South Yorkshire Bus Service Needs Improvement

[Andy C 86]

On 23/04/2021 at 09:41, Resident said:

Not gonna happen. 

S̷h̷e̷f̷f̷i̷e̷l̷d̷ ̷U̷n̷i̷v̷e̷r̷s̷i̷t̷y̷  SCC have already decided it's not reopening. They decided it before it was ever closed & have wanted it closed for a long time. However prior to Covid they faced very strong opposition from most sides so never did it. Covid gave them an easy excuse to avoid that opposition.

I'm not entirely convinced Leopold Street/Pinstone Street was necessary for the Covid initiative - mostly wide pavements and traffic was already mostly just bikes and buses.

 

In the longer term pedestrianisation of it all except for a cycle lane may well make the area a much nicer place to be.

 

It could even be argued that given most of the shopping  is now refocused around the Moor and Devonshire Quarter that there is less demand for travel to that part of the City Centre.

 

My bigger issue is the council whilst claiming to promote green methods of travel they seem to be downgrading public transport facilities and encouraging people to travel by car instead. There seems to be no integration of public transport facilities in the planning of these changes and absolutely no interest from the council in supporting a quality public transport experience in Sheffield.

 

It is now almost a year since they closed Leopold Street and Pinstone Street to buses. This for a number of routes were the main City Centre bus stops with decent bus shelters where waiting passengers were seperate to general pedestrians on a wide pavement, they were in a busy, well lit and relatively safe area, the bus stops had electronic live departure boards and timetable displays along with network maps on the shelter.

 

A week after the road closed the bus gate for the diverted buses at Moorhead was opened but the far from ideal diversion via Charter Row where buses are squeezing down a small, potholed road with narrow dimly lit pavements to stop at temporary stops that consisted of a little sign kicked to the edge of the path in an unpleasant area inhabited by beggars, druggies and alcoholics.

 

So what has happened in the last year or so since? Have the council and SYPTE worked together to improve bus facilities on the Pinstone Street replacement on Charter Row by resurfacing the road, modifying the layout, installing bus shelters, improving lighting and fitting electronic bus information screens to the stops? No - they've done nothing, and now they've diverted the diversion and moved the temporary stops to an even less attractive location and routed buses on even less suitable roads!

 

There is some proposal that has been consulted to change the top of Rockingham Street so buses can run both ways and actually have proper bus stops (attached to a pocket park) replacing the ones by the Peace Gardens, not sure how many years away this is still - and these new stops are still rather a long way from the original location on Pinstone Street!

 

You think councillors trying to get elected that are campaigning on buses, including the Greens that claim to have identified £1.5m in their proposed budget that can be invested in buses, would be pushing for the bus route / bus stops etc to be improved and maybe also look at gaps in the network in the suburbs/villages but no, they aren't interested in making travel to and from the City Centre by bus more attractive, they want a pointless free bus trundling around the City Centre duplicating existing services the council have downgraded. Presumably the benefit of the free bus is to help all those car drivers (that have given up on public transport because of the council easily) get to/from their many car parks.

Edited April 24, 2021 by Andy C

[RollingJ 2,040]

@Andy CA brilliant analysis of the 1st. class foul-up by a council that doesn't care and a PTE that no-one would miss if it evaporated overnight - thank you!!👍

 

And if a certain ex-council employee dares to come back and attempt to validate this crass stupidity...

Edited April 24, 2021 by RollingJ

[BigAl1 143]

@andyc I have long been mystified by some of the routes buses take through the city center and as for trying to find where to catch the bus if you are not a regular user can be a challenge at the best of times

 

Now they appear to be trying to make life even harder for bus users

 

Next they will be scratching their heads and wondering why less people are using the buses

[RollingJ 2,040]

@Bigal1One simple answer - SCC/SYPTE couldn't plan a party in a pub (polite version 🤪)

[Guest busdriver1]

59 minutes ago, Andy C said:

 

 

So what has happened in the last year or so since? Have the council and SYPTE worked together to improve bus facilities

 

We also need to remember that the PTE, instead of passing on the  BSOG money to the operators it it intended for are retaining it and spending it on "measures to improve bus services" . Anyone seen any?

[RollingJ 2,040]

Just now, busdriver1 said:

We also need to remember that the PTE, instead of passing on the  BSOG money to the operators it it intended for are retaining it and spending it on "measures to improve bus services" . Anyone seen any?

Bolded & underlined bit - NO!

[Guest busdriver1]

Just now, RollingJ said:

Bolded & underlined bit - NO!

wonder if any "fact finding missions" have taken place

[RollingJ 2,040]

2 minutes ago, busdriver1 said:

wonder if any "fact finding missions" have taken place

Probably - to Spain, Florida and other nice warm places.

[butlers 261]

Got ANYTHING to back up?

[RollingJ 2,040]

13 minutes ago, butlers said:

Got ANYTHING to back up?

Back up what? The assertion that both the council and PTE are incompetent? If it is that, just look around the public transport provision in Sheffield.

[butlers 261]

Post 224

[RollingJ 2,040]

That was, intentionally, a bit tongue-in-cheek - but the main thrust of the comments by those who have an interest in public transport in this thread, is that the council(s) and SYPTE are incompetent when it comes to public transport provision in the region.