Wirral Bus Network Review

[wirralbus]

RE: Wirral Bus Network Review
Area's of concern must be Heswall to West Kirby if the 22 does eventually cease to run.

[iMarkeh]

RE: Wirral Bus Network Review

(16/01/2020 01:38)Valandil Wrote:  I wonder if the savings made will be greater than the cost of carrying out all of these reviews :/

I don’t know why you would say such a thing. The recent Knowsley review saved thousands

[Walton 46]

RE: Wirral Bus Network Review
Considering large chunks of the Wirral had their bus service decimated with the collapse of Avon in 2018, it will be interesting what people have to say

[mrd97]

RE: Wirral Bus Network Review
I don’t think it’s even possible to cut Wirral’s bus network any more than it has been. It’s literally the bare bones. Can’t see the 22 surviving, Heswall Bus Station will basically just be a hub for the 471/2.
Things I would suggest:
Proper evening and Sunday service for Beechwood and Noctorum
A Sunday daytime link between West Kirby and Heswall
A link between Clatterbridge and Heswall
Something to cover Victoria Road - Mount Road in New Brighton
Bus service for Town Lane and Kings Lane, Bebington

Of course these are all pie in the sky. More than likely they’ll chop the last few subsidised services running.

[wirralbus]

RE: Wirral Bus Network Review
Town Lane and kings Lane could be fitted into the route 73 im sure , would mean it not being hourly though to do that i think

Clatterbridge - Heswall is a hard one as there isnt much between the two but if the 22 is going , people will not want to travel into Birkenhead from Neston , this may be something to watch in the coming weeks to see how the 22 pans out .

I would like to see the 38 extension separated out from the main 38 with a seperate number like the 39 , it was supposed to have been the 39 under the previous review from New Ferry to Mill park / Eastham Ferry
.

[L401CJF]

RE: Wirral Bus Network Review
I was actually quite shocked when the 73 was first announced when I looked at the route and saw it followed the 487/464 from Bebington to Broadway, I was almost certain it would have ran down to Beb Station then along Old Chester Road and up either Town Lane or Kings Lane, which would have been sensible considering neither of the 2 have a bus especially given the 73 was a substitute for the 77, which went down both the mentioned roads. Going via Beb Station would be more useful as it also counts as a partial replacement for the 112 axed in the last Wirral review.

Its all very well routing buses to places just so they still have a bus (like they did in the last review with the 84 running to Poulton Lancelyn in place of the 112), but given that all the passengers who used the 112 went shopping in either New Ferry or Bebington, the 84 didn't help them at all. There is no consideration as to where people actually use a route to/from, so long as there is a bus that serves it they don't care whether it goes anywhere relevant.

The last bus review in 2017 cut the network back ridiculously, and I have found it quite difficult to travel by bus ever since. I used to travel from Neston to Bromborough, 487 to Spital then a 419/119 to Bromborough. Can't do it of an evening or on a Sunday now as there is only the 16 running down Spital Road once an hour Mon-Sat(can change at clatterbridge Mon-Sat daytime too and catch a 17 but of course have to trek around Raby and Eastham before reaching Bromborough). Im also not sure what sort of future the 16/17 actually has on that end of the route, it never seems to carry many.

Other than that its a case of get off at Bebington Civic and either walk to Beb Station or jump a 410 and change for a 38 (I used to do this for the 418 if it was the 487 at the wrong side of the hour for the 419 at Spital) but the 38 treks around the retail park etc first, or make my way all the way up to New Ferry for a 1/41/42. Other than that its a trip to Birkenhead and change there particularly on a Sunday when the 487 is hourly and 410 every 30 mins. On a good day (16 on time) ,the journey can be done in about 40mins end to end. Considering it only takes me 20mins or less for the same journey by car, there isn't much persuading me to use a bus.

[mrd97]

RE: Wirral Bus Network Review

(16/01/2020 18:16)L401CJF Wrote:  I was actually quite shocked when the 73 was first announced when I looked at the route and saw it followed the 487/464 from Bebington to Broadway, I was almost certain it would have ran down to Beb Station then along Old Chester Road and up either Town Lane or Kings Lane, which would have been sensible considering neither of the 2 have a bus especially given the 73 was a substitute for the 77, which went down both the mentioned roads. Going via Beb Station would be more useful as it also counts as a partial replacement for the 112 axed in the last Wirral review.

Its all very well routing buses to places just so they still have a bus (like they did in the last review with the 84 running to Poulton Lancelyn in place of the 112), but given that all the passengers who used the 112 went shopping in either New Ferry or Bebington, the 84 didn't help them at all. There is no consideration as to where people actually use a route to/from, so long as there is a bus that serves it they don't care whether it goes anywhere relevant.

The last bus review in 2017 cut the network back ridiculously, and I have found it quite difficult to travel by bus ever since. I used to travel from Neston to Bromborough, 487 to Spital then a 419/119 to Bromborough. Can't do it of an evening or on a Sunday now as there is only the 16 running down Spital Road once an hour Mon-Sat(can change at clatterbridge and catch a 17 but of course have to trek around Raby and Eastham before reaching Bromborough). Im also not sure what sort of future the 16/17 actually has on that end of the route, it never seems to carry many.

Yes I’d have the 73 run down Town Lane and up past Bebington Station. Maybe every other journey could run via Kings Lane as 73A. Or just leave Town Lane with the bus. It’s better serving one of the two than neither.

The 16/17 is a bit long and complex. Better leaving it how it was. Could the 41/42 be extended to Arrowe Park with a subsidy?
The Clatterbridge - Bromborough/Eastham section of the 16/17 could be a new route entirely, 84 and 85 circular. These could even go from Eastham Ferry and then do the Clatterbridge circular, and the 38 could be cut to Mill Park (which now is only served by the 41/2)

[313201]

RE: Wirral Bus Network Review
The 41/42 extension to arrowe park was not feasible and a complete waste of time for the company as there was nobody going up there and nobody getting on when the bus left.

The extra fuel costs could not be justified to run buses up to & from the hospital with just the driver on.

Stagecoach would be foolish to reintroduce the arrowe park extension on those basis alone

[wirralbus]

RE: Wirral Bus Network Review
How about replacing the 81 journeys with extension of a 41 once an hour so it could be West kirby - Arrowe park Hospital - woodchurch - Birkenhead - Mill park , this could mean some alterations to the present interwoven 80 and 82 journeys as well. This would also allow driver changes at Rock ferry

[mrd97]

RE: Wirral Bus Network Review

(16/01/2020 18:58)313201 Wrote:  The 41/42 extension to arrowe park was not feasible and a complete waste of time for the company as there was nobody going up there and nobody getting on when the bus left.

The extra fuel costs could not be justified to run buses up to & from the hospital with just the driver on.

Stagecoach would be foolish to reintroduce the arrowe park extension on those basis alone

I see your point, however I meant Monday - Saturday daytimes. Plus the evening services were very tightly timed so reliability was likely an issue. I suggested it as it could keep a link between Eastham/Bromborough and Arrowe Park, without the need for the 16/17 extension used now