through the bus to disembark at my stop, with a situation last week where i actually missed my stop because the driver could not see that i was trying to get through the masses of people in order to get off. When mentioning these issues to drivers, they point to notices on vehicles conveying passenger numbers regarding safe standing etc. In this often over-zealous health & safety world that we live in, how can these overcrowding issues be acceptable?

On 2 occasions within the last 10 days i've been forced to take the most drastic measure possible, by leaving the bus through the emergency exit at the rear. I don't condone this, but i really have no alternative to leaving a ridiculously overcrowded bus.

Could frequent 94Es between Fox & Goose and Birmingham alleviate the overcrowding? Or the 55 generally an overcrowded route?

Similar problems elsewhere... 52 replaced by 952 with no improvement to frequency of 33 or 51.

98 replaced by X20 leaving the 63 to try to cope between Selly Oak and Longbridge.

You can add the 6 to that. The 5 was rerouted, X20 & 31 curtailed, leaving the 6 to carry the burden between College Road and Birmingham, on a regular frequency, but with mostly single deckers

[Stu]

You can add the 6 to that. The 5 was rerouted, X20 & 31 curtailed, leaving the 6 to carry the burden between College Road and Birmingham, on a regular frequency, but with mostly single deckers

Even at peak times, the X20 carried few passengers due to its limited-stop nature, so its loss has had no major impact in my opinion.

The 5 now carries the passengers who would have previously caught the 2 as far as Showell Green Lane, while the rerouting of the 2 has eased the overcrowding of the 3 for passengers heading for Stoney Lane. (Apart from when the unfortunate single deck appears on those routes)

A number of double decks continue to be used on the 4, 4A and 6, however it does get frustrating to see rammed full single-decks on those routes closely followed by half-empty double-decks.

In a perfect world, with buses running as scheduled and no traffic delays, the timetabling arrangements probably work for the Stratford Road corridor, but it only needs a few minutes delay for everything to go off-kilter, which sees passengers boarding the first bus that turns up in the city centre, even if they are only going as far as Sparkbrook. I will gladly fight my way onto a rammed 2 or 3, because I know the bus will be almost empty after a few more stops; I don't see why I should give up and wait for the next one just because I'm travelling further along the route.