Mayflower Street Improvements

Planned improvements to bus facilities in the city centre look set to start next week.

New bus shelters will be installed at the bus stops on Mayflower Street, which will be widened to improve traffic flow.

More space is going to be created for the buses to use. The scheme will see:

• A new bus stopping area with extra space to drop off passengers
• There are currently two bus stops and one shelter. The new scheme will have two bus shelters and bus stops with space for three buses
• Kerb adjusted to widen the road so that buses and cars can pass by when other buses have stopped
• Street furniture removed if surplus and relocated where necessary
• Disabled bay relocated – with details to be confirmed later
• Eight car parking spaces removed.

The work is being carried out to create more bus stops in the city centre ahead of major changes to the layout of Royal Parade. Some bus services – yet to be decided – will be moved to Mayflower Street permanently rather than Royal Parade to create more space and cut congestion on Royal Parade. It should also help improve air quality as fewer buses will be queuing for space.

These improvements are funded by the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund which is costing £615,000.

Traffic orders have been submitted for when the work is carried out as well as changes to traffic management after the work.

The enabling works get underway from Tuesday 1 November to 11 November and will see trenching for Western Power electricity diversions under two-way traffic lights. Four car parking spaces will be removed and the disabled parking space relocated to the end of the remaining parking spaces opposite The Early Bird.The work will be carried out in five phases

Councillor Jonathan Drean, Cabinet Member for Transport said: “We are talking to the City Centre Company, businesses – including the Copthorne Hotel – about the plans and hope to work with them on any issues they raise.

“Plymouth has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2030 so we need to encourage more people to get out of their cars and use public transport when travelling to and from the city centre. This work once complete will help alleviate congestion on Royal Parade as well as emissions build up as fewer buses will be using the bays on Royal Parade.

“We recognise that all these changes are coming in a relatively short period of time. Much of the timing is beyond our control – we’ve had a combination of the pandemic, supply issues and tight government funding time tables which means we have to do a lot of projects in the next six months or so. These changes will be worth it.”

Full article: https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/improvements-bus-facilities-mayflower-street

Library copy

Plymouth Citybus are diverting a few of their services:

SWH will be undertaking essential highway improvement works on Mayflower Street and surrounding junctions, on behalf of Plymouth City Council. The Mayflower Street Improvement Scheme will commence on Tuesday 1st November 2022 with a provisional completion date of Friday 19th May 2023.

During these works, there will be a number of diversions in place, as follows:

Bus services towards the City Centre from North Hill and Charles Street will operate via Cobourg Street, North Cross and Western Approach.

Passengers will be able to use the bus stop on Cobourg Street (closest) or at the other end of Mayflower Street as alternative stops.

Service 61 heading towards Mayflower Street/City Centre from Pennycomequick/Saltash Road Rail Station will operate via North Cross Roundabout and Western Approach to Royal Parade.

©Jos Van Hemert

Mayflower Street 1988!

In and Out

With so many new double decker's entering service in Plymouth over the last year or so, its easy to forget just how rare new double deckers have been down here for many years. One batch delivered back in 1992 have always been popular K801-4ORL the very smart and comfortable Volvo Olympians new to Western National for use on the X80. It was a fitting tribute to these fine buses that K803ORL was in use on the last day of that service. Sadly all good things come to an end and today we hear confirmation that the first of the batch 34001 K801ORL went to scrap a couple of weeks ago.
February 2011
But, like I said there are plenty of new double decker's in Plymouth these days. The next batch of Enviros for Plymouth Citybus have started to arrive with 509 WF63LYT 510 WF63LYU delivered yesterday and 511 WF63LYV and 512 WF63LYW due today, the others following 2 each day.

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Plymothian Transit Fleetlists:  Plymouth Citybus

City centre Traffic Management

"Plymouth has always been a congestion-free city and one of its key strengths is free-flowing traffic” dbg Elsewhere... Citybus sale - Timeline (work in progress!) Others... Omnibuses2.0 So who’s next TGP Weathering Tom New FDC Enviro model bus

Plymouth City Council news item from 21st May: City centre traders and Plymouth Citybus have given a big thumbs-up to road layout changes at Drake Circus which have dramatically improved traffic flow during their first few months. Plymouth City Council introduced a trial order in February in a bid to reduce congestion around the busy shopping centre and help get traffic moving through Cobourg Street and Charles Street. Since opening just over two years ago Drake Circus has exceeded its visitor targets by more than three million and routes into the shopping centre have been much busier than originally expected, particularly at the weekend. The Council has been carrying out a detailed review of long-term traffic management arrangements along this key transport route but introduced the experimental order to help alleviate the problem of congestion in the short term. The right-hand turn from Cobourg Street into Mayflower Street, which had previously been used only by buses, was opened up to all vehicles and the right-hand lane into Drake Circus from Charles Street was closed off to prevent queues which were being caused by motorists blocking the box junction behind it. Motorists travelling from North Hill or North Cross now have to travel around Charles Cross roundabout and back up Charles Street to access Drake Circus but traffic is now flowing much more freely, making it quicker and easier to get into the car park. Traffic flow has improved so much in Charles Street that most of the Citybus services that were rerouted via Western Approach or Bretonside viaduct to avoid delays are to have their original routes reinstated from Sunday 14 June. These are: Services 23 and 24 Services 28, 28A and 28B Service 35 Services 50 and 50A Services 61, 62 and 62A Services 20 and 20A from Woodford in Plympton and 40 and 41 from Southway will continue to operate via North Road East and Western Approach. Councillor Kevin Wigens, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: "The new road layout has definitely cut the amount of congestion around Drake Circus and helped vehicles move through the area much more quickly and smoothly. If these improvements continue over the next three months we will look to introduce a full Traffic Regulation Order to make the arrangements permanent.” Frank Elford, owner of Frank Elford Sports in Mayflower Street said: "The right-hand turn was brought back to reduce congestion and it is has done this, along with increasing the trade in the street. It’s great that the Council has listened to us and has been proactive with this decision." Katherine Lee from The Cutting Garden hair salon, also in Mayflower Street, added: "Plymouth has always been a congestion-free city and one of its key strengths is free-flowing traffic. Now we are able to keep it that way. The Council has been forward-thinking with this approach and we welcome this. Now lets just have a look at that last bit again… "Plymouth has always been a congestion-free city and one of its key strengths is free-flowing traffic. Now we are able to keep it that way.” Really? I think most people in Plymouth would find this last statement a bit odd to say the least! Interestingly this last bit was left off from the news item as reported in This is Plymouth Citybus have announced these changes, along with one or two other minor adjustments to mainly school services on their web site here (pdf) Personally I am sad that the 50 is reverting to the old route as it save a few yards walking to get to Bretonside, but I know most people prefer the old route.

A natural split?

""There's almost nothing left on Armada Way apart from Dingles.” Elsewhere: What the penguin likes Cracking Granite Trouble for National Express?

Following on neatly from my ‘Quiet Sunday’ posting comes the suggestion that the City Centre should be split in two!  This is Plymouth : PLYMOUTH is likely to end up with TWO city centres polarised around Drake Circus mall and the West End's 'independent sector', top retail figures have suggested. It means new uses should be sought for the area in the middle around Armada Way, which is becoming a 'wasteland' as businesses close or move. Empty shops should be turned into housing or used as restaurants and cafes, it is suggested. "We will end up with two city centres," predicted Business Improvement District Ambassador Richard Brewster. "There's almost nothing left on Armada Way apart from Dingles. [archived] It is certainly an interesting debate which needs to be had but I cant see the are in between being used for housing somehow. They do need to find something to start to fill the gap between the two ends of the centre though. The large square is great when there are events and other attractions going on, but a on a wet day with nothing going on this area is a wasteland and a real pain in the neck as its really exposed to the wind and the rain going straight up through Armada Way. Maybe this could be the answer to replacing Bretonside? or bringing the buses off Royal Parade and into Armada Way closer into the City Centre? Plenty of reasons why not I guess but its a thought!

Plymouth Citybus have another advert

Thanks to Ian Kirby (Iantherev) I can bring this photo of the latest advert for Plymouth Citybus, and its the first Citaro to be used in this way. 84 in quite a pleasant advert for Academy Training.

Click the link above to see more of the Revs photos from his visit to Plymouth.

North cross is best site for bus terminus - Discuss!

THE bus station at Bretonside should be moved to North Cross roundabout, next to the main Plymouth rail station, says architect David Mackay. The sunken centre of the roundabout could be covered over with a landscaped roof which pedestrians would walk across to reach Armada Way and the city centre, the Barcelona architect said.

North cross is best site for bus terminus

MMM...

Mackays idea is certainly one which should be looked at as it is clear he has put some thought into it and it is fairly close to both the City Centre and the Railway Station, although probably not close enough to either to be of much benefit! Space wise it might, with very clever planning be big enough for the main bus stops and possibly National Express services although its hard to see how this could be achieved just looking at this site from above like this. This whole area is pretty much wasted space as it stands at the moment.
Personally I dont think this will happen. Plymouth desperately needs a new bus station but I have yet to see a better place for it than the current Bretonside site. Drakes Circus was a missed opportunity in this regard as something imaginative could have been sorted out then, but it wasnt to be. There could be possibilities down around the Colin Campbell Court end of the City Centre which is in need of major development?

Towering Plymouth

The Civic Centre stands out in Plymouth as one of the few high rise buildings in the City. As the future of this building is under discussion at the moment there is news coming through that it could soon be dwarfed.

Plans for one of Plymouth's biggest buildings have taken another step forward with the announcement that it will be even taller.The massive £75 million Oceanique tower project at Derry's Cross was to have been 24 floors high, but it will now rise to 30 floors.A detailed planning application has been submitted to Plymouth City Council showing how the skyscraper will become "more elegant and slender" with the extra floors. The building, which was to be 85m high, will now tower more than 100m - over 330ft - into the air.
The site was well known as the headquarters for Television South West. 73 rooms, totalling nearly 21,528 sq ft on four floors, are immediately available at rents from £5 per sq ft, with accommodation and lease terms flexible.The accommodation comprises 21 Derry's Cross and 19 The Crescent, and has ample parking.As well as sales area and staff welfare facilities, it has a number of storage rooms which have been used for archiving of material for several businesses which have occupied the premises since TSW vacated in the early 1990s

Now, this being Plymouth every few months or so there is a report of a new big development planned - only for the vast majority to never get off the drawing board. Will this one be any different? We are at last now seeing several new developments springing up so Plymouth does seem to be a place developers are interested in. ADG one of the firms involved in this project are well known and well respected and do seem to get their projects built. Lets hope this one gets off the ground.

Truronian Fire

© Nick Rice

Its not really Plymouth Transit but its still important: News has come through that Truronian have suffered a major fire resulting in the loss of 7 buses on New Years Eve. One bus that is confirmed as destroyed is PRC856X one of the last VRTs in service. Photo above comes from Nick Rice who has kindly allowed me to post it here.


Seven buses were totally gutted in a suspected arson attack at a
Cornish depot. Four double-deckers and three single-decker buses were burned out during the fire which caused thousands of pounds' worth of damage.
Dozens of fire fighters fought the blaze at the Truronian Bus Depot
on Saturday night in Truro. The fire broke out at 9.30pm at the depot on Lighterage Hill, Newham Industrial Estate. No one was injured during the fire, which is being treated as a possible arson attack. The Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service Investigation Unit was due to re-examine the scene yesterday. The Truronian bus company said it was confident that services will not be disrupted despite the devastation to 12 per cent of its fleet. A driver raised the alarm after he had refuelled his bus and was walking towards the rest room. He saw the reflection of a burning bus in a window and called the fire service. Five fire crews arrived on the scene. However, fire fighting efforts were initially hampered by strong winds which caused the fire to spread from vehicle to vehicle. Geoff Rumbles, Truronian's joint managing director, said the quick-thinking of staff on duty stopped the fire spreading further and engulfing the rest of the fleet. He said: "I'd like to say how much we appreciate the help and very, very swift actions of the drivers who were at work on Saturday night. "They were absolutely brilliant and without their help this could have been worse." A portable building in the yard also caught alight and will have to be demolished. Nigel Vincent, spokesman for the fire service, said an investigation had been launched into the cause of the fire, which is as yet, unknown. He said: "We are not ruling anything out at the moment and are investigating the cause of the fire along with police colleagues. "It's early days. "An investigation will be carried out but at this moment in time we won't discount anything." Truronian Ltd was formed in September 1987 and quickly acquired Truronian Tours followed by Flora Motors in Helston and City Taxis in Truro. Over the last three years, more than £2 million has been invested in new vehicles. It operates a fleet of nearly 90 vehicles including 62 buses and coaches, 25 taxis and other vehicles.

It has since been reported that six Arriva Olympians are heading to Cornwall to help out the fleet - it remains to be seen if they are on loan or acquired.

Other news is that Plymouth Citybus Dart 47 is the latest to receive the new livery - thought to have been repainted back in November 2005. I will post a photo here when I get one.
didbygraham

Royal Parade

Catching up on a few posts to end the year.
This is the new look to Armada Way in Plymouth where it crosses Royal Parade.
There used to be a subway crossing here which featured a large tile mural with Plymouth scenes and was actually quite a sight when it was completed. Now its just a vast grey pavement while the crossing now holds up traffic. I don't think anyone has been seriously injured crossing here yet - but I can see it happening one day.
Hopefully I will post some older photos to show what the are used to look like.
didbygraham