| Public transport in Notts : Good or bad? | |
How has the change to the bus service in Nottingham affected you? Is public transport in Nottinghamshire up to scratch? Fill in theformbelow to have your say.
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| | | 08-March-2003
bogush
no. i didn't say that only pro are able to post here. but what you do post should be to the point and make sense.
robert, nottingham | | | |
| | 08-March-2003
Eight names
Bogush wants eight names of people who are alive today were it not for speed cameras. Here we are then: George, Robert, Steve, Brian Clough, Gordon Wheeler, Stephen Willoughby and of course Bogush J Mann. Try disproving it!
George, Clifton | | | |
| | 08-March-2003
Thanks Bogush
Bogush thanks for the figure "142 THOUSAND people enter the centre of London by car in the morning peak" that equates to 19.7 people per second if we assume the peak lasts 2 hours. That's 2 TWO! tram lines a la Cologne. I think that's a pretty good argument for the tram. - I'll check your figure and use it in our next letter to councillors!
Steve Barber, Chair BACIT | | | |
| | 07-March-2003
Jeez, etc, #11?
George, Clifton, says,05-March-2003:... ..."Storage issues"... ..."Bogush sees the future transport to the city as being car-based but where do you propose to store all these cars during the day?"... ...Errrrrmmmmm, NO! ... I don't! ... Where? ... As you would say: "evidence please!"... ...However, George seems to think that the future transport to the city is tram based... ...Watch my lips:... ...Once upon a time they had trams, but they were superceded by buses... ...Do you think that that happened because the buses were less flexible? Less economic? Less efficient?... ...Now, the last I heard there had been no real advances in electric motors, or power station effciency, for a century. Whereas there have been massive advances in car, and even bus engines... ...So, what is the magic ingredient that makes the tram suddenly now more efficient, flexible, economic than the bus?... ...Do they have more frequent "bus" stops than buses, so adding to the freedom and mobility of the old, the disabled, and even the local residents (so vastly enhancing their house prices? - over and above the national trends?!?!?)... ...Don't think so... ...So what does that leave?... ...Evidence please... ...Oh, and as for "8 people alive today who would be dead if it weren't for the speed cameras": would you like to name them?... ...If that were true, especially as road fatalities had been plumetting for years before their spread, and the trial areas had almost excusively been selected from areas that had had a massive random upward statistical blip in fatalities the previous year: then it should have been easy to give consistent figures for reductions following their introduction... ...But what do we get? Random time frames, varying statistical content. And despite that, despite mining the figures for every combination and variation of timescale and figures (oh, yes, and having introduced "more accurate" ways of measuring accident statistics, that aren't "comparable" with earlier figures) they STILL have to admit that fatalities have gone up in some areas after the introduction of stealth tax cameras... ... So, if you've got, say, the fatal accident figures, (seperately) the serious injuries figures, ditto minor, ditto accident for every calender year since say 1980, (all compiled in the same way): evidence please!... ...Oh, and by the way, there's something like a fatality for every 100 to 150 miles of road pa. So, purleeze: don't tell me that fatalities fall at speed camera sites. That's only likely at a real accident blackspot. And if it's a real accident blackspot it needs engineering, not thieving stealth cameras!
bogush, nottingham | | | |
| | 07-March-2003
Jeez, etc, #12
Robert says:... ..."from your last posting i conclude you are not in favour of public transport. so why write all that"... ...So, as far as you're concerned you are only allowed to post here if you are in favour of (unbridled, massively subsidised, non-cost-benefit-analysed) public transport?!
bogush, nottingham | | | |
| | 07-March-2003
Jeez, etc, #13
Steve, Beeston, says, 04-March-2003:... ..."Capacities"... ..."Bogush I think your answer your question regarding the capacity of a tramway vs that of a road"... ...Yes, even when carrying their maximum capacity Nottingham trams can't match the capacity of "empty" cars in a car priority lane (which is why a published, but unpublicised, official report a couple of years ago confirmed what was bleedin' obvious to the unblinkered: that bus lanes are totally counter-productive)___ ___He goes on to say:... ..."Go to Cologne and observe the tram system at the centre. Two trams coupled together i.e. 400 people max every 40 seconds"... ...Are you saying that you get a 400 person tram passing you on every tram route every 40 seconds of the day?... ...Or is it a 200 passenger tram passing you every 20 seconds?... ...So why can the brand new, leading edge, futuristic, 191 person Nottingham tram only manage it every 6 minutes?... ..."That's 10 people every second. How many lanes of traffic is this equivalent to?"... ...You tell me Steve: you're the expert... ... But you aren't talking about a "lane" of trams, are you: you're talking about 400 people max every 40 seconds ("ie" two trams coupled together), the total number of tram passengers entering the city centre in the busiest 40 seconds... ...So the question is, how many car passengers can enter Cologne city centre in the busiest 40 seconds?... ...I don't know, but 142 THOUSAND people enter the centre of London by car in the morning peak if that's any help. IE you only have fewer people entering the centre of London by car ON AVERAGE every 40 seconds (right through the morning peak)if the "morning peak" lasts more than four hours (unless it's too late for me to do maths accurately).
bogush, nottingham | | | |
| | 07-March-2003
Jeez, etc, #14
AW says:... ... most unpleasant ... you’re completely stupid ... outrageous nasty claims ... shameful speeding activities ... people are looking down on them ... the decent majority of people HAVEN’T got speeding tickets ... ...Well, a highly researched piece as usual!... Now if you HAD done some research you might have come across a very interesting study on the government's own websites (where you can find all the information I allude to if you care to dig past the spin, the press releases, the executive summaries, the selected highlights, etc, etc and get down to the nitty gritty of those nasty things, the facts): "when you simply get used to the sound of your car, and the ‘speed’ with which the landscape passed you by, while travelling at 30 mph and 40 mph etc..." you adjust your speed to the safe speed, and THINK that you have "No need to keep looking at your speedometer"... ...But if you started off at a safe and legal 30, and the safe speed has risen to 60, but the speed limit is still, or has been dropped to, 30mph then you will be doing a safe, but very ILLEGAL, 60mph if you AREN'T watching you speedo VERY carefully... ...And that would be just the kind of place they put the speed scameras!... ...And as for all the "Speed Kills" rubbish: you would rather my kids were hit at 29mph - I would rather they were missed at 41mph!... ...You might be a driver: but you seem to have a VERY poor appreciation of the mechanics of motoring and the way the brain processes the information it receives whilst driving... ...Perhaps that's why you think that people who drive with their speedo reading a figure higher then the arbitrary one they can read written on a post at the side of the road are:... ..." ... most unpleasant ... completely stupid ... outrageous nasty ... shameful speeders" ... on whom ... "people are looking down" ... rather than ... "the decent majority" of safe and experienced drivers that they really are... ...Which is why the "average" driver has to cover around half a BILLION miles before they kill someone... ...And if you take out all the joy riders, getaway drivers, psychopaths, real sociopaths, etc, etc, the "average" "speeder" has to cover BILLIONS of miles: ie they never kill anyone unless they throw themselves under their wheels!
bogush, nottingham | | | |
| | 05-March-2003
Storage issues
Bogush sees the future transport to the city as being car-based but where do you propose to store all these cars during the day?
George, Clifton | | | |
| | 04-March-2003
Never Late For Work - Statistics tell us that there are 8 people alive today who would be dead if it weren't for the speed cameras. One of them could be you. Argument dead I think.
George, Clifton | | | |
| | 05-March-2003
bogush
from your last posting i conclude you are not in favour of public transport. so why write all that. do you like to hear yourself speak?
robert, nottingham | | | |
| | 04-March-2003
Capacities
Bogush I think your answer your question regarding the capacity of a tramway vs that of a road. Go to Cologne and observe the tram system at the centre. Two trams coupled together i.e. 400 people max every 40 seconds. That's 10 people every second. How many lanes of traffic is this equivalent to?
Steve, Beeston | | | |
| | 04-March-2003
Public transport and speeding motorists
As someone who uses my car and public transport, I can say that I find the anti speed camera lobby to be most unpleasant. What is the problem with keeping to a speed? If there’s a 40 mph limit and they’ve put up cameras, then get used to driving at 40 mph. It doesn’t take long to change your habits - unless you’re completely stupid of course. I realise that I wasn’t keeping to the speed limits until speed cameras became more widespread. Within weeks of first encountering them I changed my driving habits. I simply got used to the sound of my car, and the ‘speed’ with which the landscape passed me by, while travelling at 30 mph and 40 mph etc. No need to keep looking at my speedometer. It seems that some people will spend more time making outrageous nasty claims about speed cameras rather than spending time on changing their contemptible habits. It amazes me how many people talk about their shameful speeding activities in polite compan! y.! Don’t they realise that people are looking down on them, and that the decent majority of people HAVEN’T got speeding tickets? As for people who say that public transport needs to be improved to get them out of their cars, I find that a great number of people who say this already have perfectly acceptable public transport available to them and they haven’t even bothered to try it out.
AW, Nottm | | | |
| | 26-February-2003
The Efficiency Of "Public" Transport
On several forums the pro "public" transport faction praise its effciency and demand even more dedicated and prioritised lanes for it. Now that most efficient of "public" transport modes, the tram, will supposedly carry a maximum of 191 passengers every six minutes at a peak. Or one passenger every couple of seconds. Now, how many "empty" cars can pass you in a couple of seconds if allowed to flow freely, instead of being held up by traffic calming, and congestion engineering, and mis-phased traffic lights, and tram works, and 24 hour bus lanes (where are the 24 hour buses?)? And how many passengers will they usually carry (I forget, but I think it's somewhere between 1.5 and 2). And how does that now compare with the super efficient tram? Never mind buses (average number of passengers 8 or 9 - don't forget they only get full towards the end of their rush hour run, and return empty!)? And before anyone mentions pollution, as even one of the pro-tram crowd pointed out recentl! y:! a bus needs to carry on average 20 passengers to be less polluting than your average car! And it's the same situation with fuel consumption for buses. But no doubt the tram supporters will claim that the tram will carry far more people far further per litre of fuel than a car will. But I wonder how many and how far that would be if the litre was actually burnt at the power station, and most of it got consumed in generation and line losses, rather than theoretically poured into its electic motor, which is the way they usually do these things. Of course, I might be wrong. But then no one corrected me when I asked originally.
bogush j mann, nottingham | | | |
| | 19-February-2003
Nottingham City Transport
I really cant see why so many people in Nottingham have such a downer on Nottingham City Transport. It is a "quality company" with new buses and an excellent workforce. I listen to folk moan about how dirty the buses are, when in actual fact it is only us, the fare paying passengers that dirty the buses in the first place. Its only us that get on the bus when it first comes out of the garage and its only us that leaves our rubbish all over the seats and floors of these buses. As for the staff, they have a lot to put up with, what with roadworks , delays caused by accidents, congestion,building of the tram network. ALL these things the bus driver has to contend with in his/her working day and all we do when we is complain because they arrived in Trinity Square 2 minutes after it usually does, and lets face it if any of you out there are honest with yourselves you probably dont even know what a N.C.T. timetable looks like let alone be able to read one. So, when you next want to moan at the drivers for getting you to work late just look at the timetable (if you can) and you will probably see that the bus you are on is ON TIME.
BILLY, NOTTM | | | |
| | 14-February-2003
Motorcyclist
I have travelled the ringroad for 15 years going to and from work, Now the speed cameras are up and running it has become a nightmare, Although thanks to someone in goverment who only has a small and tiny conception as to what safety is all about has now allowed motoryccles to be allowed to now speed without any conviction. Let me explain !!! 1. the camera takes a photo of your ( front )no. plate and your face. 2. A motorcycle doesnt have one and you wear a helmet !!! 3. Simple get a bike and keep your license. 4.Be carefull there will many car drivers looking at there speedo and not paying attention to what is happening around them. They brake like mad !!
Never late for work, Nottingham | | | |
| | 13-February-2003
Tollhouse Hill Island
Some years ago I worked in Nottingham in offices on Derby Road and then Maid Marian Way. Always a pain to commute in at rush hour but OK during the day and convenient for the city centre when at MM way. Now it appears I must hve been wrong since a local councillor tells us that the Castle will now be more closely connected with the centre of the city. Odd that, it always seemed to be very accessible to me. Fantatstic underpasses to keep me moving without having to deal with traffic flows. I have never seen the point of roundabouts with traffic lights. Poor flow when traffic is light (more pollution from stationary vehicles) and roundabouts have less injury accidents. Surface crossings seem to have no place in helping to keep pedestrians and vehicles (including buses and trams) from each others way (see above). The benefit is??? So we can only guess at the real purpose of these changes. My guess is simply to create traffic delays and so deter private motorists from the city. If so, be honest, come right out and say so and put in place some decent alternatives that allow families and individuals to move privately and personally without risk from other's health and habits, whilst they dispose of their earnings in the city's retail outlets and work in its offices. There seems little enough honesty in our democracy at the moment. Perhaps Nottingham could set an example. Until then I'll go to Derby for most of my needs.
Rare Visitor, South of Nottingham | | | |
| | 12-February-2003
What A Load of Rubbish Safer Motorist, Mansfield Writes
The average speed on the ring road was, according to the authorities, around 45mph. Several sections of the 40mph ring road probably conform to 50, or perhaps even 60mph status. MAXIMUM speeds now seem to be 30 to 35 mph. IE over 10mph reduction and possibly half of what the road is good for. Now, how many £Billions does every 1mph reduction in average speeds cost the country? According to the government! And how many NHS patients could that save? And how many OAPs freezing to death in winter? Or starving to death? Thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Or, even: how many accident blackspots could be engineered out. Or by-passes built? All to save how many lives? How many lives could have been saved on the ring road? Maximum! Assuming Speed Kills! None!! If Speed Kills, and speed tax scameras have cut speeds: how come accidents and fatalities have gone up? And don't fall for the scam about accidents having gone down x% at the camera site. First note how they have! t! o select the time periods and categories or mix of categories to try to get a result. And even then they have to admit that some counties have had an increase. Anfd it doesn't matter what happened at the camera site: serious accidents are rare events, and fatalities rarer. Except at a real accident black spot (where you never see cameras anyway) you would ALWAYS get a reduction after the installation of the camera. Because if you had an accident: you're not likely to get another one there! And anyway: most of the trial areas were selected because they had just experienced a freak uward blip in the figures the previous year. So again: they should have gone down regardless!! But Speed DOESN'T Kill. And that's according to official figures. Even according to government spin TWO THIRDS of accidents AREN'T caused by "speed"! And if you look at the third that they claim are, and look at what they include, and take out the non Speeding items (like misjudging the safe and ! le! gal "speed" of approaching traffic at junctions when pulling out, or "speeding" away from red lights before they change) you find that, according to government figures, only 3 - 4% of accidents are caused by real "speeding". A figure confimed recently in the official research into asleep at the wheel accidents. And for several years in the published breakdowns of West Midlands accidents. In fact a comparable number of people die as a result of REVERSING as of real speeding! And as for reducing speed reduces the severity of injuries! What a load of rubbish!! Yes, if you have a choice of being hit by a slow car or a fast car: go for the slow car. However, I personally would prefer to be missed by an awake and alert driver watching the road (regardless of whether he's doing 30, 35, 40, or 45, and regardless of whether he's above or below the limit). When you get hit by someone too busy keeping one eye on his speedo, and the other on the lookout for cameras and arbitrary a! nd! artificially low and hidden or missing speed limits, and half asleep because his journey has taken twice as long as it should have and his mind has switched off for lack of stimulation: feel free to tell me how much less severe your injuries were than the ones that DIDN'T happen to me!
bogush j mann, nottingham | | | |
| | 24-January-2003
banger
Got myself a banger today. Still works out cheaper then using the bus, it really is a joke! The government says get everyone out of the cars, are they going to explain why i'm late for work again? are they willingly going to pay me income support?
Martin, Nottingham | | | |
| | 14-January-2003
Traffic works in Nottingham
While I fully supported the intention of the tram works - to improve public transport and, therefore, encourage people to use alternatives to cars - I did not understand why they chose to build a tram service that mirrors the routes of existing public transport and has caused intense disruption at great expense. Now they appear to be trying to make matters worse by undertaking significant works which will cause yet more disruption before the tram works are even completed. Surely this is just bad planning!
Dominic, Nottingham | | | |
| | 13-January-2003
Changes to Tollhouse Hill island
I have heard on Radion Nottingham the news about pedestrianisation of Parliament Street and read the Evening Post about reducing lanes into Parliament Street from Maid Marian Way from two to one. Given that Wollaton Street is already closed, and Talbot Street has only one through lane, and that Collin Street will become a larger Broadmarsh Centre, could anyone advise me what the best recommended route would be for commuters such as myself travelling from Derby to Carlton each day would be?
Patrick , Nottingham | | | |
| | 24-September-2002
Public Transport in Notts
Safer Motorist - couldn't agree more! I propose a new universal 5mph limit for all motor vehicles, and a law stating that all cars must be escorted by a man waving a red flag. All children should be wrapped in 10cm-thick bubblewrap before leaving the house. Should a motorist still manage to even slightly bruise someone with their infernal combustion machines, they should be slowly tortured to death on the spot, without trial. This is just an interim measure, however. We should work tirelessly to ban any form of transport that can move quicker than a walking speed. The internet should be banned because of the risk to our precious children. In fact, all laws and decisions should be based purely on emotion, and facts and figures should be used only if they are useful to whipping up further outrage and frenzy. Sadly, the nature of democratic government means we may never see such common-sense measures implemented. I therefore urge all right-minded citizens to rise up in revoluti! on! and replace the process of democracy with... well, let's just install the editors of tabloid newspapers as a new cabinet. Only then will the world be a safe place for us all to enjoy.
The Anti-Wilberforce, nottingham | | | |
| | 23-September-2002
Violent crime /speeding
What a load of rubbish Bogush speaks. Speed does kill and it proves it on the Nottingham Ring Road. There are not many occasions now when drivers speed on the Ring Road because they are frightened they will be caught speeding. By keeping their speed down they have caused less serious accidents. Drivers who speed and kill someone deserve to be treated as criminals because that is what they are in the eyes of the law. Policeman do not regularly enforce speeding in Nottinghamshire, they are civilian support staff who are trained to use the speeding devices. They enforce areas which has a high accident rate. They enforce these areas to reducing the speed of these motorists. Reducing speed, reduces the severity of their injuries and THAT IS A FACT. Bugust can write or talk until he is blue in the face and he will not change my mind
A Safer Motorist
Mansfield | | | |
| | 21-September-2002
Flappy Tabs
I was with my friends on the bus on the way to school when we stopped at a bus stop. There were three kids there and two adults. The driver said only the adults could come on but the kid tried to get on three times. They were shouting and swearing and being cheeky to the bus driver but he still didn't let them on. Finally they gave up and started walking up the road. The bus was going the same way and he stopped next to them as they were waling up. The driver opened the doors and shouted: IF YOU'RE EVER THAT CHEEKY TO A BUS DRIVER AGAIN, I'LL FLAP YER TABS. Me and my friends found this extremely funny and laughed like hell.
Nik, Snottingham | | | |
| | 06-September-2002
gerald smythe-wilberforce
Gerald Smythe-Wilberforce. You are very amusing. You really make me giggle. Lets have some more. Can you please comment on all the other forums and can you spare some loose change?
Leftie Dude, Beeston | | | |
| | 06-September-2002
Buses
JC isn't it dreadful how these bus drivers think they own the whole road. The amount they pay per mile is tiny in comparison to what you and I are forced to pay, then we pay through the nose for fuel as well - why to pay for these damned trams and to subsidise lefties like those on the embankment last Sunday. I say let's have car only roads & lanes. Ban cycles and make them pay for their own roads - I bet they won't like that. I can't see what's wrong with the private car, it's fast as long as they get rid of these stupid speed bumps and we have proper speed limits 40 in built up areas, 50 on main roads and unlimited once in the country and damned good fun. If you can't afford a car then whose fault is that - you obviously haven't been working hard enough.
Gerald Smythe-Wilberforce, Compton Acres | | | |
| | 05-September-2002
Park And Ride
After reading these comments, it seems like that Nottingham Council (unsure as to whether City or County) have already looked at Park and Ride sites in the Leapool area of Nottingham, and decided against to spend money on the tram. Now, putting aside the various arguments of the tram being a waste of money (it uses the same route as the train for petes sake!), surely a remote park and ride site would encourage less congestion in Arnold/Sherwood/Nottingham! I would have thought the VAST majority of traffic originates from the north of Nottingham. Has the A60 been overlooked?
.waffle, North Nottinghamshire | | | |
| | 04-September-2002
Buses
I was cut up badly by a bus who decided he did not want to use the bus lane because the lights were red !!! This was outside B&K Thomas in West Bridgford.Surely if we aren't allowed in the bus lanes they can't pick & choose when to use them ,or can they ?
JC, West Bridgfrod | | | |
| | 21-August-2002
Reply to Richard
You live in Sherwood, mate. The bus service along Mansfield road operates mostly every 5-10 minutes, even Sunday or late buses are every 20 minutes. You can get back from town on a night bus at 3 in morning for a pound saving 4 quid or so in taxi costs. A bus journey costs between 80p and a pound depending on where you get on. The current works in town have not affected the frequency of the buses and very little to the journey time (perhaps a bit more during the rush hour), the only difference is some of them stop in slightly different places. Even if you can't be bothered to walk to where a bus stop is, there are plenty of places to park for free on the road near the shops on Mansfield road. You obviously haven't lived in other cities (appart from London) where buses can be every 30 mins, every hour on Sunday and getting on a bus after 9pm is mostly unheard of. I guess it's a really winge that journies around town are slow in a car and parking is fairly expensive. The point is you don't need to be using your car to get into town and if more people used the buses it would be easier for those coming in from outside and less well served areas. As for you other comments on delinquents running the shopping centre I think they are unfounded.
David, Nottingham | | | |
26th July 2002
missing buses
We had the need to attempt to use the service 53. I know, we should have known better. We got to the terminus at Holy Trinity Clifton at 9.40am in time for the 10.00am run. 10.00 came, no bus. probably traffic on the ring road, it will be here in a couple of minutes. Guess what? It didn't. I phoned NCT 0115 9506070 I was told, after listening to grotty music while the lady found out the infomation i requested. "The 53's are running 45 minutes late due to road works" she said. Oh well we will have to wait. 10.35 a bus arrives changes the number, 53 ah good, we have a bus. travelled to our stop on the ring road. "Are you the late 10 o clock driver. you're running 45 minutes late aren't you" we asked. "No mate, i'm the 10.30 and should be at Valley Road now". So!! the 10.00am was MISSING. Well, that is to be expected and we could cope with that. But, what i am annoyed at is being told lies. NCT your passenges are not fools please don't treat us without any respect or deceive us. Now on the way home there was a lady at the stop on Clifton Boulevard waiting for the 53. when the bus approached the stop she held out her hand. The driver whipped round the slip road and up to the main entrance of the QMC. Round there and on to Derby Road up to the ring road again and back down Clifton Boulevard. That lady should be able to catch it now. NO WRONG. she had decided to walk on to the dunkirk flyover and, yes you guess it, the bus went sailing by her. I would have told the lady that he would be back down if I was the driver. He picked up two people at Dunkirk and on to Clifton.I thought of telling the driver but what would have been the reply? I had no desire to engage in an argument. Passenges are confused. Where does this bus stop and go to and where does that bus stop and go to. Anyones guess. They alter them every week now don't they? If NCT carry on as they are car sales will increase!!!!
robert
nottingham |
23rd July 2002
further to ....yet again
From Noble Road to Beeston, as the crow flies, is about 2miles. We now have to use THREE different buses. HEY!!! Of course, we can do the trip using 2 buses but it means travelling a greater distance. WHAT!! Absolutly absurd. What use is the service 52 now?
robert
nottingham |
22nd July 2002
yet again
The lunatics have taken over the asylum. Does anyone know what they are doing at NCT. The service 53 at clifton was ok to an extent. Now they have moved it to Holy Trinity. I give up. There was no need to change it. Some body at NCT should be shot. There are a lot of elderly people who rely on the buses to get out, now they will have to get on and off different buses to travel to Arnold and Beeston. Some of them will even have to walk further even to get any bus now!!. What is the point in having bus routes that miss out some of the customers. Doesn't make any sence whatsoever to me. Now i suppose I will get some smart alec who doesn't even work for NCT informing me how much better the service will be or spouting off about how wrong the services were before this alteration . I bet they drive around in cars anyway and never have to catch a Damn bus if one turns up and you can still climb on board after walking hundreds of yards with bad hips and legs. We need the buses at Noble Road.
robert
nottingham |
9th July 2002
bus services
hi, i have enquired about the last bus from newark and melton mowbray and they seem to be a bit few and far between if you wish to stay out after about ten oclock shock horror then you are stranded if you don.t have your own transport.
christine savidge
nottingham uk |
9th July 2002
Matthew Walster (email 05.07.02)
Park and Ride sites are the responsibility of the local authority - primarily Nottinghamshire County Council in the Arnold area - and it is they who need to build and maintain one, not the bus operator
Brett
Clifton |
6th July 2002
Bus lanes/busways not good enough
Bus lanes are an improvement on the present, but have rather limited scope in large urban areas. They need rigorous enforcement and junction priority remains a question. Road widening may be required, expensive or impractical in the city centre. To make any impact on raising speeds, they would have to amplified by dedicated busways. Might these busways – not inexpensive to build - take the same controversial routes as tramlines off-street in Chilwell or Wilford? Their width and environmental impact would be more significant than a tramline, with no improvement in vehicle capacity. Most importantly, buses still can’t penetrate city centres as effectively as trams, particularly places with heavy pedestrian flow - tram rails provide visible recognition of the tram path. Underused existing rail lines (e.g., Hucknall, Gedling and Radford-Trowell) offer an existi! ng! infrastructure, with scope for technical conversion from or integration with heavy rail. In 1984 there was a scheme to close Marylebone station in London and convert part of the Aylesbury lines via Harrow and High Wycombe to busways. It never progressed because of cost and capacity. The Chiltern trains from there now extend to Birmingham. Matthew, do consider why tram networks are expanding throughout the cities of the developed world. However, your car-sharing preference (see public transport column) is commendable. Hope you like your trams, Alan C. of Portsmouth. You have long had electric trains, which now need improvement for punctuality/reliability. Nottingham is a railway backwater.
G. Bennett
Wilford |
5th July 2002
Bus? Car!
I used to take the bus into Nottingham everyday - first the 200 (such a small bus and always overfilled) then the 737/747/757 (never got any seats spare) and finally the 58 from Arnold. After all these buses, I've finally gone for the easiest option - the car. I car-share with friends, so we always have at least 2 people in the car. It's not just fast (if you avoid Mansfield Road) but cheap (you only pay for the fuel, and THAT is split up between a few) and finally, it's personal! I can get to Nottingham in comfort, and with good company. Car sharing is the immediate way forward. The only thing that would move me from my car is a park and ride north of the city - in the Redhill/Arnold area, but it's been made clear this is not a considerable option by NCT... WHY? Your thought appreciated!
Matthew Walster
Papplewick, Nottingham |
26th June 2002
Bus Journeys
I very rarely use the buses now, because I am never sure where they are going?!?! The 'progressive' changes that have been made, have changed the journey for some of my family to get to me, from a 20minute single bus-ride into a 1½ hour 2 bus journey. The buses are unreliable, badly organised and as people have previously said there is no point in complaining because no-one is listening!
Car-owner
Nottingham |
14th June 2002
buses
there is no point in complaining anymore as NCT have adopted the attitude as every other business has done:- TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT!!
robert
nottingham |
Last reply... 13th June 2002
Once new bus services
Here we are more than 8 months after NCT reorganised the bus services from top to bottom. For some time afterwards there were plenty of complaints. NCT responded with some further changes this year,and some extra uneconomic services were restored - the "grey" routes. But what's the overall mood now? A lot of the early rumpus appears to have calmed down. For instance, how much grump is there now about cross-city services axed last September? Was it just a lot of resistance to the general concept of changing travel habits?
G. Bennett
Wilford and in reply...
The reason people are not still complaining about the axing of cross city services is simply because there is no point banging on about somthing that is obviously not going to change.The only way to change it back is for everyone to not use the bus. This will not happen as people rely on the bus to get to work. In general , the amount of complaints about all of the NCT issues have subsided.NCT knew that after a while people would complain less about the changes and will no doubt therefore say the new services are fine , due to lack of complaints.Also,if other people like myself bought a car in order to be able to do a 1hr 45 minute bus jouney in 15 minutes, there are bound to be less complaints as they are no longer using the buses. However , if you would like me to complain again about the axing of cross city services , I would be delighted !! First of all .................
Jeff Parker
Arnold, Nottm |
10th June 2002
NCT
To Brett in Clifton it's proven obviosly harder for you to grasp the message i was trying to get across, i understand NCT is a local bus service but so was First Leeds, hense the company adopting the name of the City they serve, they served the county of West Yorkshire too, I think NCT should serve Nottinghamshire as a county and yes I know NCT have colour coded routes but whats the point there must be about 10 yellow line routes, you couldn't justtell a visitor to get on the yellow line you'd still have to give them the number of the bus so wheres the logic in that? I think Nottingham deserves a First Nottinghamshire a bus company that serves the city and county. Andrew Wilson where in South Wales did you live? my brother lives in Townhill, Swansea and First Cymru operate regular, frequent services there, fair enough First Great western are a joke but arent all train services throughtout the cou! nt! ry, Central Trains are the worst, they use filthy trains they're constantly delayed and overcrowded, since moving to Nottingham my car has been the most reliable source of transport for me!
Joan Cotton
Arnold Nottingham in reply 11th June 2002
First Cymru
To answer JC's question: Cockett... Adjacent to Townhill. The 12 / 13 Services were fair if unreliable during the day - but preferable to the awful 17 / 400 / 404 services to South Mayhill / Townhill / Cockett then continuing a convoluted countryside ramble. Evening and Sunday services on these routes were withdrawn totally during 1999, and it took the City & county of Swansea to tender these previously commercial services (by SWT - a local company) at an extra cost to the council tax payer. Townhill is a large council estate, the size of Bestwood park, but no services existed there, on a Sunday before early afternoon.
Andrew Wilson
Nottingham |
7th June 2002
Buses, Trains, Etc
1) Bus Shelters: It gets my goat when people smash bus shelters, designed to protect you (mostly) from the elements. Harsh line needs to be taken: smash bus shelters, we'll remove them.
2)Trams: as pointed out in Rail Magazine people in Beeton were all for the trams. Now they aren't! I think they would be a great idea and certainly a Park and Ride at Bardills Island would be great. Now all they need is to alter the island! Critics: take a trip to Croydon and look at the trams there - superb!
3)Roads: Obviously the people that do the budget for the roads don't use them! The bridge on the main Long Eaton to Nottingham road over the River Erewash: has it been repaired? No! It's been like that for nearly a year - when are they going to fix it? Oh and the A52 bus lane. What it gains on the dual carriageway, it loses between the Priory Island and the Queen's Med Island...
4)Trains: Nice to see more trains to run on the Robin Hood Line; certainly a good idea reopening that route. More stations locally thoughout Nottingham? No chance yet. Nicer trains, perhaps some new ones from Central Trains? Very unlikely. Their stewardship of the local trains has to be described as pretty appalling, but more often than not, still relatively good value (e.g. Long Eaton to Nottingham).
Sorry to be scathing, but it has to be said. Hope it provokes some comments :)
Robert T
Toton, Nottingham |
6th June 2002
Transport
First Buses Like Joan Cotton, I'm an immigrant to Nottingham. However, from Swansea. The whole of South West Wales is "served" by First Cymru, who provide little more that a semi - rural peak time only service. No turn up and go there. The Doddering Intercity rail service there is provided by First Great Western. Hardly first class either. I wonder if First Leeds, Glasgow ... fare any better? PS. Could someone explain why city's (in the cities context) requires an apostrophe, and towns survives fine without!.
Andrew Wilson
Nottingham |
4th June 2002
Reply to Joan Cotton
NCT do not run to surrounding cities because they are called NOTTINGHAM CITY TRANSPORT. I know it might be hard for you to grasp the concept of a local operator rather than a national one who has driven all the competition off the road, but in some places, like Nottingham the operator is not solely driven by profit! And for the record we too have colour coded and turn up and go routes! And cheaper fares!
Brett
Clifton |
3rd June 2002
Transport
I have moved to Nottingham from leeds about 18 month sago for work purposes. When I lived in Leeds I had to use the bus to get to work in the city centre, out of choice more than anything. I used First Leeds, First buses are extended throughout the UK, First Leeds, First Leicester, First Cymru, First Glasgow but to name a few, the services are outstanding,but First don't operate in nottingham, Why?? First buses meant this:great bus fares, buses that leave the city to surrounding citys, clean comfartable buses, regularity, we had colour coded routes and turn up and go, i was never left standing for hours on end. Why dont nct do regular services to surrounding city's, towns, they're a joke, couldnt satisfy am alcoholic in a brewery! Sort it out NCT!
Joan Cotton
Arnold, Nottingham |
31st May 2002
TRAM FARES & TIME
Can someone tell me how much the fare will be from Clifton Park & Ride site to town and how long the journey will take?
Sue
Clifton, Nottingham |
Last reply... 29th May 2002
53 is a joke
my Dad has writen to you lots of times P.MARLOW but we get back replys that are sad and sick the 53 was alright before a someone got thire hands on it I can not walk to school cos of my foot it's in a cast even if I haven't got a cast on you don't let a 12 yrar old girl walk to school I might get raped or killd from a 12 year old girl with a probem
v.marlow
nottingham
and in reply...
It was your decision to go to a school so far away so you have to put up with it - or change schools! it is quite simple! NCT cannot run a bus just to suit you or everybody's exact needs - that is what a taxi is for!
Bill
Nottingham a returning comment 1st June 2002
re 53 all I ask for that it run on time and no busers where missing ?!!! from and to school in the nornings IE 0730 to 0830 as other people have said it goes missing if it comes late OK road works eta but when no bus comes at all and you say get a taxi that say es it ALL. we moved house thats why the school is to far and why we need the 53 bus .we go by car now when we can.whats next change school( done it}got the shirt s++ the buses use the car I am sorry to say
peter marlow
beechdale |
27th May 2002
buses
I am very pleased with the way the bus services are running. I just hope that this will stay the same because there are certain rumours flying around about bus services being made redundant due to the cause of the new public transport, trams.
bus driver pat
nottingham england |
18th May 2002
BUSES
THE BUSES IN NOTTINGHAM ARE STILL THE BEST IN EUROPE.IN MY OPINION THE PEOPLE COMPLAINING ARE MAINLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOTS OF TIME TO SPARE ANYWAY.GET ON WITH YOUR LIVES
DAVID CRANFIELD
nottingham |
Last reply 17th May 2002
buses
I miss the good old 45 bus service pre-October 2001. The bus service on NCT is a complete shambles now.
George Handley
Nottingham, UK
and in reply...
Is that the 45/45A loop around Woodthorpe and Carlton Valley that carried about 5 passengers a time whilst bus loads were left standing on main corridors?
Anthony
Nottingham |
Last reply... 14th May 2002
bus price
I am 12 and I go to the NOTINGHAM BLUECOAT SCHOOL in Asply. As I live in Lenton, I have to get the 53 bus to and from school each day. The bus fares have gone up from 40p to 50p. This means my mum has to pay an extra £1.00 per week. This may not sound alot, but she has to give me dinner money etc. The bus companys say they are going to tidy up the buses, make them cleaner, and make them run on time. I havn't seen any of this happening yet.
Abi
Lenton/Nottingham
and in reply...
The bus fare increase was not only to improve the buses, but also pay those people that drive them a little more so they actually have some drivers. The child increase was the first actual increase for the standard fare for over three years - last time it went down from 45p to 40p! Anyway, the 50p child ticket provides one hours travel and is also reduced from 60p. In the end, it was your decision to go to school so far away to need a bus, so you have to accept that fares, along with everything else, increases.
Brett
Clifton |
13th May 2002
Buses
I have just read the board it seems there are a few from clifton..Why is it we are one of the largest estates but with the worse service.Ok nct say they had to change them But it would help if they actually ran.The 53,54,55 to arnold can be missing 3 in a hour,the no 12 seem to always be missing and forever changing stops.My elderly parents used to like to come to see me as it got them out. They get the bus from town and find Victoria center usefull to get on at.Three times the stop has changed places and they are lucky if they turn up. In clifton itself you wait on southchurch drive nothing comes for 30 minutes then five arrive together..I am always late...then if the bus does turn up userally you have to wait ten minutes why you wait for a driver....Sorry my car is defantly best..get me to leave it at home NO WAY.......
teresa price
clifton |
9th May 2002
CONGESTION
One way of cutting traffic would be for people to work a 4 day week - reducing up to 20% of traffic at a stroke at no extra cost. Some progressive companies already operate this scheme allowing employees to work for longer days to make up their hours.
Sue
Nottingham |
1st May 2002
Rainbow 1
Not being old enough to drive, I have no alternative but to use buses to get into nottingham. I must say sometimes I'd wait 30 seconds for a bus, other times I'd wait 30 mintutes. Other times a bus never turned up and sometimes buses, which clearly had space didnt even stop. When I tell people about this they say, 'well he couldn't see you'. But I was standing at the bus top at the head of a queue with my hand outstretched. The cus driver even looked at me and carried on! I have seen this happen on the way to Nottingham when I have been on the bus. I was puzzled why we didnt stop, we had plenty of space.
Dunedain
Nottingham England |
29th April 2002
the 28 bus good sevices LOTS of buses.lets have moore on a sunday not 30mins apart.as for the fare going up,so will the wage bill, gas new buses,moore drivers then you should get a better bus service.the fare in some parts of the uk are high three times as high.ps the 53bus is still a joke takinthe kids to school in the morning
p.marlow
beechdale |
27th April 2002
fares
With the bus fare going up to 80p from the meadows would it not be wise to reroute the 48 service away from the meadows now as i wouldn't pay 80p to travel half a mile into the city, i would walk it. perhaps others may wish to do the same.
robert
nottingham in reply
29th April 2002
Robert and Fares
I am amazed at your suggestion to re-route the 48. Having just complained at NCT's decision to re-route the 12 and 52 buses, this sounds a little like hypocrisy to me.
Bill
Carlton |
27th April 2002
Transport
One reason for the worsening bus sercice is nothing to do with Nottingham City Transport. Quite simply the buses are getting stuck in traffic jams caused by increasing traffic. Buses take longer to do their journeys resulting in more drivers being required resuluting in increased costs. Often the cry is heard "we will get out of our cars when Public Transport is good". This cannot be done with the current and increasing traffic levels. Radical and yes perhaps unpopular decisions are required SOON.
Paul
Arnold
2nd May 2002
In response to Paul of Arnold...
The increasing traffic is partly due to the changes that NCT implemented. I used to use NCT all of the time until the changes. This prompted me to buy my first car in years . This has resulted in another car on the road as a direct consequence of NCT's " improvements ". I also know of other people who have had to resort to this course of action. How many more cars are on the road because of this , I wonder ?
Jeff Parker
Arnold |
Last reply... 18th April 2002
12 and 52 buses
for heavens sake NCT restore the service 12 and 52 as they were. the 48 runs empty most times every 10 minutes what a waste. You really know how to mess things up. resign and let someone take over that can do the job because you certainly cannot.
robert
nottingham
and in reply... Robert
Has it not occured to you that the 12 and 52 ran empty most of the time too? I travel from Holy Trinity to the QMC and was amazed by how few people used these buses. There is no need for so many little buses on Nobel Road either, this is just dangerous - thats why it has changed. Remember it was not that long ago that Summerwood Lane area had no bus at all, so how did you all cope then? Did you all stay in all the time? I think not. The 48 is a core route and will be Go2 standards soon - so i dont know where the asusmption of emmptyness comes from. I used it to the City at night and sometimes in the afternoon and it's fine. It may not be full by Holy Trinity, but remember there is still an estate to serve and the Meadows - no doubt you would then complain it was too full.
Brett
Clifton |
10th April 2002
Transport in Nottingham
Several unexplained price hikes, new bus shelters erected only to be torn down (relocated) three months later, changes in bus timetables that do not reflect the actual needs of the people who have to embark on them for work and leisure - and not once was anybody fired for creating such fiasco... All part of a growing "consultant culture" that has arisen from non-elected people spending public money on white elephants (yes, think tram). I will fight for a grass roots campaign for a legitimately elected city council and break the back of unfair monopolising of public transport resources! So don't think the solution lies with making Notts drivers shell out even more money unless your willing to let us have our say about who decides how to spend it, and how! VOX POPULI
P Citizen
Nottingahm |
28th March 2002
changes
numbers 12 & 52 well done NCT. you have changed the buses again. i think perhaps you are looking towards making them so unapeeling that no one will want to use them then you can withdraw the services altogether that will really save you some money.what use is a bus service that runs every hour in thw week? if you miss one and the next doesn't turn up well, you are not playing YOUR PART in taking some of the traffic off the roads.
robert
nottingham |
26th March 2002
Bus Changes
Since September 2001 we on Summerwood Lane have had a very good service (No 12), that was well used in the daytime and at night. The service was used by the elderly , infirm and young mothers. It was used to take people to the pub, cinema, shopping or for a good night out. But what happens when the managment of NCT decide to change the times and the services? Well they B***er the whole thing up for those people, by making the last bus in the week run at 16.15 hours and the last bus on a Saturday run at 15.15 hours. And if you are old or infirm you are expected to stay in at night and on a Sunday because NCT have taken off the bus that used to run on a Sunday. On Sunday morning at 8am Nicola Tidy from NCT said that West Bridgford and south of the river would have a very good bus service. WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH West Bridgford might have a very good service, but Clifton's service ! is! a load of crap. Its time the management of NCT did the only honourable thing left, and that is TO FALL UPON THEIR SWORDS. But if they won't do that, then BRING BACK OUR NUMBER 12 BUS AND STOP MESSING ABOUT WITH THE SERVICES.
Carl Birkett
Clifton, Nottingham |
Last reply... 12th March 2002
BUSES IN NOTTINGHAM
Compared to other cities,it seems to take Nottingham's buses ages to get through the City Centre even when the traffic is light.One reason is that so many local services change drivers in Old Market Square.This often takes several minutes so perhaps the off-peak schedules need to be speeded up a bit?Better still,why can't the drivers change at the termini or near the depots so that it is quicker to travel on a bus across the city than it is to walk? Any comments from Mottingham City Transport?
BARRY MASON
LONDON
and in reply...
12th March 2002
It did take buses a comparatively long time to get through the city centre - as extra time had to be given to journeys to account for city centre congestion. This is one reason why x-city centre journeys have now been scrapped - also some of the route round the city centre, e.g. the No 12 were rather tortuous.
GOATWHO
Gedling |
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