tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post6618440753824029117..comments2024-03-18T23:11:58.780+00:00Comments on Plymothian Transit: Mayflower Coach Stationdidbygrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01858408719372985035noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-29729113549340017992016-08-20T21:36:08.885+01:002016-08-20T21:36:08.885+01:00Looking at the video of the coach station again, I...Looking at the video of the coach station again, I can see the point about coaches reversing - it may be repeating the mistake made with the original design of Tavistock bus station. It would also not be difficult to have a bit more glass roofing so that passengers can move from the waiting room to the coach without getting wet. Railway stations were designed with canopies for just that reason.<br /><br />Instead of having a car park in the bottom half, there would be room for either a bus station for the longer-distance service buses or drop-off points for visiting coaches.Keithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-23171397547205845552016-08-19T19:11:43.160+01:002016-08-19T19:11:43.160+01:00Anything is better than Bretonside which has been ...Anything is better than Bretonside which has been allowed to decay to such a level that is has become an embarrassment to the City and what we are trying to project. If the "New" coach station is a temporary fix then fine but lets have some serious long term thinking to provide a 21st century solution to attract travelling coach services to visit Plymouth regularly and bring in much needed outside spending.Roy Robertsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-44935629546574951452014-03-30T18:01:57.941+01:002014-03-30T18:01:57.941+01:00Do we really need another 400 parking spaces? Pl...Do we really need another 400 parking spaces? Plymouth City Council have approximately 1500 spaces, Drake Circus 1270 and now the proposed 400 for the Bretonside devolopment. There are no proposals for a Bus Station, the Council should be encouraging bus travel into the city centre to ease congestion. I agree with Petras message abput the proposed Coach station and looking at the entrance I am sure double deckers wouldn't have access.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-19881050166919985302014-03-28T10:05:30.934+00:002014-03-28T10:05:30.934+00:00Aside from the location, I would question whether ...Aside from the location, I would question whether the internal layout is workable. It looks to me rather typical of the work of developers, who place coaches from above, like toys on a play mat. To drive a coach in and out, en route to Penanze or London will involve reversals in quite a tight rectangular space. If there are coaches parked up on layover, as well as some on stand, it will be a real struggle. A rectangle of this, apparent, size provides a poor layout for manoeuvring. Far better to use diagonals. And better still to avoid conflict with cars on the approach roads.<br /><br />About the only thing that I do like is the overhead sign - reminiscent of Winchester bus station, which itself is about to be demolised!Petras409https://www.blogger.com/profile/04036674245734936601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-86059154328329040902014-03-27T22:24:12.264+00:002014-03-27T22:24:12.264+00:00I agree that Colin Campbell would have been a bett...I agree that Colin Campbell would have been a better choice, but this has been on and off for more years than Bretonside development has! If and when they can get something going down there then it would open up the whole of the City Centre and give people a reason to venture down to the lower 'independent quarter'. I guess that as Bretonside is now starting off and the money will be available and the Mayflower site is already owned and available as the car park need to be demolished anyway it makes sense to proceed and stick the coach station there rather than wait to see when / if anything ever gets going at Colin Campbell. didbygrahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858408719372985035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-21110604900117979232014-03-27T21:04:36.331+00:002014-03-27T21:04:36.331+00:00It looks quite good, but it is small. Two concern...It looks quite good, but it is small. Two concerns. First, how safe will it be on busy days, with passengers walking around and conflicting coach movements? Second, will car park queues affect entry to and exit from the coach station?Midlandernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-7460420703480600002014-03-27T20:15:31.027+00:002014-03-27T20:15:31.027+00:00There is one large dilapidated area waiting for re...There is one large dilapidated area waiting for redevelopment, Colin Campbell Court. I have seen so many people suggest this location for the new Coach Station. Plus there were plans to redevelop it years ago, the owners I think would be very receptive. However there were problems with compulsory purchase orders for some of the buildings being thrown out by the Planning Inspector. I feel the Mayflower location is too out of the way and the buildings backing on to the coach station carpark are some of the worst to look at. From the staircases you can see in the north west corner it seems obvious they are not planning to knock down these buildings. <br />https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.372682,-4.14371,3a,75y,230.94h,83.4t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s7_IdclD4IFicsArfGz95vg!2e0<br />Will be almost as good as the train station:<br />https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.377224,-4.143629,3a,75y,208.87h,94.79t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1ssVvrAUkgnjcefN2b3TpS0w!2e0<br />Welcome to Plymouth, home of dilapidated concrete.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-1257666369533958032014-03-27T20:05:05.347+00:002014-03-27T20:05:05.347+00:00It's nonsense to bring long distance express c...It's nonsense to bring long distance express coaches into a city centre which is plagued by traffic congestion on a good day. Better a site similar to the George junction was constructed in the old marshaling yards at Marsh Mills, just a couple of minutes off the A38 with a frequent bus link to the city. Would easily take 45 minutes off a Penzance to London journey. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-24284951150548498462014-03-27T17:30:21.825+00:002014-03-27T17:30:21.825+00:00I was more thinking about Plymouth Railway Station...I was more thinking about Plymouth Railway Station, rather than the bus station!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-26850553720799223082014-03-27T16:09:02.654+00:002014-03-27T16:09:02.654+00:00The trouble with the bottom end of town is there i...The trouble with the bottom end of town is there is nothing there now to draw shoppers there. The market is a shadow of its former self - but need not be - but even a revitalised market will not draw shoppers if it is not supported by other attractive shops nearby. The most westerly branch of a major chain is WH Smith's - and I am quite surprised that they didn't look for new premises in the Drake Circus area.<br /><br />The real blighting feature, though, is the large empty Co-op department store. Now if John Lewis could be persuaded to move in there (a very big ‘if’) - and Argos could go to allow the Royal Parade frontage to be restored to the department store - the rest of the city centre would then lie between two strong anchors.<br /><br />Which leaves buses and coaches. Unless I have missed something, there doesn’t seem to be a new bus station in the plans, only a coach station. If the car park area could be used for public transport, the site looks big enough for a bus and a coach station - and knocking a shop down to widen the entrance would make access for large coaches quite easy. I imagine the main pedestrian entrance would be through to Armada Way with the booking office, waiting room and cafe there. A pedestrian route through to Royal Parade would be useful, too.<br /><br />But both projected developments look interesting.<br /><br />Keith<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-55777758083031033742014-03-27T14:20:54.771+00:002014-03-27T14:20:54.771+00:00The Mayflower Coach Station idea seems to be an ex...The Mayflower Coach Station idea seems to be an exact copy of what Winchester is in the process of getting rid of!<br /><br />This new proposed coach station seems to be a bit of a half-hearted job IMO. I guess the council want to release the land at Bretonside for more lucrative things, and sticking a smaller coach station in the wheelie bin store / service alley behind Mayflower Street seems like cheaper compromise, towards having no coach station at all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-39066548537865988032014-03-27T14:06:19.704+00:002014-03-27T14:06:19.704+00:00Bretonside is a dump but only because no PROPER mo...Bretonside is a dump but only because no PROPER money has every been spent on it. If there was proper political want (which face it, there never is when it comes to transport. I suspect these plans have only come to light as there's an election on its way and/or selling the land raises a quick buck), then Bretonside could have been made fully accessible and integrated with Drake Circus from the off.<br /><br />The buildings under the viaduct are not structurally integral and could easily be demolished, the shell sealed and proper enclosed waiting facilities erected, likewise lifts could easily be installed to link all levels. <br /><br />If necessary an upper deck level with the viaduct could be built to accommodate either local buses or retail, or if not then shelters/canopy with RTI can be provided on the lower level. <br /><br />A station controller/passenger assistant could be employed to patrol the area.<br /><br />There is nothing intrinsically wrong with Bretonside except that is been allowed to decay. It seems that chucking money at new projects is easier than looking after what you already have. Once this spanking new coach station has been built, how longer before the budget cuts mean it becomes another neglected Bretonside?Plymothianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05248948976442668300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-85175302713968982192014-03-27T13:16:34.429+00:002014-03-27T13:16:34.429+00:00After Drakes Circus opened footfall dropped dramat...After Drakes Circus opened footfall dropped dramatically in the West end of town (by at least 60%). The closure of any remaining large stores (Littlewoods, Woolworths and Derrys) has since caused footfall to drop even further and I'm afraid that people who park at Drakes Circus simply do not walk down to the West End - it's too far (especially when it's raining) and unfortunately there are now few shops down there worth visiting. I can see the Bretonside development making this situation even worse - 400 more parking spaces just across the road from Drakes Circus and a loss of quite a few parking spaces from the Mayflower West car park is hardly a help to the West End. Also the coach station is unlikely to bring in many additional shoppers. However I do agree that something needs to be done to Bretonside - it's an appalling gateway to the city. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-76647837884354386322014-03-27T13:00:55.779+00:002014-03-27T13:00:55.779+00:00Not sure if all of this development will kill off ...Not sure if all of this development will kill off more of the City Centre. Its bringing much needed investment in the bottom end of town. If the new drakes circus development brings more people in to the city centre then they might just wander down to the bottom end of town. I guess what is really needed is the much promised development of the bottom quarter of town. That would balance things up a bit. <br />I am not so sure about the comparison with Exeter though. Is Bretonside bus station any less central than Exeter Bus Station? It is used a lot better though! didbygrahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858408719372985035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-83312206182355330422014-03-27T12:47:52.527+00:002014-03-27T12:47:52.527+00:00In an ideal world I think a proper transport inter...In an ideal world I think a proper transport interchange at North Road would be great, but its just not in a convenient location, as its too far from the City Centre. I see where you are coming from re the closed nature of the site, but its still a lot better than Bretonside. didbygrahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858408719372985035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-28725640960545089062014-03-27T12:23:54.231+00:002014-03-27T12:23:54.231+00:00I like the idea of Mayflower coach station, but su...I like the idea of Mayflower coach station, but surely if this happens then its going to kill more of the City Centre. Ever since Drake Circus was built the City Centre has been slowly killed off, I think these plans will only make it worse! The problem is with Plymouth, the train station is a fair distance from the City Centre, and the current bus station is home to the druggies and weirdo's!! Its not like Exeter which has a central station in the City Centre!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11828686.post-8000337308486645242014-03-27T11:57:37.091+00:002014-03-27T11:57:37.091+00:00Love the retro sign - (Bournemouth c 1935). Seriou...Love the retro sign - (Bournemouth c 1935). Seriously, I think the design is pretty average - the 'glass-box' boarding area is disconnected from the ticket / waiting area and something more integrated is needed here. Plymouth isn't exactly renowned for sunny days. The enclosed nature of the site with the surrounding buildings could also be quite threatening for late-night passengers. Capacity isn't an issue as there are few touring coaches these days and not that many scheduled services either. Personally, I would have preferred a site at North Road Station in conjunction with its long hoped-for redevelopment. I think we can all agree that Bretonside is well passed its sell-by date! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com