Liverpool City Centre bus re-routing proposals

[MPTE1955]

RE: Liverpool City Centre bus re-routing proposals
These plans were signed off by the fine pillar of society that used to masquerade as our Liverpool City mayor. The man proved that he was anti-bus and probably anti-car. So stands to reason that chaos would ensue. Not sure about the bus hub being any good as only a bus driver could really tell us that. Something did need to be done to improve the roads around the city centre but the present plan isnt it. All it does is cause more congestion and just more slightly out of the city centre.

[L401CJF]

RE: Liverpool City Centre bus re-routing proposals

(06/04/2021 15:40)MPTE1955 Wrote:  These plans were signed off by the fine pillar of society that used to masquerade as our Liverpool City mayor. The man proved that he was anti-bus and probably anti-car. So stands to reason that chaos would ensue. Not sure about the bus hub being any good as only a bus driver could really tell us that. Something did need to be done to improve the roads around the city centre but the present plan isnt it. All it does is cause more congestion and just more slightly out of the city centre.

Regarding the bus hub from a drivers point of view- here's mine. Useless. Alright when it's quiet but you daren't pull in behind if the 3 front spaces are occupied as you may not get out on time for your trip. Not enough spaces. Toilets are handy, although I've never used them.

[MPTE1955]

RE: Liverpool City Centre bus re-routing proposals

(06/04/2021 16:48)L401CJF Wrote:  Regarding the bus hub from a drivers point of view- here's mine. Useless. Alright when it's quiet but you daren't pull in behind if the 3 front spaces are occupied as you may not get out on time for your trip. Not enough spaces. Toilets are handy, although I've never used them.

So basically when they designed it nobody thought it h hang on, buses may leave at different times so they didn't cater for that. The whole thing to me as s car driver is crazy as it just causes more queues.

[motormayhem1]

RE: Liverpool City Centre bus re-routing proposals
Bus hub from my point of view as a bus driver is completely hopeless as for me they could of built it behind the museums where the car parks was where before they knocked the fly over down.
It would of been a lot bigger and away from residential area to allow engines to stay running to keep warm in the cold weather.
As it's been said I wouldn't want to be the last bus in the line as you tend to be stuck and late leaving.

[MPTE1955]

RE: Liverpool City Centre bus re-routing proposals
So didn't they consult with bus companies or bus drivers on the design of the hub. That surely would have been the common sense approach before it went ahead,. If they didn't then really they they had no business in going ahead with it as it's the people that use it that will know what's best. It just seems that every so called improvement they do is a diaster. From QS bus station in the first place, to the bus hub, to road improvements in the city centre.

[Barney]

RE: Liverpool City Centre bus re-routing proposals

(07/04/2021 05:18)MPTE1955 Wrote:  It just seems that every so called improvement they do is a disaster. From QS bus station in the first place, to the bus hub, to road improvements in the city centre.

I totally agree but you forgot to mention the Liverpool One wind tunnel that doubles up as a bus station and the blanket withdrawal of all bus lanes across the city.

[MPTE1955]

RE: Liverpool City Centre bus re-routing proposals

(07/04/2021 07:36)Barney Wrote:  I totally agree but you forgot to mention the Liverpool One wind tunnel that doubles up as a bus station and the blanket withdrawal of all bus lanes across the city.

Liverpool One may be a wind tunnel but at least it's big enough for buses to get around if one breaks down without causing chaos. Oh yes, the bus lanes that our former completely straight mayor decided weren't needed but all the cycle lanes cutting busy roads down to one lane are !!!!?

[iMarkeh]

RE: Liverpool City Centre bus re-routing proposals
I think someone looked at the possible layouts and 'in line' does work, fantastically in fact in London. They missed the key vital thing though which is in place in London. Each line is allocated to a route so in reality, buses should arrive in order and then move up one at a time with the front bus always being the next bus out. Unfortunately, this doesn't work in Liverpool as the buses are too infrequent and layover is shorter.

Certainly not the best. In my opinion, what they should have done and it would have been 300 times better is to have put the bus parking underneath that new car park which they built in a similar format to L1. It has more space, reduces the amount of lights which buses have to go through. Reduces the dead mileage. Reduces buses on Dale Street. It exceeds all of the aims which were in place for this bus hub and it would have likely had less complaints and less works to junctions needed.

As per though, common sense goes out of the window, they are just intent on annoying the majority to please the minority (the minority being one or two councillors)

[MPTE1955]

RE: Liverpool City Centre bus re-routing proposals
Based on what the drivers have said it is all about design, don't buy the frequency opinion as there are so many services using that hub. So frequency doesn't come into it and most services are very regular that use the hub. A comparison with London doesn't really apply in this case. It looks as though it's been designed by somebody that has no idea about bus services

[iMarkeh]

RE: Liverpool City Centre bus re-routing proposals

(07/04/2021 11:28)MPTE1955 Wrote:  Based on what the drivers have said it is all about design, don't buy the frequency opinion as there are so many services using that hub. So frequency doesn't come into it and most services are very regular that use the hub. A comparison with London doesn't really apply in this case. It looks as though it's been designed by somebody that has no idea about bus services

The design works fine if lines are allocated to routes and that is what I was saying. In London, the idea of longer lines is the front bus will always be the next bus out and buses move up a space at a time slowly. Based on how everyone looks at London for how to do public transport, that may have been the logic. I am saying though that in this instance it will not work as a free for all but nor will allocating lines work as most routes aren't frequent enough and don't have 3 buses laying over at the same time (those which do will generally be QBPs which are competing operators and often the spacing doesn't work out so buses will end up trapped sometimes.

As I say, the design is ok, just doesn't work in this location as the system which would make this style bus hub work, doesn't work here with the services how they are. If this was the style in L1, it wouldn't be as bad (79s get a line, 82s get a line, 86s get a line, 10As get a line etc). Too many services though on slightly lower frequencies and less layover meaning no route has 3 buses on layover at a time to fill a line so you would have 1/3rd of the bus hub not being used.