Manchester bus franchising

[KXW212]

RE: Manchester bus franchising

(03/02/2023 10:29)Barney Wrote:  You are now conflating two issues: franchising and bus priority schemes.

Several years ago, the good people of Manchester voted against congestion charging which would have mitigated against increasing car usage but is now considering a CAZ within the the TfGM area. What do you think of this?

I have read that TfGM has already drawn up plans for extensive bus lanes and other bus priorities as soon as franchising is completed. Will this help change your view?

Regarding the decision by "St Andy" to adopt an "insipid yellow", I can only conclude that you would be amore amenable to the whole franchising debate if any other livery had been chosen which, to me, makes no sense. After all, when Arriva and Stagecoach rebranded their respective corporate images, it didn't make the buses run more efficiently.

The two are very much linked. Franchising is being sold as an 'improvement'. Sitting in the same traffic being delayed certainly isn't. One must accompany the other. The CAZ rejection was the right decision if it takes in the whole of GM. It should have applied to the city centre and Town Centres only. It may well be that there are plans for some bus priority, but there is no detail and it's years away, if it happens at all. The livery is indeed insipid, even Burnham's best mate on Merseyside has at least developed a scheme that is bright and welcoming, whatever your views are, that does encourage use.

The whole thing is driven by political dogma and soundbites, and ill thought out by amateurs. It's interesting to see how much the London model is admired, but conveniently forgotten what a total financial basket case TfL has become (an inconvenient truth). That will be the inevitable result for GM. But, by that time Burnham will be chasing further political ambitions and be long gone. A true 'seagull manager'.