Michael_N

First are running differently, most will be Saturday timetables but it depends on the route. Info: https://www.firstgroup.com/south-yorkshire/news-and-service-updates/coronavirus-covid19-service-information Trams are running a Sunday service, with a few alterations such as running from 5am but running a limited service after 9pm on the Yellow route, and between City and Halfway on the Blue route. Info: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/news/yorkshire/2020/march/revised-tram-timetables-from-monday-23-march-2020

Remember just to stop dead in the middle of the road with no warning, do a U-turn in front of vehicles, especially those that struggle to stop quickly like a bus or tram and also remember that the highway code doesn't apply, along with any parking restrictions and you'll be on to a winner!

Rotherham town centre has been dead ever since Parkgate/Meadowhall opened and the pedestrianisation took place in the early 1990s. Even now with free weekend parking on offer, and 2hrs free during the rest of the week, they still can't attract the footfall.

First really are scraping the barrel at the minute, I'm personally very surprised that the Traffic Commissioner hasn't paid a visit yet. Add to the fact there is a chronic driver and vehicle shortage, now thanks to bad management they are currently balloting for potential strike action - all based on terms and conditions.

They are always on and live, usually set at 79mph. The one that is most active around here is at J27 Gildersome on the M62 near to Ikea at Leeds. Don't think I've travelled through that stretch and it hasn't flashed at passing cars.

OAPs seem to think it's a right, just look at the amount of them you see at bus and tram stops well before 0930. If they actually left their homes at 0930, they would never risk being "t'wirly'

Something that has been done for years with National Express West Midlands. Brilliant idea as it works like Oyster and auto-caps the fare when using the same card. About time they introduced it to Rotherham/Sheffield!

Brakes fell off it apparently. Hope they haven’t been running unsafe vehicles on the network, especially the heavy rail network for this amount of time!

Do the council really consider buses when planning? The new road layout around Fitzalan Square suggests different. They have narrowed Flat Street that much that 2 buses can no longer pass each other, on a road which is only used by buses and taxis anyway! Not to mention the fact how the revised road layout at the Commercial Street junction is now causing more traffic jams than before. Ive said it all along, they closed the wrong side of Fitzalan Square off. Now you have Waingate traffic having to turn right onto Commercial Street to then turn left onto Flat Street. There also isn’t a big enough swing when turning left from Flat Street onto Commercial Street to then turn right onto Angel Street, consequently this then blocks the entire junction off and this then backs down to Waingate/Park Square. Happens every evening rush hour... The new changes down at The Wicker/Blonk Street are just as bad. Clearly no thought into them at all.

Reminder, the First South Yorkshire consultation closes this Friday, 15 November. Stagecoach Yorkshire consultation has already closed.

If anything the whole area around Castlegate/Fitzalan Square seems to have been designed to make things worst than they were before, even for buses and taxis. Before these changes you used to rarely see the Waingate/Commercial Street/Flat Street junction getting blocked, now it happens on almost a hourly basis, even impacting on the trams sometimes with traffic backing up along Waingate and blocking the junction with Commercial Street. Can't help but think all this could've been avoided if the bottom part of Fitzalan Square was left as a through road with the traffic signals and the top half been pedestrianised. Just don't make sense. Blonk Street/Wicker is a nightmare now too, with a noticeable increase in traffic at the bottom half of the Parkway and along Derek Dooley Way as all the ways out around the Wicker have been closed to through traffic. Also maybe one for @Planner1, wouldn't the junction at the end of Wicker/Blonk Street/Nursery Street have been better with a mini-roundabout rather than the mess it will be? Its even caused some bus routes to have to be permanently altered and no longer serve Waingate/Wicker areas (10/24/25/56).

Just a slight point to raise, while all is good and wonderful with this proposal - some people might want to check the latest news outlets relating to Transport for London and the £700m deficit they're now facing. This is leading to full services like the 48 being completely withdrawn, lots of services being downgraded and scaled back from serving Central London etc. It's not looking good! The main problem is congestion, and until this is sorted it doesn't matter who runs the buses as they wont be reliable, nor any additional benefits to using the bus in terms of the private car and therefore still suffer the same problems. For me personally what is needed is to follow Edinburgh City Councils approach and look at making all bus lanes 7am to 7pm daily. There also needs to be better priority for buses at junctions (like what the trams get) and more direct, limited stopping services (especially at peak times) in order to tempt people out of their cars and onto buses. I already know Sheffield has some of the cheapest bus fares in the country, that are commercial and not heavily subsidised in London and there are some fantastic tickets available (5 for a fiver = any 5 people travel together all day on Saturday and Sundays for £5 etc.) but this needs to be better published. People will always moan no matter what, but the grass isn't always greener!

The X1 is a complete joke of a service and it’s not uncommon to see 3 or 4 running around together. This is the main reason people are not using it, the reliability of the service is horrendous. The 69 provided a much better service before it was withdrawn and it provided a direct(ish) service between Sheffield and Rotherham that avoided most of the traffic around Meadowhall by running direct along Attercliffe Common. The X1 routing means it’s longer in terms of journey time from Rotherham to Sheffield than the X78. The 74 looks like it’s going to be a former route - the 130. From a pure speculation point I’d imagine once it reaches Canklow Roundabout it will somehow combine with the current 208 and potentially provide a half hourly service into Sheffield? To say this is a consultation, the effort by both First and Stagecoach is p**s poor. Where’s the in-depth detail about the changes, proposed new route maps and even a proposed timetable so people can have a look and see if it will work for them!? Not everyone wants to use the Tram as it’s more expensive, and half the time you’re lucky if it isn’t cancelled due to problems with either the vehicles, staff shortages or Network Rail issues. I do note that if any tram is to fail to operate it’s the #39 off Cathedral And #09 off Parkgate. I’m still amazed how it’s reached 1 million passengers and 100% satisfaction - clearly someone has been at play with the figures as in reality many are not happy with any of the current services and the few times I’ve used it, what was a full tram to Tinsley/Meadowhall South then becomes an empty one to Rotherham.

Make sure you and all your fellow colleagues fill in the online consultation then.

From the looks of things, it will move from a 10-15 min service to a 30 min service between Sheffield and Meadowhall and will remain a 10 min service between Meadowhall, Rotherham and Maltby. Quite a downgrade!