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

[BLAKEY]

jim wrote: The previous machines were of the "Almex" variety, which I'm sure you must have come across in your previous career. They had none of the features I enumerate. In particular, boy could they be tampered with! They had one saving grace. They issued a ticket instantly..........By the way, in a previous existence I spent a few years maintaining B.R.s Almex machines Hello Jim,Yes I was referring to the current type of machines, and I do admire their ablility to issue virtually any ticket but it is the speed of issue, or rather lack of it, that make them totally unsuitable for the purpose on moving trains. Their big drawback seems to be the tortuous procedure for keying in the details of the desired ticket. Surely a code number for each station, rather than scrolling through all the names would help, and likewise a code number for type of ticket and railcards etc. Whatever the pros and cons though, the maximum number of tickets that can be issued by a conscientious conductor in the few minutes between say Headingley and Leeds cannot exceed seven or eight - and a credit or debit card from Burley Park just puts the tin hat on it - and so the machines are just not suitable for this particular purpose despite their admittedly commendable dexterity. Its a real problem indeed.By the way - very guilty conscience here - I'm sure I owe you an E mail reply (about Ben Rhydding ??) and if so I apologise and will see to it just as soon as I can, but at present have taken on too many things in too many areas and I'm floundering a bit.

[jim]

Hi Blakey. My e-mail didn't particularly require a reply - but I'd be happy to hear from you anyway! No sweat, no rush.

[stoptap]

The ludicrous 'pavement swells' ! Who thought of those ? Buses can't even pull into their stops because of them.The one on Eastgate and the ones in Vicar Lane brings traffic to a standstill every couple of minutes.And who has had the bright idea of removing all the barriers from inside the bus station ?????????????????????Somebody requires a damn good thrashing !

[tyke bhoy]

Loiner1960 wrote: BFor a few cyclists the number 1 bus stop will go. Now how long has that been a stop? At least 40 years if not more. The Rotunda is a cycle thingy Arrgh!! Is the number 1 stop going? It doesn’t appear to be in line for removal given the new pavement configuration which appears complete on the left/west side of Bishopgate Street. If anything there will be more room for buses when the cones and barriers are removed and it will be easier for the Number 1 to pull away as it now doesn’t need to cross what was the inside lane to get to what was the middle lane but is now the inside lane. That said there was a promise of an eastbound cycle lane from the station however unless the cyclists are going to bump down the spiral stairs from New Station Street onto Bishopgate Street I can’t see that affecting the bus stop either. Barriers were being moved to the East/North footpath this morning so it looks like this is next for realignment. Quite what realignment is possible without making the remaining two lanes even more of a bottleneck I can’t quite see and expanding it into Boar lane will cause an even bigger bottleneck there especially when two purple slugs are sat at the bus stop just before the bottom of Lower Basinghall Street.Incidentally, and there probably were other factors but at 5.15 last night traffic from Great Wilson Street trying to join Meadow Lane for access to the motorways and Dewsbury Road was being impacted by traffic queing back down Meadow Lane trying to turn right into Victoria Road(?) but unable to do so due to the nose to tail traffic at least partly due to the reduction of capacity on Bishopgate Street. In late November/December rush hour traffic that repeated will pretty soon cause Gridlock on all major roads close to and round the South East of the City Centre (Meadow Lane(both ways)/Great Wilson Street (both ways)/Hunslet Road(both ways)/CrownPoint Road/the Loop from Crown Point Bridge to City Square/Mill Hill/Boar Lane(both ways)/Park Row/Neville Street (both Ways)/Sovereign Street/Victoria Road)

[tyke bhoy]

Having seen what is likely to lead to chaos and carnage yesterday I was looking at Google Maps to see if I could illustrate it. I zoomed one step too far and thought Streetview is bang up to date http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=bishopg ... .73,,0,5It must be previous road works though. Interestingly the imagery of Bishopgate Street must be a continuation of the sweep that included Victoria Road and Neville Street and done at a completely different time as if you advance the above forward into Bishopgate Street the cones vanish.The aforementioned carnage and chaos. Well I noticed on my way home yesterday the red nobbled stones for the pedestrian area of the crossing has been completed on the West side of BGSt. Imediately to the north of this in the pavement was wooden supports which look like they will hold tarmac for the cycle path crossing from New Station Street across towards Flares and presumably then continue on to Boar Lane encouraging cyclists not to travel the wrong way on New Station Street. I would think though the majority of pedestians exiting the station for Boar lane would go along the path against traffic flow down New Station Street. This means the majority of pedestrians crossing BGSt eastwards would immediatley after cut north towards Park Row cutting across the cyclists heading for Boar lane hence my "chaos and carnage"

[tyke bhoy]

The bus took a new approach this morning through Hunslet along Hunslet Road and Great Wilson Street with a left turn onto Meadow Lane. Only it didn't quite manage the left turn into Meadow Lane at the first attempt. The queues on Neville Street and Victoria Road wee back so far that traffic trying to turn right into it from Meadow Lane to head back towards City Square had little chance of merging and because of this at 8:25 the queue in the right haand lane of meadow Lane was back to where Great Wilson street dissects it

[Keg]

The loop road ( in my humble opinion) seems to have created more issues than it has solved.I really hope that the powers that be do not introduce a congestion charge. I think this really would make the silent majority rise up and look at everything from demonstrations to boycotting the city centre completely.

[Reginal Perrin]

I don't understand all the bus and taxi only lanes. Well not buses, I get that but why taxis? They are merely a private car hired for a journey by a punter why should they get preferential treatment and why ahead of private hire?

[Cardiarms]

I think the idea is to encourage people to leave their car at home.

[chameleon]

Reginal Perrin wrote: I don't understand all the bus and taxi only lanes. Well not buses, I get that but why taxis? They are merely a private car hired for a journey by a punter why should they get preferential treatment and why ahead of private hire? I have often wondered if a study has ever been undertaken to determine the (effectively) additional polution and congestion created by taxis and private hire vehicles travelling to and from pick-up and drop pff points, when as is going to be the case for a proportion of the time, they are not transporting anyone anywhere.