Manchester Bee Network

[mikestone]

RE: Manchester Bee Network
Good to see the extra to get train or tram added to bus now makes more sense - it used to be that you got the whole Greater Manchester Rail Network for far less than the add-on for the tram.

[Mikeonthebuses]

RE: Manchester Bee Network
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.

[Mrboo]

RE: Manchester Bee Network
They are more likely to cut services over adding more. things like the 400 were cut for a reason as far more easy to be run as short routes with the 400 with it being limitd stop was there a market for people to go from Stockport to Bolton when it was faster to go into Manchester. so most passengers can still do the trip with a change at Ashton or Rochdale. there also like the 83 that been broke up due to poor time keeping.

[Mikeonthebuses]

RE: Manchester Bee Network

(09/10/2021 09:14)Mrboo Wrote:  They are more likely to cut services over adding more. things like the 400 were cut for a reason as far more easy to be run as short routes with the 400 with it being limitd stop was there a market for people to go from Stockport to Bolton when it was faster to go into Manchester. so most passengers can still do the trip with a change at Ashton or Rochdale. there also like the 83 that been broke up due to poor time keeping.

The network can't be reduced any more than is it already. With the 400 route idea, it would reinstate the much-demanded connection between Bury and Oldham which has been lost whilst providing a better access from Oldham to Fairfield Hospital which is pain in backside to get to from other parts of Greater Manchester

[knutstransport]

RE: Manchester Bee Network
I think the 288 route needs reviewing. The merged route was really for operational convenience following D&G being awarded both Altrincham-Manchester Airport and Altrincham-East Didsbury contracts. Normal passengers aren't going to use it to get from East Didsbury to Manchester Airport but there's of other routes which Altrincham-Manchester Airport could be tagged on to, to create more useful through services.

[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).

[Mikeonthebuses]

RE: Manchester Bee Network

(12/10/2021 17:09)SF07 Wrote:  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).

I was thinking something along this could work well merging the 584 with 126 to create a new 584 between Crankwood and Trafford Centre to provide a better range of services to crankwood. also, this would then see the 132 being renumbered to the 585. I would curtail the 583 from Shakerley to extend that route to Logistics north. I have previously heavily worked on the Wigan and Leigh networks mainly the 600 series routes which I can provide a full list of my proposed ideas. I'm basically recycling the 1986 numbering system and making the relevant changes needed to fit the modern greater Manchester and I'm reducing the duplication of routes by working around the areas that need a service but often forgotten.

I agree with you we need two circular routes for Manchester the Inner Circular and The Outer CIircular

[Mikeonthebuses]

RE: Manchester Bee Network

(08/10/2021 13:14)KXW212 Wrote:  According to the latest GMCA Transport committee meeting minutes 39257 will be undertaking a 'tour' of the 10 GM boroughs to promote/inform about the proposed 'Bee Network'. No precise details were given.

The full list of the tour dates are now available on TFGM under Destination Bee Network.

I would like to see how the bus stations events will work as Imagine they will have to close the stand for the event to take place which I think is mad idea why does the event have to held inside a bus station. for example the Oldham event will take out Stand M for the full day and stand M is in the quietest bus stations in term of passenger numbers and will displace the services 81/425 for the day.