Snippets

Plymouth City Council

Further changes will come into force on Plymouth’s bus network on Sunday 20 September.

Plymouth Citybus is making a second phase of revisions to its routes and timetables (following the takeover of First Group’s Plymouth and South Devon operations by Stagecoach) and a number of bus services will also be moving to new stops on Royal Parade.

Two new bays and shelters have been installed on the westbound side of Royal Parade to help reduce problems with buses having to crowd around stops during peak times. This will make it easier and safer for passengers to board, help to tackle congestion along this busy route and improve service reliability.

The new bays will also provide space for buses to wait before taking up service and create more capacity for when Bretonside closes next year.

To take account of the major changes to the network and the two new bus bays, most of the stops are being renumbered and many bus services will change departure points.

We have worked with all of the city’s bus operators to spread services out more evenly and keep those that serve similar routes and locations as close together as possible. Full details of the new departure points can be found on our website.

Notices are being displayed in each shelter, advising passengers of any services that have moved and members of our Plymotion team will be in Royal Parade on Sunday 20 and Monday 21 September to help passengers find the right service and the right stop.

Bus shelter displays showing which stops serve which location are also being updated, along with the information boards at the top of each stop.

Councillor Brian Vincent, Cabinet Member for Streetscene, said: “The extra space provided by the two new stops will be a welcome improvement on one of the busiest bus interchanges in the South West. It may take a little time for people to get used to the new departure points but these changes are designed to help bus passengers and other road users, by reducing congestion and improving safety at very busy stops.”

Bus Stop Changes archive copy

A Line Coaches

An interesting development in Torpoint has been announced on Facebook:

A Line Coaches are pleased to announce the commencement of a new Torpoint circular bus service on the 16th November 2015. The service 33 will start at Pentorr Health Centre opposite HMS Raleigh at 0855hrs and continue along Trevol Road, serving Goad Avenue, Trevithic Avenue, Antony Road, Torpoint Ferry, Marine Drive and Carbiele Road. The service will run half hourly until 1440hrs. Single fares only, ENCTS cards can be used on the service. We do hope that this service will alleviate the problems that many of the people of Torpoint have encountered since the departure of First bus and the relocation of the doctors surgery. As this service is a commercial one, ie it has no subsidy from local councils, It is up to the lovely people of Torpoint to patronise your REAL local bus service and go with the Alpha Line.

 

Attack of the morons

This was my local bus stop this morning. Its not the first time,this has happened, but yesterday was different in that there were several others between Keswick Crescent and Derriford all smashed in. JCD were at the scene clearing up on at least two stops on Miller Way.

 

For Sale

Missing First bus?

Fancy buying one of your own as a reminder of the good old days?

First Bus 40077 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221888142676

Also available are

48265 W605PAF http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221888136117

and

66126 S116JTP http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221888125536

Royal Parade Bus Stop Reshuffle

Work to install shelters for two new bus bays on Royal Parade will get under way on Tuesday 1 September.

The two extra bays have been created on the westbound side of Royal Parade, near the existing stops outside the Guildhall (A4) and the Civic Centre (A5).

When they come into use next month, the new bays will help reduce problems with buses having to crowd around existing stops during peak times, helping to tackle congestion along this busy route and improve service reliability.

They will also provide space for buses to wait before taking up service and create more capacity for when Bretonside closes next year.

Most of the bus stops on Royal Parade are being renumbered in September and many services are being moved to new stops, in response to upcoming changes to the city’s bus network.

• Stagecoach is due to take over First Group’s Plymouth and South Devon operations on Sunday 6 September and a number of its routes and timetables will change that day.
• Citybus is also reviewing its services as a result. Some of its changes will come into force on Sunday 30 August and the rest three weeks later, on Sunday 20 September.

Full details of these changes to the bus network are available on our website.

The new bus stop numbers and departure points on Royal Parade will also come into operation on Sunday 20 September. Details of these will be announced shortly.

Information will be placed in bus shelters in time for the changes and members of our Plymotion team will be in Royal Parade on Sunday 20 and Monday 21 September to help passengers find the right service and the right stop.

Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Strategic Transport and Planning, said: “September will see some pretty significant changes to the city’s bus network. We’ve been working with bus companies to ensure that all areas continue to be served and to help get information about the changes out to passengers.

“We’re also working to ensure that the new services are spread as evenly and logically as possible along Royal Parade. Services using similar corridors in the city will be grouped close together to make it easier for passengers to know where to catch the bus.

“Royal Parade is the city’s main bus interchange and buses often jostle for space at busy times. By creating two extra bays and providing more space we can help bus companies to ensure services are on time and keep passengers, drivers and other road users safe.”

Richard Stevens, Managing Director of Plymouth Citybus, said: “Having worked with the Council on the planning and delivery of the new bus stops in Royal Parade we will be pleased to see them in action. The extra space will be of significant benefit to our bus operations and our passengers.”

Bob Dennison, Managing Director of Stagecoach South West, said: “We are pleased to see this investment in the public transport infrastructure in the city, which coincides with our own investment in services within Plymouth. I am confident it marks the beginning of a positive working relationship with the Council.” 

For more information contact our public transport team on 307790.

Plymouth City Council

More room to stop

New Bus Stops on Royal Parade

Welcome news from the City Council:
Work to create two new bus bays on Royal Parade will get under way on Monday 2 March. The new bays, which are being installed on the westbound side of Royal Parade (the side nearest the Civic Centre), will help tackle congestion along this busy route and improve service reliability.
They will help prevent problems with buses crowding around stops during peak times of the day and also provide space for buses to wait between services, so they don’t block busy stops. The new bays will be built on either side of the pedestrian crossing, near the existing stops outside the Guildhall (A4) and the Civic Centre (A5). They will each accommodate an additional bus and a new double-length waiting shelter.
Local bus companies welcome the new bays and are working with the Council to make the best use of the extra space, which will include relocating some services. Work to create the bays is expected to take around nine weeks and the new shelters will be installed early this summer. The works should not affect traffic along Royal Parade.
Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “Royal Parade is the city’s main bus interchange and buses are often jostling for space at busy times. By creating these extra bays and providing more space we can help bus companies to ensure services are on time and keep bus passengers, drivers and other road users safe.”
Richard Stevens, Managing Director of Plymouth Citybus, said: “We welcome this additional space on Royal Parade. These new bays will be of significant benefit for our bus operations and our passengers.”
Robbie Lamerton, General Manager of First South West, said: “I'm pleased to see this investment towards improving the bus network in Plymouth. The new bays are in prime locations and will deliver much need capacity.”

Its good to see some effort going in to finding some more space on Royal Parade as it is very overcrowded with buses at times. Its hard though to see how any more space can be found.
Personally I would like to see a one way system introduced around the whole City Centre with one of the carriageways on Royal Parade being given over completely to Buses, but I can't say I can see this happening as it would be very unpopular with car drivers!

Talking of Bus Stops. life could get more interesting at Derriford Hospital as the works outside the main entrance move on a stage today (Friday) as new pavements are put in place. All parking at the front is closed off which could help a bit but expect even more traffic congestion while this work takes place!

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Celebration Crushed by Crass Council for Crash

This year was to have been the 30th year of the Plymouth Bus Rally on The Hoe. Sadly due to the City Council pandering to the needs of MTV the even has been cancelled as explained by the WNPG:
This very popular event, enjoyed by so many, has been forced out of the calendar by the City Council block booking the Hoe for the whole of July in favour of a Television Company’s requirements. The last weekend of July has always been the regular planned date for the Bus and Vehicle Rally to take place. Regular Supporters, Caterers, Visiting Bus owners and side shows etc., all plan their calendar up to twelve months in advance. This year they are not able to attend on the dates the City Council have offered for our use. We planned that this year would be a special two day event in celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Rally. We hoped to run the ever popular free bus rides over the old 1975 Plymouth Joint Service routes.
The reason behind this situation is to accommodate the television company MTV by allowing it to block book the Hoe for the whole of the month whilst only televising two nights performances as part of their Plymouth “Crashes” programme. They have yet to publish their actual dates required but we have, in fairness to all the participants both near and far, had to cancel the Rally as the regular date is currently unavailable due to the above and they must be given the opportunity to examine alternative scheduled events they can attend.
With the popularity of The Hoe for big events, I am sure the bus rally isn't the only event planned for The Hoe that has had to be cancelled due to this bizarre ruling. Surely MTV will have a good idea when their event will be held? Why should everyone else's events be held hostage by the council and MTV? Of course, Bus Rallies are not "cool" so wouldn't be seen as such good publicity opportunities for senior councillors, or am I being too cynical? s

Derriford Development

Plymouth City Council has secured more than £12 million in funding for transport improvements in the north of the city.
The Heart-of-the-South-West Local Enterprise Partnership (HotSW LEP) – the body responsible for allocating funding for large-scale transport schemes across Plymouth, Devon, Torbay and Somerset – has awarded the city £12.26 million for three schemes.
This includes a £10.16 million contribution towards the £12.7 million Derriford Transport Scheme, which will see a major upgrade to Derriford Roundabout and provide additional traffic lanes, new bus lanes and improved traffic signals, as well as improvements to the William Prance Road junction.
The scheme will create more road capacity for the extra traffic generated by proposed developments in the area and improve facilities for public transport, walking and cycling along this key route. The full business case, which will confirm the scheme costs following feedback from contractors, will be submitted to the LEP in the autumn for final approval and construction is expected to get under way in January 2016.
A further £1.4 million has been approved for a £2 million upgrade of the bus interchange at Derriford Hospital, delivered in partnership with Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust. The Derriford Hospital Interchange Scheme will create a new two-way bus link and separate taxi and passenger drop-off points and provide three extra bus stops, helping to reduce congestion and make bus journeys to and from the hospital quicker and more reliable. A planning application will be submitted in the spring and if approved, construction is planned to start this autumn.
The LEP will also provide £700,000 towards the first phase of a five-year programme to upgrade traffic signals and increase capacity at some of the smaller junctions along the A386. The first phase of the Northern Corridor Junction Improvements Scheme, which will focus on Outland Road, is being developed now and works are due to start in the autumn.
All three schemes are part of a ‘master plan’ of highway improvements that will help to unlock development and deliver 9,000 new jobs and 3,000 new homes in the north of the city. This includes the proposed Forder Valley Link Road, which was recently earmarked to receive £22.5 million from the Growth Fund, as well as the new Marjon Link Road, currently under construction.
Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “The A386 is the main route between the city centre and the north of the city, including Derriford Hospital, the University of St Mark and St John and the Plymouth Science Park. It is often congested at peak times and proposed developments in the area will put even more pressure on this part of our transport network. These three schemes will help to keep traffic moving as our city grows, improve bus journey times and reliability and provide better walking and cycling facilities along this key route.”

Further Reading

• Derriford Transport Scheme Consultation Feb 2014 (PDF)

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Citybus Shows Its Colours

Red Flash Gets Greener

Buses on one of Plymouth’s busiest routes will be fitted with new technology designed to reduce pollution, thanks to a grant from the Department for Transport (DfT). Plymouth City Council has been awarded almost £485,000 from the Clean Vehicle Technology Fund, which helps local authorities upgrade vehicles, reduce emissions and improve air quality. The funding will be used to install ‘gyrodrive flywheel’ equipment on 16 RedFlash vehicles on the cross-city service 21/21A, run by Plymouth Citybus.
The flywheel gets electrically charged when the vehicle brakes and stores energy which the bus uses when it pulls away. The stored electricity can also be used to power heating and lighting on board. This means greater fuel efficiency and fewer nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions – which is good news for air quality, especially on roads like Exeter Street and Royal Parade, where a significant proportion of vehicle emissions come from buses. Exeter Street is on one of the key routes in and out of the city and Royal Parade is the main bus interchange. The service 21/21A runs with high frequency along both roads, which is why it has been selected for the upgrade. The £484,921 from the DfT will pay for 14 buses to be modified and Citybus is providing match funding for the additional two vehicles. Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “This is a practical measure that will help us reduce pollution and improve air quality along two of the city’s busiest bus routes and lower the risk of associated health problems. We hope it will also encourage operators to equip more vehicles with this sort of technology in the future.”
Richard Stevens, Managing Director Plymouth Citybus, said: “Citybus is delighted to partner the City Council on this exciting initiative. I am confident that once fitted there will be real benefits in terms of improved efficiency, reduced consumption and reduced emissions – a real win-win for residents, passengers and other road users.”
The flywheel equipment is expected to be in use on the buses by January 2016.
Plymouth City Council: Cleaner, greener technology for Plymouth buses
Go Ahead Group have been fans of this system for some time now:
GKN plc and The Go-Ahead Group have agreed a deal that will help reduce emissions in cities with the supply of electric flywheel systems to 500 buses over the next two years. The innovative GKN system is based on Formula One race technology developed in the UK. It will help increase the efficiency of every bus to which it is fitted by using less fuel and therefore reducing carbon emissions. This same technology helped Audi’s R18 e-tron win at Le Mans last month.
Go-Ahead has placed an order for GKN Hybrid Power to supply 500 of its Gyrodrive systems to the transport operator. The Gyrodrive system uses a high speed flywheel made of carbon fibre to store the energy generated by a bus as it slows down to stop. It then uses the stored energy to power an electric motor which helps accelerate the bus back up to speed, generating fuel savings of more than 20% at a significantly lower cost than battery hybrid alternatives. The agreement covers the supply of the complete Gyrodrive system, including the innovative GKN Hybrid Power flywheel as well as GKN’s advanced EVO electric motor, a GKN designed and manufactured gearbox, and installation. The system is designed to last for the life of the bus eliminating the need for any battery changes. Following successful trials on buses in London, Go-Ahead intends to utilise the technology in cities it serves across the UK, initially in London and Oxford.
Philip Swash, CEO GKN Land Systems, said: ‘This is an important milestone for GKN Hybrid Power. We’ve worked in close partnership with Go-Ahead throughout the development of this innovative technology and it’s very exciting to move into the production phase. The fact that we are using the same groundbreaking technology that helped Audi win at Le Mans for the past three years to improve fuel efficiency in the public transport sector also shows what great innovation there is in the UK’s engineering sector.’ CEO of Go-Ahead, David Brown, added: ’Our collaboration with GKN has been a most constructive one. We have a strong record in continually reducing our carbon emissions and flywheel technology will help us make buses an even more environmentally responsible choice and encourage more people to travel by public transport. The flywheel technology helps us to reduce our fuel consumption and C02 emissions so improving air quality for all those living, working and visiting the city.’ GKN Hybrid Power is based in Oxfordshire, with final assembly taking place in a new facility at GKN’s site in Telford. The Gyrodrive technology is being further developed for other mass transit markets including trams, construction and agricultural equipment. Earlier this year GKN announced the acquisition of Williams Hybrid Power from Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited to form GKN Hybrid Power, which is focused on delivering complete hybrid solutions across multiple vehicle, power and industrial markets.
GKN Group: GKN and The Go-Ahead Group using F1 technology to improve fuel efficiency of London buses

Green Go Gone Red

Thanks to Mike Hudson for the photo – Former Western Greyhound now Plymouth Citybus Optare Solo 208 is the first to go red with the large Go Cornwall Bus fleet name which looks really big on this small bus!

Orange goes Red?

A new service has just been registered by Plymouth Citybus on VOSA:

• PH0000135/167 - PLYMOUTH CITYBUS LTD, MILEHOUSE, MILEHOUSE ROAD, PLYMOUTH, PL3 4AA
• Registration Accepted
• Starting Point: Plymouth, Milehouse Bus Depot
• Finish Point: Langage, Ashleigh Way
• Via: St Budeaux, Crownhill
• Service Number: 22
• Service Type: Normal Stopping
• Effective Date: 01-APR-2015
• Other Details: Daily except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.

It looks very much like a replacement for Target Travel’s 53 service which is believed to be stopping in April. More details when they are released!

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The Future of Our History

Plymouth History Centre

A project I am following with interest as it has the potential to be a great resource for the City.

The partners of Plymouth’s History Centre have reached out to the world’s best designers and invited them to submit tenders for the exhibition design for the new History Centre. A couple of weeks ago many of these designers visited the site on North Hill to see the scope of the opportunity for themselves and to experience the partners’ enthusiasm first hand. During their visit, they had an inspirational introduction to the project by Leader of the Council, Tudor Evans who explained what the project really means to the city. They also had a tour of the Central Library building, St Luke’s Church and the existing Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, which helped them understand the space and the collections. Staff from the partner organisations, were on hand to talk about the wider historic collections and their aspirations for the project.

The exhibition designer have now been given a detailed brief, which clearly reflects the consultations that have already taken place with the public, the extensive workshops with staff and meetings with interested parties. The brief also suggests some key themes that the designers could use in their development of the centre, they include: resilience, adventure, vision and community. Deputy Leader of the Council Pete Smith said that the design brief which has been compiled by Ralph Applebaums, world renowned design consultants “is a fantastic piece of work, it manages to convey the passion and the will of the partners in the History Centre, and sums up the complexity of combining buildings, objects, images, films, art and archival material. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we want to shine a light on Plymouth and its incredible stories.”

The tendering companies have also been told that the partners hope the centre will create a “new experience deeply rooted in Plymouth’s cultural fabric” and for it “to inspire visitors to look at Plymouth in new ways”. Programme Director Paul Brookes said “A lot of people have a stake in the History Centre, it is going to be very important to a lot of people, from the local residents of Plymouth, to those who commute into the city, from children and their families, to students, researchers and visitors from afar. We know what we want to achieve, now we need a fantastic, inspirational interpretation and creative company to help us achieve it”.

The buildings and architecture that will make up the History Centre present the potential designers with another unique opportunity. They will have the use of the existing historic architecture of the Museum, Art Gallery and Library, and St Luke’s Church. In other spaces the architecture will be formed from a new contemporary extension. The partners are looking forward to seeing how the bidders propose to use these spaces to their full potential, to maximize the users experience and to create an “exceptional immersive and fun environment”. In addition to the collections, the brief points the designers to the city itself: “steeped in history and heritage and vibrant with new culture. The city tells many stories, past present and future”. All of this connects deeply to the collections and it is important to the partners that the chosen designers understand this. The new designers will be chosen by April 2015.

Plymouth City Council

As custodians of collections at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, the Plymouth West Devon Record Office and the Plymouth Local Studies Library, the City Council is leading on the History Centre Project. They recognise the need to preserve, make available and tell the rich and varied history of the people of Plymouth. From the valued historical artefacts, to the pictures, the moving footage and the written word, Plymouth has more heritage than it is currently possible to display.

South West Film and TV Archive

SWFTA is the official Film and TV archive for the South West of England. All of their outstanding collections will be brought under the management of the Plymouth History Centre. The unique collections include the news and programme libraries from Westward Television and TV South West, together with footage which dates back to the late Victorian era. Supported by a large team of volunteers who catalogue, copy, digitize and manage the footage, SWFTA hopes to make more of the footage, more available, to more people.

South West Image Bank

SWiB is currently the custodian of 170 individual collections and close to 1 million negatives dating back to the 1870s. The archive collectively exists as the largest body of photographic records in the region. The Plymouth History Centre will benefit greatly from having access to these collections.

The University of Plymouth

The partners within the University of Plymouth include the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and Peninsula Arts. They are the official partner responsible for providing expertise to ensure the centre attracts and appeals to both students and researchers from around the country. Their vision for the centre is to create a learning hub, as well as a visitor attraction.

I will be following future developments over the coming years.

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Derriford Marjon Link

The fun starts very soon

Staff at Derriford Hospital have received this email giving advance warning of the major scheme starting next year...

As many of you are now aware preliminary works on enhancing the Marjon Link Road started on the 8th December. The purpose of this email is to give staff advance warning of the full commencement of the works from the 5th January 2015 until their estimated completion on the 4th September 2015.

The outline of the scheme, its purpose and schematic drawings can be found on the Plymouth City Council website. If you want to find out more please click on this link: www.plymouth.gov.uk/marjonlinkroad

These works will be undertaken in three simultaneous phases:

• Improve the roundabout at the top of Marjon Link Road
• Widen and upgrade Marjon Link Road
• Widen Derriford Road, install a right hand only turn into the Hospital at the bottom of the Marjon Link Road and install three way traffic lights and pedestrian crossing points at the bottom of Marjon Link Road

The third aspect of this scheme will have the greatest impact on Derriford Road and access/egress from the Hospital. To undertake this safely and allow for the two way flow of traffic along Derriford Road to continue during the works the following traffic management measures will be put in place.

Marjon Link Road will be closed to vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians from 05/01/15 – 04/09/15

Traffic entering the Hospital will still be able to travel along Derriford Road and turn right to access the Hospital opposite Marjon Link Road Traffic leaving the Hospital will not be able to exit onto Derriford Road opposite Marjon Link Road but will have to do so by travelling in front of the main entrance and using the mini-roundabout onto Derriford Road

The current Bus Only lane which leaves the Hospital and travels to Derriford Roundabout will be suspended to allow any vehicle to use the Bus Lane to exit the site. We fully appreciate these works will cause disruption to travellers but the plans outlined above will cause less disruption than 3 way temporary traffic lights on Derriford Road would cause for the same duration. Naturally all traffic management measures will be constantly reviewed and varied if required.

The loss of the full bus lane out of Derriford Hospital and onto Derriford Roundabout is bound to cause some delays to buses serving the area but hopefully the temporary one way system within the Derriford site will help. It should help the 50 I catch as we don't get the luxury of a bus lane out of Derriford and then get caught up with the traffic queuing to get into Derriford.

The scheme detail

Larger view (PDF)

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Coach Station: One step nearer

Today we have the first of two unrelated news updates from Plymouth City Council. Both will have quite an impact on the transport scene in Plymouth. We start off with this update on the new Coach Station. Tomorrow we move North…

Plans to build a brand new coach station in the heart of Plymouth city centre have taken a major step forward with the approval of Council funding. The £4.17 million project will provide a new facility for long distance coaches and a surface-level car park with around 100 spaces on the site of the former Mayflower West car park in the city’s West End.
It will also include an indoor waiting area in the former Lloyds Bank building, with toilets, comfy seating, ‘real time’ information screens, a ticket office and a food, drink and newsagent concession, as well as:

• a sheltered outside waiting area with information screens, luggage lockers and a customer help point
• a passenger drop off/pick up area improved paving, CCTV security, lighting and planting
• a drop-off bay for blue badge holders

The new coach hub will replace the tired outdated coach station at Bretonside, which is being redeveloped as part of a major investment package proposed by British Land, the owner of Drake Circus and the UK’s largest listed retail landlord. The proposed Drake Circus Leisure development includes an 11-screen cinema complex, 13 restaurants and parking for over 400 cars, as well as extensive improvements to public areas with features, seating and planting. The scheme would transform the link from the city centre to the Barbican and the Waterfront, making it more attractive and easier for visitors and shoppers to move from one to the other.
Subject to planning permission being granted for the redevelopment of Bretonside and other conditions, British Land will contribute £2.1 million towards the design and build of the new coach hub and car park. The remaining £2.07 million will be funded from the Council’s capital budget.
Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “The new hub will provide a modern, high-quality facility for long distance coaches and a much better welcome to Britain’s Ocean City. It will also increase footfall in the city centre’s West End, which can only be good for local businesses.
“The scheme has been specifically designed to meet the needs of long distance travellers and takes into account feedback received during our recent public consultation. It will make travel in and out of Plymouth more attractive and convenient for visitors and residents and create a gateway the city deserves.”
The planning application for the new coach station is expected to be submitted towards the end of the month.
Plymouth City Council News Room

Photo credit: © Nick Rice under Creative Commons Licence.

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Cycle Network

Families will soon be able to enjoy some of the best views in the city from their saddles, thanks to improvements being made along Plymouth’s spectacular waterfront cycle route.

Work on the route, which is part of National Cycle Network Route 27 and connects the Barbican, the Hoe, Millbay and Royal William Yard, will begin on Monday 15 September.

A new contraflow cycle lane will run eastwards along Madeira Road, from the mini roundabout junction with Hoe Road and past the Citadel to the Elphinstone car park. A 20mph speed limit will also be introduced.

On Monday 27 October work will also begin to improve Millbay Roundabout so that cyclists and pedestrians can cross Millbay Road and travel through the roundabout more easily and safely. The work includes narrowing the space around the roundabout to slow down traffic, as well as creating a cycle route that avoids the roundabout altogether.

Both schemes – designed and being built by the Council’s highways contractor Amey – will make it easier and safer to explore the city’s magnificent waterfront and its historic features by bike, which will in turn provide an economic boost to waterfront businesses.

The improvements are being funded through the Coastal Communities Fund, along with the new bike hire hubs at the Royal William Yard and Commercial Wharf, which Rockets and Rascals have been running since Easter.

Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Transport said: “Our waterfront is one of the most incredible features of Britain’s Ocean City and we are really keen to see it become easier for cyclists of all ages and abilities to enjoy the expansive views.

“This isn’t just about providing a cracking day out for tourists; it’s also about encouraging people here in Plymouth to get on their bikes, explore their surroundings and stay healthy and active. The recent Sky Ride brought hundreds of people out onto the waterfront.”

Sarah O’Leary, Waterfront Manager for the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership added: “The waterfront is one of our greatest assets and activities that encourage more people to visit are warmly welcomed. Building on existing ferry services and pedestrian and bus routes, better and safer facilities for cyclists are important and the link between the Royal William Yard and The Barbican is critical in directly benefitting businesses right across the area.”

Work on Madeira Road is expected to last six weeks and work on Millbay Roundabout will take around two weeks. There will be no daytime road closures.

circa 1920. From Richard & Gill Long Collection

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Smartly presented but hard to find

A while back we reported the following VOSA Notice:

7 March 2014

PH1081198/11 - TREVELLYAN JACKETT T/A JACKETT'S COACHES, KINGSETT HOUSE,, ALBASTON, GUNNISLAKE, PL18 9AL Registration

• Starting Point: Plymouth, Royal Parade
• Finish Point: Plymouth, Royal Parade
• Via: Barbican & West Hoe
• Service Number: 25
• Service Type: Normal stopping
• Effective Date: 4 May 2014
• Other Details: Sundays and public holiday from first Sunday in May through to last Sunday in September each year.

I had been waiting for a while to get the timetable added to my Plymothian Bus Services site but it wasn't appearing on Traveline. Today I downloaded a copy from Jacketts Coaches own web site which at least was easy to find and nice and clear. 

4 May 2014

New Route taken over Sunday Service from Plymouth Citybus under tender to Plymouth City Council, Royal Parade, Exeter Street Viaduct, Charles Cross, Exeter Street Viaduct, Kinterbury Street, Bretonside, Vauxhall Street, Southside Street, The Barbican. Lambhay Hill, Hoe Road, Grand Parade, Great Western Road, West Hoe Road, Walker Terrace, Prospect Place, Citadel Road, Lockyer Street, Notte Street, Princess Way, Derry’s Cross, Royal Parade

TIMETABLE PDF

Now for me this was nice and easy as I knew that Jacketts were taking over the Sunday service. How easy for anyone else looking for a Sunday bus to The Barbican? Plymouth Citybus understandably have their own timetable for service 25 which is down as a Monday to Saturday service. Would it be too much to ask for at least a note on their to say that the Sunday service was operated by someone else?

Never mind, I happen to know that Traveline have all the timetables for all operators so I can do a quick search on there. Sadly no sign of the Jacketts 25 at all. I did check the Plymouth Citybus 25 just to see if there was a note but no - the 25 is still down as Monday - Saturday only.

Now I am fairly well informed on local buses so I know that the service is operated under tender to Plymouth City Council. As they are paying for the service its bound to be publicised there isn't it?

Well the City Councils web site is at best described as bland but functional. They really could do with a full site makeover but at least there are links to current timetables for all operators. Sure enough there is a link to service 25 along with a link to a map. Oh dear - it just goes to Traveline who clearly show it as a Monday to Saturday service operated by Plymouth Citybus! There is a link to a page about subsidised services paid for by the council but that is out of date too with no mention of Jacketts Sunday Service. In fact Jacketts is not even mentioned in the list of operators at the bottom of the page either!

The service started yesterday and Jacketts were showing their best side with this smartly presented bus with a decent destination display

©Bobby Darch

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Welcome Investment

Plymouth City Council:

The wheels on mini buses are going around and around much more smoothly since Plymouth City Council bought shiny new ones for taking children with disabilities to school.

Five city special schools will benefit from six new school transport mini buses after the half-term break following an investment of £281,000 by the Council to renew its entire fleet and share the vehicles with schools on a lease basis.

Councillor Brian Vincent, Cabinet Member for Environment, explains: “We bought these new mini buses so that we can share them with schools. When we aren’t using them to pick up and drop off children, the schools will be using them, so we’re getting more miles for our money. These new buses mean fewer repairs and lower running costs and they are far more environmentally friendly than the previous buses, simply due to age. Their safety ratings are also much better which is reassuring for parents and safer for children.”

The three new wheelchair accessible mini buses and three standard 17 seat mini buses are being shared with Mill Ford Community Special School (two buses), Longcause Community Special School, Cann Bridge Special School, Brook Green Centre for Learning and Courtlands Special School.

Mrs Claire Wills, Headteacher at Mill Ford Community Special School, said: “It’s fantastic we have these new mini buses to make use of during the school day – it opens up possibilities for exciting educational field trips and we making the most of resources that would otherwise sit unused. It’s also very important for us to know our students are safe and secure in modern, environmentally friendly buses.”

Each mini bus is rated with a Euro NCAP safety rating of 5 (the highest) so they are the safest and most efficient on the market.

Councillor Nicky Williams, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “It is common sense to make sure the buses are used as much as possible by working co-operatively with our schools so children and young people have more opportunities to learn away from the classroom. Getting out and about is one of the best bits about school – the excitement of a school trip and sharing new experiences with your friends.”

A Nice little offer from Plymouth Citybus  this Easter Holiday:

£5 for a full days unlimited travel for four people is great value, its actually cheaper than the standard Duo ticket for two!

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Bidding for cash

Plymouth City Council:

Plymouth City Council is bidding for a further £1.68 million from the Government’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) to support ‘smarter travel’ projects. The Department for Transport (DfT) has invited councils across England to bid for additional funding made available for projects that support the local economy, boost growth and reduce carbon emissions by promoting walking, cycling and sustainable transport. Submissions also need to show strong integration with local enterprise partnerships’ strategic economic plans and the Heart of the South West LEP fully endorses the Council’s proposals.

The first bid focuses on two of Plymouth’s designated growth areas – Derriford and the Royal William Yard – and looks to build on the success of the city’s current LSTF programme, Plymotion. It aims to encourage more people living in, working in or visiting these areas to travel by bus, by bike and on foot and includes plans for an enhanced bus service between the city centre and Royal William Yard.

The second bid is to support the work of South West Smart Applications Limited (SWSAL) as it continues to improve smart ticketing for public transport in the region. The organisation is made up of 15 local authorities and bus companies and is hosted by Plymouth University. If the bid is successful, funding will be used to help create a centre of excellence for smart ticketing development in Plymouth, which will be drawn on by bus companies and local authorities from across the UK that want to set up innovative smart ticketing schemes. Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “The opportunity to bid for additional funding from the LSTF is really exciting for Plymouth and could make a big difference to local residents and visitors travelling around the city. The current Plymotion programme has been very well received and is encouraging people to walk, cycle and use the bus more. If this second Plymotion bid is successful it will enable the project to continue for at least another year and mean residents and business in the north of the city can also benefit from the programme.”

Chairman of SWSAL, Dr Andrew Seedhouse said “We are delighted to work with Plymouth City Council and the regional LEPs in this innovative bid submission and thank them for their support. At its heart is making smartcard ticketing easier for businesses and residents of the South West, supporting multi-operator travel and helping encourage more car users to use the bus. Smart ticketing provides a great platform for both sustainable economic growth as well as contributing to reducing emissions, and so the more bums on seats we can get – the better for everyone."

Although some of this does seem a bit wishy washy on first glance, there are some interesting things here which need a more detailed post at some stage in the not-to-distant future. I certainly hope that the council do the the money!

Sorry for the lack of extra blog links etc today - I had them all copied into my editor which then threw a wobbly and promptly lost the whole lot! Its too late to go back through everything to find them again.

Mayflower Coach Station

City Centre Development - A Brand New Coach Station!

Plymouth's vision to create a welcoming entrance to Britain's Ocean City is taking a significant step forward with plans for a new coach hub and a new leisure development in the city centre. Millions of pounds could be pumped into both the West End and the eastern part of the city centre, as part of a major investment package proposed by British Land, the owner of Drake Circus and the UK's largest listed retail landlord. The Council’s Cabinet is today being briefed on the project and shown the proposals to transform the tired site at Bretonside bus station with a leisure scheme valued at £42 million.

'Drake Circus Leisure' includes a 12-screen cinema complex, 13 restaurants as well as parking for over 400 cars. The development will see extensive improvements to public areas with features, installations seating and planting. The scheme would transform the link from the city centre to the Barbican and the Waterfront, making it far more attractive and easier for visitors and shoppers to move from one to the other.

As part of the proposals a new multi-million pound coach hub is envisaged on the site of the soon-to-be-demolished Mayflower West car park, in the city's West End. There will also be public parking for cars.

The agreement will means that both Bretonside and the West End of Plymouth will see investment worth millions of pounds, which in turn will generate a new level of interest in both areas. It will also create almost 350 operational jobs and around 260 construction 267 jobs. Councillor Tudor Evans said: "This is a company with a proven record of delivering in Plymouth and for Plymouth and while it is early days, this looks an incredibly exciting prospect." "Our city centre supports over 14,000 jobs and 14 per cent of the work force, but we need to need to mix things up a bit, bring more business and a wider offer into the city centre – which in turn brings in more people to shop, eat and enjoy what we have here."

Councillor Mark Lowry, Cabinet member for finance said: "For a long time we have recognised that Bretonside has long passed its sell-by date. We also want to keep shoppers coming into the West End. These two schemes have the potential to address both of these."

The Council's cabinet members were also given an outline of how the new-look coach hub might look. The terminal would be a hub for intercity coach services with bays for long-distance coach services, waiting room, booking office, toilets and significant improvements to the look and feel of the streets around the site as well as more parking. Locating the bus hub in the West End could lead to an extra 200,000 people visiting this part of the city centre.

The proposal also includes an 'innovation centre' in one of the empty buildings overlooking the site which could get a new lease of life as a centre for start-ups firms run by graduates. It is a joint venture between the Council and Plymouth University to transform Taylor Maxwell House with facilities for fledgling businesses in a central location. This builds on an already successful partnership between the Council and the university at Plymouth Science Park in supporting start-ups and accelerating businesses with growth ambitions. Professor Julian Beer, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Regional Enterprise), said: "The new innovation centre will offer a pathway into the city's economy and marketplace for talented graduates and young entrepreneurs, and will work in tandem with our Formation Zone incubation spaces here on campus, the Science Park, and the GAIN network. "From our experience of running the hugely successful Innovation Centres in Cornwall, such creative ecosystems offer a great opportunity for businesses to work together and develop joint pitches and expertise."

Councillor Lowry said: "City centres evolve and must constantly change in order to thrive. These are exciting times for Plymouth and its retailers and I hope they are encouraged by the new levels of interest from significant investors who believe in Plymouth. We are working really hard as a city to attract inward investment and are meeting a lot of interested parties – this is just the start."

Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet member for Transport added: "Visitors and passengers who come to Plymouth need a good impression from the moment they disembark. This new bus hub will help us achieve this."

A Plan for Plymouth City Centre was presented at the Cabinet and gave details of how the Council and partners are delivering initiatives and actions, investing significantly in the city centre with projects that are truly transformational.

Plymouth's historic past and rich cultural offer is enjoying a £73 million investment from city partners including the Council, Plymouth University and Plymouth College of Art and Design.

North Hill is attracting new visitors enjoying arts and cultural events in new state of the art facilities thanks to a £36 million investment in the Levinsky's faculty of arts (including Peninsula Arts gallery), the University's new £7 million performing arts building and the College of Art’s new £8 million creative workspaces.

Also in the pipeline is Plymouth's History Centre. It's a £24 million project to transform the existing museum into a cutting-edge interactive visitor attraction.

Doug Fletcher, Chair of the City Centre Company said: "I am delighted to see the City Council prioritising the City Centre given its importance to Plymouth. The Plan for the City Centre is to be welcomed and in particular it is pleasing that the West End is being prioritised with a new coach station and Council premises becoming major new anchors and driving vital footfall."

Other measures include:

• Council to move some staff to premises in New George Street later this year
• 340 city centre businesses including shops and cafes could be eligible for business relief
• New signs for visitors
• £7 million regeneration scheme for Plymouth Theatre Royal – including transforming the area around it, creating clean, open spaces
• The historic Derry’s Clock gets pride of place in a new-look piazza
• Improvements to Frankfort Gate, including repairs, maintenance work and clearer space and seating
• New play area for city centre
• Investing in shopper and visitor facilities – the Armada Way toilets have won accolades in the Loo of the Year award two years in a row
• The entire city centre will be a giant WIFI hotspot. Shoppers and visitors will be able to access the internet on their smart phone, laptops or tablets for free on the go

For more information visit our Plan for the City Centre page.

So, what do people think of the new Mayflower Coach Station?

I have seen plenty of comments that it is too small, but is this such a big issue? There are hardly any bus services using Bretonside these days. This coach station seems to be purely for long distance coach services in which case it seems big enough to me. Its hard to tell from the flythrough but it seems that there might be room for a few coaches to layover at the opposite end to the main bus stop shelter.
They clearly will need to find somewhere else for visiting coaches to park though. Those of us who remember the 'good old days' when Bretonside was worth a visit will recall it bursting at the seems full of visiting coaches. These days are long gone and today you are more likely to find it full of lorries than coaches. (The council will need to find somewhere else for these too!)

The one big issue which I can see as a potential problem is the access to the station from Mayflower Street. It seems a bit tight! They will have to lose the on street parking there as otherwise it wont work. Space is already tight so having large coaches (14M) pulling in and out can only make it worse. If they keep the road clear then hopefully this will work.

We know that finding a new coach station for the City Centre is going to be a compromise as there are not a lot of large empty spaces sitting around waiting for development.
The location seems a good one if they get the access right. I do like the look of what is going in at Bretonside too as that is an area which desperately needs sorting out. As the gateway to Plymouth for many visitors, Bretonside has been a disgrace for too many years now.

I do like the slightly retro look they have gone for the main entrance too! (They will make it high enough to accept double deckers wont they?)

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