Buses - Are We Jealous Sheffield?

[hackey lad 3,995]

2 hours ago, Planner1 said:

If they’re not interested in buses, how do you explain the millions they’ve spent on bus corridor improvements in recent years?

Post 58 ?

[Planner1 442]

On 23/03/2022 at 00:08, Andy C said:

Buses are having to divert to Bowshaw and back to avoid the failed traffic lights.

 

Extra journey time which means extra fuel cost and late running. 

 

All because the council haven't bothered to do their job and clearly aren't interested in buses. 

 

It's been two weeks now!

Some faults are intermittent and don't manifest themselves constantly, they can be difficult to pin down and take time to identify.

 

Also, some faults can't be immediately rectified, specialist work needs to be done and there's a lead-in time.

 

I'm told that in this case, the fault was an intermittently faulty, buried loop detector, which is used to identify the buses and give them priority. The solution to such faults is to recut a slot in the carriageway and replace the buried loop of cable. That needs a specialist slot cutting team, who aren't normally available at the drop of a hat.

 

The detector loop is due to be recut tonight, so it should be back in operation very shortly.

 

Urban Traffic Control, who monitor the operation of traffic signals, only became aware of the reported fault on Tuesday, via  a tweet from bus operators. They've looked at it on the monitoring equipment and seen that the bus stage of the signal sequence is frequently coming in, so it doesn't appear its faulty all the time.

 

Up until Covid, the bus operators had staff embedded in Urban Traffic Control, who worked with the Council staff to ensure everything ran as well as possible for buses. Since Covid it appears the bus operators haven't provided any staff (which may be understandable, given their financial struggles). It therefore looks somewhat hypocritical to point the finger at the Council and accuse them of not being interested.

[Mr Bloke 1,445]

8 minutes ago, Planner1 said:

Some faults are intermittent and don't manifest themselves constantly, they can be difficult to pin down and take time to identify.

 

Also, some faults can't be immediately rectified, specialist work needs to be done and there's a lead-in time.

 

I'm told that in this case, the fault was an intermittently faulty, buried loop detector, which is used to identify the buses and give them priority. The solution to such faults is to recut a slot in the carriageway and replace the buried loop of cable. That needs a specialist slot cutting team, who aren't normally available at the drop of a hat.

 

The detector loop is due to be recut tonight, so it should be back in operation very shortly.

 

Urban Traffic Control, who monitor the operation of traffic signals, only became aware of the reported fault on Tuesday, via  a tweet from bus operators. They've looked at it on the monitoring equipment and seen that the bus stage of the signal sequence is frequently coming in, so it doesn't appear its faulty all the time.

 

Up until Covid, the bus operators had staff embedded in Urban Traffic Control, who worked with the Council staff to ensure everything ran as well as possible for buses. Since Covid it appears the bus operators haven't provided any staff (which may be understandable, given their financial struggles). It therefore looks somewhat hypocritical to point the finger at the Council and accuse them of not being interested.

I'm loving the idea that the Council has a 'specialist slot cutting team'!

 

It makes you wonder just what other 'specialist teams' they have...

[Planner1 442]

30 minutes ago, Mr Bloke said:

I'm loving the idea that the Council has a 'specialist slot cutting team'!

They're specialist contractors who get brought in by Amey, the maintenance contractor. They do diamond drilling etc too.

[Jeffrey Shaw 93]

On 22/03/2022 at 14:51, spilldig said:

It wasn't fair for everyone because council tax is not a progressive tax.

There wasn't Council Tax when fares were subsidised.

[spilldig 190]

17 hours ago, Jeffrey Shaw said:

There wasn't Council Tax when fares were subsidised.

Yes I know but if I had said rates someone would have corrected me that it is called council tax so that is why I said council tax but away  from that the poll tax or for your benefit, the community charge, or whatever, I am sure you know what I mean, was the fairest way of all except that some people objected to paying anything at all.

[Ridgewalk 103]

On 14/03/2022 at 15:23, ECCOnoob said:

Not particularly.

 

For most regular bus users there are multitude of travel passes available for unlimited daily or weekly use where the equivalent single fare will break down much less than that.

 

Even for casual users, First Bus for example have one day tickets for unlimited day travel at £4.70. Breaking that down, I doubt the even the most expensive one-way ticket in Sheffield or South Yorkshire areas will be much more than £2, even if they are, that's up to peoples choice whether they want to pay the rack rate or go for some sort of other option.

 

Just seems a load of Burnham showboating to me.  Load of Fanfare for not a lot of results. Look at me... look at me... we are just like London with our capped fares. The man is deluded and seems to think he's Mayor of London or worse a faux Prime Minister making real important decisions.

Calm down dear. He is Mayor of the biggest city in the north of England and probably second city in the UK.  It’s about time someone stood up for the poorest and working people. Good luck to him

[HeHasRisen 3,412]

The "poorest and working people" arent stupid enough to buy £4.50 (for example) single journeys on buses to begin with.

Edited March 26, 2022 by HeHasRisen

[driver151 27]

4 hours ago, LovePotion said:

Do the trams actually make a profit? They cost a lot to run & can be very empty, especially the ones to Herdings Park.  They require a lot of infastrufture but don't benefit a significant amount of people in the city, e.g., those living in Whirlow, Ringinglow, Bents Green, Lodge Moor, Crookes, Bradfield, Handsworth, Woodhouse, Ballifield, Richmond, Broomhill, Hunter's Bar, Woodseats. They must also loose money on busier services as I was on one on Tuesday and the conductress didn't make it beyond the first carriage until we arrived at Valley Centertainment, and I got on at Cathedral. They should do what Nottingham trams do, have ticket machines on the platform, you put your coins in and take your ticket before you get on the tram, anyone found to have no ticket or mobility card gets a penalty or prosecution from the Revenue Officers on board and at platforms. Alas though, if EccoNoob of this forum's predictions are right, the whole of the city centre is going to move to the Moor soon, rendering the trams useless for many jourmeys, as they aren't able to run anywhere near there. 

 

Perhaps the money saved from maintaining the infastructure could help to subsidise bus fares if the PTE would oblige. First bus do well to maintain a good service and now offer WiFi and more comfortable buses, customer service has improved as well. I recall a bus driver years ago, who, whenever a child would ring the bell more than once, he'd slam his foot down on the brakes for everytime someome pressed it, quite amusing really.  Andrew Burnham is a goon, a mask loving goon. 

 

No they don't really make the money that Stagecoach expect, its been held up by council subsidy's and big events ie football match's, tramlines and some other events where the tram is the main mode of transport, the Rumour going Round the staff at the moment and has been hinted at by the higher ups that Stagecoach will be giving up the tram at the end of there contact in 2024, They has been a mention it maybe sooner as stagecoach are in a takeover by a german bank/asset Firm, But there would be a fine they would have to pay which maybe worth it in the long fun for the company,

[Annie Bynnol 614]

The tram concession is operated by Stagecoach who maintain and operate the Supertram network until 2024. They only paid £1.2million for it. The infrastructure and  £80million debt is owned by  the Councils of South Yorkshire at cost of 5p per house per week. There is nothing to sell. Like every other light rail/tram network in the UK there is no profit to be made.

 

As an asset the tram has other benefits than just carrying passengers which have been listed many times before. 

As Nottingham has been mentioned, their trams although newer are very inferior in passenger comfort-we also had 'pay before you board' system which was abandoned in favour of having conductors. 

 

Posters have an odd view of the geography of Sheffield if they think that the population of Ringinglow (two buses a day from Sheffield) and Wyming Brook(no buses) are significant in planning a transport system.

The University tram stop is partly in Broomhill.

 

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Annie Bynnol

[Planner1 442]

4 hours ago, LovePotion said:

Alas though, if EccoNoob of this forum's predictions are right, the whole of the city centre is going to move to the Moor soon, rendering the trams useless for many jourmeys, as they aren't able to run anywhere near there. 

 

Perhaps the money saved from maintaining the infastructure could help to subsidise bus fares if the PTE would oblige. 

So, if I'm reading correctly, you're saying because the tram doesn't go near the Moor it should be scrapped?

 

There wouldn't be any savings on maintaining infrastructure because all of it would need to be decommissioned and removed. You've clearly not considered that fact. Luckily the PTE have, because they bid to government for the money to refurbish the tram system and had to calculate the cost of decommissioning it. If I recall correctly it was getting on towards £200 million.

 

So where do you think that money is coming from?

[Planner1 442]

18 minutes ago, Annie Bynnol said:

we also had 'pay before you board' system which was abandoned in favour of having conductors. 

Exactly right. 

They were abandoned because:

(a) people said they didn't understand the system, which involved buying a ticket from one machine (or off site vendors) and "validating" it in another machine.

(b) The machines were getting vandalised and even stolen to get at the cash inside. Pay and display parking machines have the same problem, which is one reason why operators and Councils want us to use electronic payments.