Manchester Bee Network

[SF07]

RE: Manchester Bee Network

(09/10/2021 06:10)Mikeonthebuses Wrote:  I'm currently creating a map of routes I would like to see operate in Greater Manchester once franchising comes in.

One of the biggest changes I would do, would be reinstating the 52 and 53 as circular routes. These routes would become known as the Manchester Outer Circular just like in Birmingham.

The Route would look something like this 52 - Old Trafford - Salford Quays - Pendleton - Douglas Green - Broughton Road - Leicester Road - Crumpsall - North Manchester General Hospital - Abraham Moss - Cheetham Hill - Cheetham - Miles Platting - Sport City - Ashburys - Belle Vue - Longsight - Rusholme - Manchester Central Hospitals - Manchester Met Uni - Hulme - Moss Side - Seymour Park - Trafford Bar.

I would also look at introducing the following routes at the moment

51 | Manchester - Collyhurst Estate - Monsall Estate - Central Park - Thorp Road Estate - Church Lane - Hapurhey - Rochdale Road - Dam Head - Blackley - Victoria Avenue - Heaton Park - Rhodes - Middleton
This route would instate a bus service to Collyhurst Estate and it would also partly replace the lengthy 151 service and in Dam Head the services would be simplified as this route would replace 115/116/119.

58 | Oldham - Chadderton Way - Chadderton Centre - Mills Hill - Middleton - Rhodes - Heaton Park - Bowker Vale - Leicester Road - Broughton - Pendleton - Salford Royal Hospital - Eccles - Trafford Park - Trafford Centre.

400 | Oldham - Oldham Hospital - Royton - Thornham - Kirkholt - Sandbrook Retail Park - Sudden - Roch Valley - Bury Road - Fairfield Hospital - Bury

I would also like to see the number system simplified and no duplicated routes numbers like at present. I'm using for my project the Old GM Buses numbering system.

Bury-Oldham link would be good, but probably more likely to happen as a tram-train via Rochdale and the ELR rather than as a bus service, particularly if tram-trains are also under TfGM's control. It would be good to see some links created that avoids the need to having to go in and out of Manchester. Definitely would like to see an increase and/or improvement of routes that run around the city, like the 52/53, 171/172 etc.

Given that Wigan and Bolton areas will be the first area to come under the control of the mayor/TfGM, I'm wondering what kind of changes may take place around there in January 2023. Perhaps restoring the direct link to/from Manchester, seeing as Wigan is the only major town in Greater Manchester without a direct bus link to the city centre. Could extend the V2 to Wigan or improve the connections between the 132 and V1/V2 at Tyldesley Interchange.

Should imagine some of the competing routes between Diamond and Vision Bus in Bolton (501/502/503, 571/572 and 580/581) will be simplified and perhaps links to Middlebrook could be improved with more buses running from Bolton (currently every two hours on the 577) or creating a direct link from Wigan to Middlebrook. Also some kind of direct link between Bolton and Tyldesley (currently requires a change at Atherton or Walkden).