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Post by wirewiper on Jul 22, 2023 16:43:22 GMT
If two very visibly different brands are likely to cause confusion in Barking and Ilford, how on earth do bus passengers cope in Reading and Nottingham? They are not London and our passengers don’t even have the ability to read blind’s sometimes. I’m clearly in the minority about the ELT branding and we will just have to wait and see if it stays. Ironically, when the deep-level Underground tube lines were being built in the early 1900s, the underground Electric Railways Group deliberately had different colours and payouts for the platform tiling at stations as in those days, many more people could not read and write. People who cannot read blinds today might actually find branding useful! Branding is also a powerful marketing tool if it is executed well.
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 22, 2023 15:48:36 GMT
So, a summary of where we are, Superloop-wise: SL2 (X123) Walthamstow-North Woolwich: Consultation now open, closes 4th September. If you are one of the many who think TfL has lost the plot by sending this down Ilford Lane, now is the time to speak up! I think we're in the unfortunate circumstance where TfL effectively have no choice. Does anyone have alternative suggestions because I can't think of one for Ilford Lane. It's not good but it's effectively the best option. The other option is really to skip either Barking or Ilford and either would be politically unacceptable. The problem here comes down to the road network and just poor geographical luck. Both Barking and Ilford are major town centres that are exceptionally close together, with one road from the heart of one right into the heart of the other. That road is ridiculously narrow and is full of vehicles trying to get between the two places. You can't do anything to stop the traffic, the North Circular is often slow moving from Ilford to Barking and South Park drive isn't a suitable road to send a mass of traffic down. There's far too much housing in the area and even more local businesses which rely on the popularity of the road. My comment was a bit flippant, and actually I tend to agree with you - where else realistically would the route go? It's just that so many people on here have jumped on the Ilford Lane bandwagon as yet another opportunity to slag off and insult any or all of TfL, Superloop and Sadiq Khan. I wonder how many will actually follow up with a constructive contribution to the consultation? Is Ilford Lane really that bad anyway? It can't help seeming to be slow-going as it is a busy local shopping street, but my past experience is that the schedules allow for that and the buses do get through. Perhaps if anything SL2 should capitalise on this busy-ness and serve the Wingate Road stops?
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 22, 2023 15:32:39 GMT
Why would the branding need to be removed? They're nothing like each other. I appreciate that but let’s face it most buses are red or carry advertising then having two branded routes in Ilford and Barking is likely to cause confusion IMO. Sounding like a broken record here but there is not exactly a huge effort to keep the buses off the 5 and 15 either so might as well just paint them red when next refurbished. That’s my thinking at least. If two very visibly different brands are likely to cause confusion in Barking and Ilford, how on earth do bus passengers cope in Reading and Nottingham?
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 22, 2023 15:27:56 GMT
New ADL Enviro400 Citys 731 and 733 were used on a University of Reading Graduation Day shuttle on 20th July, the first appearance of the type in passenger service. There's no news yet of the new Heathrow T5-Frimley route 730 which is supposed to start on Monday 24th July! The 730/1 will start on 21 August (a Monday), initially using N&D Enviro 400s but new coaches are due in September. OK, thank you for clearing that one up.
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 22, 2023 12:48:37 GMT
Don't write off Labour, Kier Starmer or even Sadiq Khan just yet over the Uxbridge by-election result.
The Conservative candidate inched through on the slimmest of margins - so slim, that Labour demanded a recount. The Conservatives fought a single-issue campaign and openly declared that it would be a "referendum" on the ULEZ expansion - but that's politics. Even then, had less than 500 voters who voted Lib Dem or Green switched their votes tactically to Labour, Uxbridge would have a different MP. It remains to be seen how effective a constituency MP Mr Tuckwell turns out to be - and he may not have all that long to prove himself.
On a London-based forum it is easy to overlook how marginal an issue the ULEZ expansion is away from the area surrounding the Greater London boundary. Labour lost Uxbridge, but it had a stunning by-election success in Selby and Ainstey, an area which should be solidly Conservative. The Lib Dems also do well when a Labour Party in power is not seen as a threat, as was seen in Somoerton and Frome - in such seats, people are willing to lend their votes to the Lib Dems if it means overturning the Conservatives.
It's ironic. In 2019 the Labour Party suffered its worst General Election defeat since 1935, and it was forecast that Johnson could be Prime Minister for a decade. Just four years later he is no longer even an MP and Labour has a 20-point lead in the opinion polls - no wonder Kier Starmer doesn't want to rock the boat. The Conservatives promised big - "Get Brexit Done" is about as big as promises come - and they did not deliver. Covid was unfortunate - had the pandemic not hit on their watch they might possibly have got away with it.
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 22, 2023 11:32:31 GMT
So, a summary of where we are, Superloop-wise:
SL1 (X34) North Finchley-Walthamstow: Consultation ended 21st July (under provisional X34 number). Consultation report expected in due course.
SL2 (X123) Walthamstow-North Woolwich: Consultation now open, closes 4th September. If you are one of the many who think TfL has lost the plot by sending this down Ilford Lane, now is the time to speak up!
SL3 (X269) Thamesmead-Bromley: Consultation now open, closes 4th September.
SL4 (X239) Grove Park-Canary Wharf: to be introduced when Silvertown Tunnel opens, expected 2025.
SL5 (X119) Bromley-Croydon: Consultation now open, closes 4th September.
SL6 (X68) West Croydon-Russell Square: officially renumbered as a Superloop route on 29th July (first day of operation will be Monday 31st July). Will remain as a peak-hour only service but with slightly modified timetable.
SL7 (X26) Croydon-Heathrow Airport: due to be renumbered as Superloop route from Saturday 19th August. New timetable with increased frequencies.
SL8 (607) White City-Uxbridge: renumbered as a Superloop route on Saturday 15th July, some stops were renamed to better reflect their locations. From Saturday 19th August this route will have a revised timetable, with buses departing Uxbridge between 04.30-23.50 and White City between 05.10-00.20 every day of the week.
SL9 (X140) Heathrow Airport-Harrow: due to be renumbered as a Superloop route from Saturday 26th August.
SL10 (X183) Harrow-North Finchley: consultation (under provisional X183 number) has closed, consultation report to be issued soon.
Routes SL1, SL2, SL3. SL5 and SL10 are all expected to be operational by March 2024 with SL10 then SL1 likely to be introduced first.
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 22, 2023 11:14:03 GMT
New ADL Enviro400 Citys 731 and 733 were used on a University of Reading Graduation Day shuttle on 20th July, the first appearance of the type in passenger service.
There's no news yet of the new Heathrow T5-Frimley route 730 which is supposed to start on Monday 24th July!
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 22, 2023 11:05:15 GMT
Any idea what raft if changes are planned by Stagecoach in Plymouth area from September.? Can see on VOSA variations applied on services 1,1a,X1 and 1s, along with 2, 3, Gold. Plus new service 86 around Tavistock and 38 from Ivybridge to Bovey Tracey? I haven't seen anything as yet. I expect changes to the 1/1A/X1 and the new 1s are to do with Plymouth CityBus no longer operating the 104/105 school routes north of Roborough. I'm not sure what's planned for 2, 3 and Gold, possibly just timetable changes and maybe to do with the new school term. As for what the 38 and 86 are about - pass! The only confirmed change so far is that Country Bus are taking over the 88/88A (Newton Abbot-Totnes) from Stagecoach effective 4th September. The timetables are yet to appear on Traveline.
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 21, 2023 17:58:49 GMT
Good to see that all 3 routes will be introduced with 4-5 bph with no changes to the regular stopping routes shadowing Superloop. SL3 routing looks fantastic. I thought it was odd that Bexley was missed out, then seeing the routing, it makes sense. This is a route that will massively transform travel in my household speeding up existing bus journeys and fewer car journeys too. Big yes on the consultation from me and my family. I can see an extension to Woolwich in future being considered once the projected mass housing is completed in Thamesmead. The SL2 looks good too, but it’s dead to Woolwich and users south of the river due to the archaic and unreliable part time Woolwich ferry. I wish TfL would consider incorporating a bus and emergency vehicle only tunnel as part of a future DLR crossing into Thamesmead, but that’s a whole other topic. Well done TfL. Not a fan of the Superloop name or SL prefix, but if the routes are frequent and get passengers to useful places faster, that becomes trivial. Now how to avoid SL buses sitting idly at stops to “regulate the service” or going at snails pace because of too much slack in the timetable? This issue drives passengers crazy. Really TFL should have built the Silvertown Tunnel further to the east, rather than adding to the existing congestion around the Greenwich area from the Blackwall area. Then the Superloop could have gone via Barking Riverside instead connecting through to Thamesmead, completing the loop. Certainly at a minimum (considering the redevelopments) a passenger ferry service could be very useful between Barking Riverside and Thamesmead. However the Silvertown Tunnel does allow the existing road network to be used. A tunnel further downstream would have approach roads carving through residential areas and green spaces and would be a no-no - there has been fierce opposition to such road schemes in the past. Lower crossings need to be rail-based (e.g. DLR to Thamesmead). I would have no objection to Barking-Thamesmead or other cross-river passenger ferries if suitable embarkation points can be identified.
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 21, 2023 7:01:35 GMT
Interesting. It seems that every 12 minutes daytimes and every 15 minutes evenings and Sundays will be the standard frequency for most Superloop routes as the SL1 (X34) and SL10 (X183) will also operate at these frequencies, as does the X140 (to become SL9) currently. Also worth noting that these three do not involve frequency reductions on parallel stopping services (301, 269, 119 and 123) although the SL2 (X123) consultation does suggest that passenger numbers on the 123 will be "monitored".
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 20, 2023 17:50:35 GMT
As you say the route doesn’t even terminate at the bus station so not sure how it’s withdrawal even got suggested in relation to the Superloop routes terminating at Walthamstow Central. My plan was to extend the 257 over it hence removing a terminating route There is a frequency imbalance though - the 257 operates every 7-8 minutes during Monday-Saturday daytimes whilst the 357 only operates every 15 minutes. So even if you accepted short workings, half the service from the south would still be terminating at Walthamstow Central.
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 20, 2023 17:10:02 GMT
Can I make a suggestion? When referring to Superloop routes, please quote the equivalent X-route in brackets (or the SL-route if you are using the X-route number). It will help us all to learn them!
As an example: SL4 (X239) Canary Wharf-Grove Park; X140 (SL9) Heathrow Airport-Harrow.
NB this is NOT a dig at the post above, not at any other poster - it's just a suggestion to make the Forum better.
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 20, 2023 17:04:34 GMT
Sorry but disagree that the 345’s have rock seats - now you could argue whether they are more comfortable than the outgoing 315’s they replaced in terms of seats but calling the seats rock hard feels like a bit of an exaggeration. Try riding Class 700’s long distance or even a refurbished Avanti West Coast unit to see what rock hard seats are Well compared to the 315's the seats are crap. Not a fan of any of these rock hard ball bag busting seats Comfort isn't just the seating. It is also the on-board temperature (air-conditioning/heating), noise levels, and ride quality. Ease of boarding and alighting even at busy times also enhances the journey experience and can be regarded as contributing to overall comfort. Class 315s are all well and good but I don't think I would want to be riding one through the Central Core!
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 20, 2023 15:16:08 GMT
It would appear that Go-Ahead London have unveiled a new logo which can be seen on their website and social media profiles. Looks a little bit simplistic to me, wonder how long it’ll be before we start seeing it out on buses. It looks like it is to be rolled out across the Group, at least the bus operations. The Go-Ahead Group website also has the same style. I expect London will be losing the sub-brands but I can't see them disappearing from non-London ops as Go-Ahead have always been strong on local identities. www.go-ahead.com/
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Post by wirewiper on Jul 19, 2023 17:07:41 GMT
Work has now started on the electrification of Oxford Bus Company's depot on Cowley. Zenobe is providing the charging infrastructure and EDF Energy is installing a 8mW electrical connection to Cowley House. Each charging point will impart 150kW of DC power, enough for each vehicle to cover in excess of 170 miles each day. The investment, including 104 new Wrightbus vehicles, is funded by Go-Ahead Group, Oxfordshire County Council and the Department for Transport's ZEBRA (Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas) fund. The work at Cowley House is part of a wider project, Energy Superhub Oxford. This will also include a new battery storage system, a high-power private wire charging network and an electric vehicle charging hub at Redbridge Park & Ride. www.route-one.net/news/work-begins-at-go-aheads-giant-charging-hub-in-oxford/There is speculation that existing ADL Enviro400 MMCs from Oxford Bus Company will be transferred to Plymouth CityBus to replace older vehicles, including ex-Brighton & Hove Scania OmniDekkas that are getting on for twenty years old and are becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain.
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