(22/04/2018 11:53)wirralbus Wrote:  Its all well and good moving to new double decker's , the service needs to become more reliable with the major traffic hotspot's Cheshire Oaks and Chester Zoo making the timetable a work of fiction at times on the service 1 and it don't help the X8 either.

If McArthur Glen and the Local Council can sort out the replacement of the roundabout with co-ordinated traffic signals the areas around that site might improve at times of peak movement , ie at Christmas Shopping season and between Christmas and New Year , where every man and woman wants to or seems to want to spend money.

(22/04/2018 14:22)Turbostar19 Wrote:  I'm sure I read somewhere that 20 "Gold" deckers from the Oxfordshire area are due to come north in due course, with the 300's being displaced elsewhere.

On the subject of congestion/delays on routes 1 & X8, I agree that Cheshire Oaks is a major problem area at certain times of the year, along with Chester Zoo. Unfortunately, McArthur Glen are currently building yet more shops on what was car parking space. I've little doubt that that will make things worse in the area at busy times.

Also, the one junction that's been altered, (that nearest to the M53 @ J10), is the one used by the fewest buses (only the X2). Agreed there is the need for some form of bus priority in the area, but such measures don't seem to be too high on McArthur Glen's priority list.

(22/04/2018 11:53)wirralbus Wrote:  Its all well and good moving to new double decker's , the service needs to become more reliable with the major traffic hotspot's Cheshire Oaks and Chester Zoo making the timetable a work of fiction at times on the service 1 and it don't help the X8 either.

If McArthur Glen and the Local Council can sort out the replacement of the roundabout with co-ordinated traffic signals the areas around that site might improve at times of peak movement , ie at Christmas Shopping season and between Christmas and New Year , where every man and woman wants to or seems to want to spend money.

(22/04/2018 16:26)SandyDrew Wrote:  Better (commercial) use of those RF Gold Enviro300s would be to allocate part to Chester for the Blacons routes, in an effort to try and push Arriva out.

Stagecoach have used the Gold brand vehicles rather effectively in the NW in recent years.
(Squeezing Arriva out from the Liverpool/Ellesmere Port/Chester corridor - pushing First off the Chorley Old Road corridor in Bolton - not convinced it’s working as well on the cross-river 471/472s?)

(22/04/2018 21:27)iMarkeh Wrote:  There are traffic hotspots but they are busy stops. At the Zoo, they should have inspectors and when it is busy traffic wise, get inspectors to move passengers and make buses stop into the park and ride stop and at Cheshire Oaks they could close the Oaks stop (like they do during the light switch on) and send everyone to Stanney Lane and/or Colliseumand turn buses around there.

All McArthur Glen outlets are the same. Not one has a bus lane or any sort of bus priority, not one has a bus station or even a decent bus stop. Cars are always king with McArthur Glen. Bus companies run there because they know how much money can be made. Though the parking spaces are going, that is the point of making a second level on one car park and an extra level on the multi storey isn't it? to allow more parking.

If the Oaks had more transport links, more people would use public transport. Runcorn, Frodsham, Helsby, Liverpool, Birkenhead, Chester. That is it. Plus a once per day Manchester, Leeds, Bradford coach. That is rubbish. GHAs X20 used to look quite busy which obviously served Cheshire Oaks. That is what I think the problem is, not enough places have a regular bus link. Weekends and bank holidays are the busiest days. The 1 is hourly, X8 hourly. That is it. Mold, Buckley, Runcorn etc all have no link Sundays or bank holidays. Once things like that are sorted and more places have transport links, that is what will change people's ways.

Though that sounds like a good call, the problem is blacons only need 4 buses. You could do Blacons and Saltney (4 Blacons, 4 Saltney). Enviros would work well on the SPs though as well as darts are too slow. The enviros have kickdown and get round the route much faster. That is another 3. Chester will take 11. All the others can go elsewhere haha. Could route 17 be a good call though from Gillmoss??? Covers PVR + a few spares. It is the most frequent route in that depot and isn't tied into an QBP so no competition. It is a longish route as well. GOLD doesn't work as well on local routes as USB will only get your phone upto like 10% before you get off and wifi is now standard on most buses. The only feature then is the seats.... I don't know many people who change their travelling habits based on the seats.

I could also see the Enviros going onto the 41/42s. That is another busy route (Mon-Fri). It means they don't have to mess around as well moving around buses and makes things easier for maintenance and stuff as Rock Ferry drivers and engineers know the buses already so saves time in that respect (no training for familiarisation).

The difference with the 471/472 compared to the 2s is that each company runs each way round a somewhat circular (471 in 472 out or vice versa). I know both companies run both ways as it swaps in the evening but the point is that you would get whichever bus is quickest, you wouldn't go 'through' Heswall just to get a cheaper bus. On the 2s as well, you have to remember south of Hooton, Arriva had nothing except for the 2 and X2. Stagecoach also ran the X2 but had the 1 as well which has always been a more popular route. Plus if I remember rightly, Stagecoach had an extra bus or two on the route compared to Arriva.

(22/04/2018 21:27)iMarkeh Wrote:  There are traffic hotspots but they are busy stops. At the Zoo, they should have inspectors and when it is busy traffic wise, get inspectors to move passengers and make buses stop into the park and ride stop and at Cheshire Oaks they could close the Oaks stop (like they do during the light switch on) and send everyone to Stanney Lane and/or Colliseumand turn buses around there.

All McArthur Glen outlets are the same. Not one has a bus lane or any sort of bus priority, not one has a bus station or even a decent bus stop. Cars are always king with McArthur Glen. Bus companies run there because they know how much money can be made. Though the parking spaces are going, that is the point of making a second level on one car park and an extra level on the multi storey isn't it? to allow more parking.

If the Oaks had more transport links, more people would use public transport. Runcorn, Frodsham, Helsby, Liverpool, Birkenhead, Chester. That is it. Plus a once per day Manchester, Leeds, Bradford coach. That is rubbish. GHAs X20 used to look quite busy which obviously served Cheshire Oaks. That is what I think the problem is, not enough places have a regular bus link. Weekends and bank holidays are the busiest days. The 1 is hourly, X8 hourly. That is it. Mold, Buckley, Runcorn etc all have no link Sundays or bank holidays. Once things like that are sorted and more places have transport links, that is what will change people's ways.

Though that sounds like a good call, the problem is blacons only need 4 buses. You could do Blacons and Saltney (4 Blacons, 4 Saltney). Enviros would work well on the SPs though as well as darts are too slow. The enviros have kickdown and get round the route much faster. That is another 3. Chester will take 11. All the others can go elsewhere haha. Could route 17 be a good call though from Gillmoss??? Covers PVR + a few spares. It is the most frequent route in that depot and isn't tied into an QBP so no competition. It is a longish route as well. GOLD doesn't work as well on local routes as USB will only get your phone upto like 10% before you get off and wifi is now standard on most buses. The only feature then is the seats.... I don't know many people who change their travelling habits based on the seats.

I could also see the Enviros going onto the 41/42s. That is another busy route (Mon-Fri). It means they don't have to mess around as well moving around buses and makes things easier for maintenance and stuff as Rock Ferry drivers and engineers know the buses already so saves time in that respect (no training for familiarisation).

The difference with the 471/472 compared to the 2s is that each company runs each way round a somewhat circular (471 in 472 out or vice versa). I know both companies run both ways as it swaps in the evening but the point is that you would get whichever bus is quickest, you wouldn't go 'through' Heswall just to get a cheaper bus. On the 2s as well, you have to remember south of Hooton, Arriva had nothing except for the 2 and X2. Stagecoach also ran the X2 but had the 1 as well which has always been a more popular route. Plus if I remember rightly, Stagecoach had an extra bus or two on the route compared to Arriva.