Have Our Transport Planners Lost the Plot? (If indeed they ever found one)

[tyke bhoy]

1001st postthe lines have been repainted on Bishopgate St overnight which involves a slight advancement of the stop line and a cycle buffer zone. A cycle lane has been included up the inside for any kami-kaze cyclists who may wish to use it. Because the old middle and therefore new inside lane will be full of traffic wanting Aire Street or Wellington Street anyone in the cycle lane will need to be aware of traffic cutting across them as soon as it enters city square. No evidence of this cycle lane complimenting the cycle point in the station or the promised eastbound access to boar lane (other than the buffer zone).Meanwhile courtesy of the logjam all this has caused. The outside lane of Meadow lane southbound was completely blocked tonight because there was a queue of traffic wanting to double back onto Victoria Road all the way back to Great Wilson street. I also note from Chameleon's comments on the Taxi drivers thread the powers that be at LCC have effectively reduced another part of the loop from 3 to 2 lanes.They encouraged traffic onto the loop it now looks like they are trying to make the loop an obstacle course.

[raveydavey]

tyke bhoy wrote: 1001st postthe lines have been repainted on Bishopgate St overnight which involves a slight advancement of the stop line and a cycle buffer zone. A cycle lane has been included up the inside for any kami-kaze cyclists who may wish to use it. Because the old middle and therefore new inside lane will be full of traffic wanting Aire Street or Wellington Street anyone in the cycle lane will need to be aware of traffic cutting across them as soon as it enters city square. No evidence of this cycle lane complimenting the cycle point in the station or the promised eastbound access to boar lane (other than the buffer zone).Meanwhile courtesy of the logjam all this has caused. The outside lane of Meadow lane southbound was completely blocked tonight because there was a queue of traffic wanting to double back onto Victoria Road all the way back to Great Wilson street. I also note from Chameleon's comments on the Taxi drivers thread the powers that be at LCC have effectively reduced another part of the loop from 3 to 2 lanes.They encouraged traffic onto the loop it now looks like they are trying to make the loop an obstacle course. All of which supports the theory that the Council are doing their best to engineer as much congestion as possible into the cities roads.You really couldn't make it up!

[LS1]

I agree with your comments about the problems this has caused at the top of Bishopgate Street.I would say though the extra pavement that has been created doesn't half help with the pedestrians coming out of the station.I've always found it crazy that all the people that come out of the station are filtered into a narrow track down the side of the Queens,- hardly anyone comes out the other way near Majestyk onto Aire Street as no-one wants to go to that part of town really.This coupled with a small island to stand on was really crazy so to these ends it has eased the problem. What I do think was that there could have been a much better way to sort this, perhaps making pedestrians walk down new station street/ walkways - or even an underground under the road into City Square. Anything to keep the three lanes that have been robbed, yes robbed from us!

[tyke bhoy]

More proof that they lost the plot. Agreed the Headrow need closing in front of the Town Hall for the Xmas Lights switch on but to do it at/or before 5.00pm on a weeknight is beyond idiocy.I was on bus that left Millenium square bound for city square. Dog leg off in front of the infirmary down between the courts, onto the Headrow divertted back up the side of the town hall onto Great George Street up to Albion Street right turn onto Albion Street, Right turn onto theHeadrow and then finally back on course down Park Row.courtesy of M621 roadworks Neville street is shafted then the M621 eastbound from junction 3 resembles a car park. finally off the M621 at junction7 almost immediately join a mile long queue on the A61 because UTC have failed to fix the traffic lights at the junction with Wood Lane. Finally through those and join another car park like queue in Robin Hood because UTC can't/won't fix the lights at the junction of the A61 and Sharpe Lane/rant

[raveydavey]

LS1 wrote: I agree with your comments about the problems this has caused at the top of Bishopgate Street.I would say though the extra pavement that has been created doesn't half help with the pedestrians coming out of the station.I've always found it crazy that all the people that come out of the station are filtered into a narrow track down the side of the Queens,- hardly anyone comes out the other way near Majestyk onto Aire Street as no-one wants to go to that part of town really.This coupled with a small island to stand on was really crazy so to these ends it has eased the problem. What I do think was that there could have been a much better way to sort this, perhaps making pedestrians walk down new station street/ walkways - or even an underground under the road into City Square. Anything to keep the three lanes that have been robbed, yes robbed from us! Why not divert the pedestrian traffic along the pavement of New Station Street and straight onto Albion Street or Boar Lane there?Would have been easier, cheaper and not involved ruining the traffic flow, but oddly ignored...

[Cardiarms]

Wasn't somebody told that there's a ready made subway to the St John's Centre, you think they could use that.

[Barwicker]

Waiting yesterday (30 November) at stand C on Infirmary Street for the seemingly nonexistent No 64 to Barwick my eye was caught by the electronic "departures" box. This was proudly announcing that there would be "changes"to Bus Services on October 31st. This was about as much use as the many out of date adverts displayed in buses.Integrated Transport Authority? I bet they think it has something to do with moving cheese.

[Misc]

The information on those electronic departures screens is generally entirely fictitious. They are another excuse for First (lol) to run whatever "services" they see fit with no relationship to the timetable. I waited for 45 minutes a few weeks ago on Elland Road for a bus up to Morley, there should have been about five or six in that period according to the timetable. Then the one that finally appeared was "early" (!!!) so sat and idled in various stops. It also costs £1.90 to go to the top of Churwell Hill from the stop near Jewsons, which is absolutly extortionate, ditto paying that to get off the bus at Great Wilson Street going the other way. If you are travelling at peak time a day ticket is £4.20 I think. I'm voting with my feet and walking up to Morley now, but obviously it's quite time consuming (and can be hard work with a baby).Me and my other half both work in town and it's cheaper for us to go in the car, including paying to park, than us going on the bus! First's monopoly needs to be broken, the fares are getting towards the point where it's not worth going to work for part time workers on modest wages.

[cnosni]

Misc wrote: The information on those electronic departures screens is generally entirely fictitious. They are another excuse for First (lol) to run whatever "services" they see fit with no relationship to the timetable. I waited for 45 minutes a few weeks ago on Elland Road for a bus up to Morley, there should have been about five or six in that period according to the timetable. Then the one that finally appeared was "early" (!!!) so sat and idled in various stops. It also costs £1.90 to go to the top of Churwell Hill from the stop near Jewsons, which is absolutly extortionate, ditto paying that to get off the bus at Great Wilson Street going the other way. If you are travelling at peak time a day ticket is £4.20 I think. I'm voting with my feet and walking up to Morley now, but obviously it's quite time consuming (and can be hard work with a baby).Me and my other half both work in town and it's cheaper for us to go in the car, including paying to park, than us going on the bus! First's monopoly needs to be broken, the fares are getting towards the point where it's not worth going to work for part time workers on modest wages. And therein lies the proble,private ownership of public transport and high fares to boot,just like the railways.Im not anti private sector,but i think public transport should be fully controlled by a public body,with subsidised cheap fares and frequent services.On paper that would appear costly,but the improvement on all our lives would far outweigh the monetary cost.Sometimes you gotta speculate to accumulate.

[raveydavey]

Mrs ravey had to get the train yesterday (see my post on the Snow thread) and unbelievably, it's cheaper to get a train from Leeds to Crossgates (£1.65 vs £1.90) than a bus.Plus the train only takes 8 minutes...