Dissapointing

"1 additional stop is planned to be equipped with a real time display within the next 12 months”

A few days ago I asked the question "How many bus stops in Plymouth are actually fitted out with some form of Real Time Display?" There were few comments left about congestion in Plymouth but only one stab at a guess with Prodigal Green suggestion "Probably only around 30-40". Well he is not far off the mark: There are currently 68 bus stops within the City fitted with real time information displays. 22 of these displays have been recently fitted and are not yet in use. They will become active within the next few weeks. 1 additional stop is planned to be equipped with a real time display within the next 12 months. Only Plymouth Citybus and First buses are equipped with Real Time equipment. ©Terry Partridge I must admit I was disappointed at just how low this figure is. Perhaps I was taken in by the promise of a real time information system that would let you know when the next bus was due to arrive. I expected that this display would not be at all the bus stops, but it still seems a very low number. None of the bus stops around our way have any form of RTP. I know there is the sms text service but it still seems that very few bus stops give any indication of the bus stop code needed. Even Derriford Hospital has still not got a working display (unless it has been switched on this last few days)and that is the second busiest bus stop after the City Centre. I just cant help get the feeling that it is all a bit of a disappointment. Another interesting anonymous comment Your question should also say - how many of the stops fitted with real time information actually work. I think you will find it's very few, most only display timetable information if anything. But hey, it's only been in Plymouth for nearly NINE years Has it really been as long as that? I guessed about five or six years? This is a subject I will be coming back to, once I gather some more information!

 

Related Posts

Plymothian Transit: The other half
Plymothian Transit: Unreal Time Info
Plymothian Transit: Odds and grumpy old sod
Plymothian Transit: Making life a little bit easier

Bigger display

"why they cant get better promotion to the bus stops is a mystery” Omnubuses2.0 Ugbus (another must read!) TGP 3 buses at once Plymouth Local History Gay Lieutenants Highton-Ridley on the BBC Previous Blog Posts. RTP Review Dec 07 RTP Review part 2

I was pleasantly surprised to see that my bus stop display has been updated this week. We now have a nice large map of Citybus routes to go with the standard Citybus departures sheet. We also still have the old out of date timetable for Target Travel and Northern Connect which still shows Target Travel X56 which is now just another 224 Taxibus. The times themselves have not changed though so it is still useful, if somewhat confusing. Both Taxifast and Target do have some nice leaflets available if you can find them, so why they cant get better promotion to the bus stops is a mystery to me. I know people still let the Taxi buses go by because they don't know how to use them. The other thing that has changed is the disappearance of the small 'ugobus is coming' sticker which had been stuck to the outside of the display case. There is still room in the top corner of this display to fit a standard A4 timetable sheet for service 15 when it comes but it does rather limit their promotional material to a small space, unless they just cover up part of the Citybus map! Compare the above with the same display back in May this year: a bit bare! Back in October 2008 it looked a lot worse: Of course what we really need here is the Real Time Information display. I must admit I have kind of given up on ever getting this up and running here. There is of course the text service but as you can see the section of the display which tells you send the bus stop code to 84268 does not actually tell you what the code is! It was way back in January 2006 that I reported that "Bus passengers in Plymouth will be able to get timetable details on their mobile phone within months. Residents will be able to get up-to-date information on the buses by sending a simple text message.The £1.7million project, which uses radio-navigation technology, is being seen as a key tool in the city council's bid to get more people on buses. Under the system, each of the Plymouth's 1,700 bus stops has been given a unique code.By texting the code for their nearest bus stop, passengers will be able to get details about when the next bus will arrive.A website providing codes for every bus stop in the city is to be set up by the council within three to six months.Over the next two years, each bus stop will be fitted with a sign showing its unique code. The Northern Connect Taxi-buses do not have the equipment to give real time info (which they could really do with) and as far as I know neither do Target Travel, so that already cuts down its usefulness here anyway. I am still not sure why we don't have a full display of the next buses due at each bus stop even if it is not real time for each service it would be useful. I have not been on the web site where you can enter the bus stop code as it only seems to work on IE6 and IE7, and wasn't actually that good before anyway. Plymgo is an alternative and that does seem to be working at the moment, but how many people know about it?

Making life a little bit easier

" So all in all its slow progress. But at least it is progress ”

Catching a bus from Keswick Crescent has finally become a little easier recently with the arrival of one of the new style bus stop flags. This makes it easier for me as I quite often use the sms service to check to see if and when the next bus is coming and it now means I don't have to try and search through my previous messages on the phone to find the bus stop code as it is now on the bus stop flag itself. There is also a nice little time table holder although this has remained empty so is not much use. Of course passengers going the other way get a shelter from the rain, which we don't get on this side, but then they have no notice anywhere of the sms bus stop code so cant use that facility. (on balance I think I would prefer a shelter really) Of course what would be nice is the Real Time display system being installed in the shelter but I am not holding my breath for this. We are still waiting for it to be installed at Derriford in our nice shiny new shelters - the fittings are there - but are boarded up. So all in all its slow progress. But at least it is progress! * * * * * * * *  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Just as an aside, those out there that know me may well notice a slight change in my appearance after tomorrow. The fat long haired git becomes a fat skinhead git! I am having all my hard grown head of hair shaved off for Comic Relief by the girls at work. Over £250 raised so I have to go through with it! I just hope that no one checks my brand new smart card bus pass to closely as it shows me with long hair and a beard - both will have gone by the end of tomorrow!

Its just as well we are anoraks

Every now and then you get a day when public transport really does seem the worse option. When you get bad weather like we are getting used to this summer then it does amplify how bad things are. Minor difficulties become major headaches when you are getting soaked!

Seemed a simple enough plan at the time. I had to get to The Station by 15:43 at the latest. I knew the train we were meeting was running on time as the Rail Track web site gives a real time arrivals board - great idea! A quick check on the Internet and I found a bus, FDC service 84 (I think - always get the mixed up!) that got to my stop at Derriford Roundabout about 15:10 and then straight through to Milehouse and then the City. A quick check on the RTP showed the bus as due so I waited, and waited, and waited. By now the bus had disappeared from the display board so clearly this bus wasn't equipped with the RTP system. I was actually on the phone to wife to explain I wouldn't make it when just before 15:25 the bus arrived a the stop. It didn't leave long to get to town but I decided to give it ago. Much to my surprise Plymouth traffic was having a day off so it was high speed, almost non stop, no traffic jams all the way into town and I got to the station with a few minutes to spare.

I probably could have caught a Citybus service down to near the station but the timetables printed at the bus stop only give departure times, with no indication of route - and how long the journey takes. FDC do give this in a simple diagram for each route which really does help.

Due to the weather getting worse we all caught a taxi to St Budeaux as we didnt fancy carrying our friends luggage all the way to the bus stop in the pouring rain.

Later in the evening I had to get me and Zak back to Estover from St Budeaux. I knew the 46 came through some time and also the 29 to Derriford might be an option as we could change buses there. It would save a long ride on the 46. Down to the bus stop and sadly there was no RTP display. There was a full display board...

Not a well thought out board really!

Plenty of room but some timetables overlap while others have fallen down. Once again there is no route information to indicate where buses go and how long they take. At least the Target Travel timetable includes a full timetable which did give us an option to catch as far as Crownhill. We had missed the 29 and just missed a 152 so we decided to wait for the 46. A 29 did fly by just before the 46 - not sure what one this was as it wasn't on the timetable. We saw the 46 and Zak wanted to catch that one as he didn't want to change buses at Derriford. A very quite ride in a very damp Dart, we were just about the only passengers until Derriford, through the vast housing estates of North Plymouth - hardly the most scenic of routes at the best of times. The only highlight being The George Park and Ride site which was a hive of activity with no less than 4 FDC Park and Ride buses getting ready to depart back to the depot, a couple of the Northern Connect Taxibuses and a couple Northern Connect Solos  either parked up or arriving / departing at the same time. Zak enjoyed that - he likes the Northen Connect service - as he always gets a wave back from the drivers!

Actually to be fair, when I read back my post, it hardly qualifies as the journey to hell and back does it? Like I said

Minor difficulties become major headaches when you are getting soaked!

still, get the RTP up and running in more bus stops and buses, and get better route information printed up at stops and life as a bus passenger would get a little bit more bearable, even if likely to stay just as wet

Timetable success for local authorities

Reading a new post on the excellent Omnibuses Blog which congratulates his local operator Transdev Yellow Buses (Bournemouth) for having what Barry Doe considers to be one of the best operator produced timetable booklets in the country. As to who Barry Doe is I will quote Omnibuses:
"He’s the intrepid and penetrative consultant whose eagle eye for publicity, fares, standards and deals has embarrassed and sometimes even shamed and humiliated those he considers as offering poor service."
As part of his web site Barry Doe lists the top local authorities in the country when it comes to timetable provision - and guess what? It seems we are being very well served by the local authorities down here.
Devon County and Cornwall County Councils are both congratulated on their timetables. Both have very different approaches but both do their job very well.
Now when I first read through his run down I expected Cornwall and Devon to be there. I was not so sure about Plymouth. Well Plymouth is indeed there - along with Torbay Council too.
You can read his full verdict on each authority here.
Of course Barry Doe is only looking at printed material here, but we are now also served very well on the 'net as now Citybus have finally joined in the fun and have excellent timetables available on line for all their services. It must be said that their timetable section on their web site may not look as well put together as First Devon & Cornwall but if anything it is slightly easier to use and comes in very hand indeed.
Well done to all the local authorities
Now if Plymouth could just get the real time information system up and running across the City properly then it really will deserve all the praise!

Real Time

I went to catch a bus today from a bus stop with the new Real Time info display as seen above. Trouble is my bus, the 15A didn't appear on the display at all.
the 5 to St Budeaux listed above doesn't go to St Budeaux any more.
It also mentioned a service 6 to Derriford. That does not run any more either.
I could go on with the list of errors noted in the 10 minute wait for my bus.
Wonderful!
didbygraham

In real Time?

Photo taken a few days ago in Plymouth City Centre is of Target Travels Mercedes 709D N94BNF. This was purchased from Blue Bus a couple of years ago and was in service in their livery for a while. Ben Morroll has a photo of it on his fotopic site in the bluebus livery here.

This brings me to another blog I discovered recently Omnibuses which has today posted "Minibuses - where next" which is well worth a read - as is the whole blog.
He also has posted the news that Transdev has just announced the purchase of Blazefield Group. This has no local value but is yet another bus operator changing hands. There has been a real flurry of activity over the last few months with Transdev emerging as a major force to be reckoned with.

A couple of other local stories on the this is Plymouth news site tonight have caught my eye:

12:00 - 06 January 2006
Bus passengers in Plymouth will be able to get timetable details on their mobile phone within months. Residents will be able to get up-to-date information on the buses by sending a simple text message.The £1.7million project, which uses radio-navigation technology, is being seen as a key tool in the city council's bid to get more people on buses.The ambitious scheme is thought to be the largest of its kind outside London.Under the system, each of the Plymouth's 1,700 bus stops has been given a unique code.By texting the code for their nearest bus stop, passengers will be able to get details about when the next bus will arrive.A website providing codes for every bus stop in the city is to be set up by the council within three to six months.Over the next two years, each bus stop will be fitted with a sign showing its unique code.(why does this take two years?)Alex Huke, the council's public transport co-ordinator, said that the new system would help passengers to plan their journeys.He said: "We don't want to tell people that their bus is late when they're cold and wet at the bus stop."We want to give them the information they need when they are having a cup of coffee or doing some shopping."More than 160 buses have been fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking equipment as part of the scheme.'Real-time' data from each bus is transferred to an information room in the Civic Centre, where officers can check the service's overall progress.The data can also be used to help buses that are running late to make up time.At three city junctions, the system is set up so that late buses are given priority at traffic lights.Mr Huke said: "A bus running late can ask for priority if it is approaching a junction. Every bus knows where it should be and where it is."The technology is in place at Derriford roundabout, as well as junctions at Ham and Transit Way.Mr Huke said: "Those are the three we are using while we are in a testing phase. As new junctions go in, this technology will be used as a matter of course."


The other news item tonight is

12:00 - 06 January 2006
The city council is not to blame for growing traffic congestion in Plymouth, transport chiefs have insisted.But the authority admits that the city's roads will become even busier when major new developments are completed.And the council has acknowledged that changes to the road layout on Royal Parade have caused delays - but made the area safer for pedestrians.(How can the pedestrian crossing be safer than the underpass which existed before?)The news comes in the wake of a critical Government report, which claimed that the council had caused traffic congestion in Plymouth.As revealed in the Evening Herald on Tuesday, the Government criticised the council's draft Local Transport Plan 2, which sets out the city's proposals for transport from 2006 to 2011.City transport manager Chris Sane has told the Evening Herald that there were 'gaps' in the draft plan, but he added that Plymouth does not have 'huge congestion problems'.And Councillor Sue Dann, the council's Cabinet member for transport and human resources, said that busy roads were a sign that the city is thriving and moving forward.The Government Office for the South West (GOSW) said that the draft plan, which was submitted last July, was 'disjointed and contradicts itself'.The council has now drawn up an action plan to ensure the final plan is completed before the Government's deadline in March.Millions of pounds of funding depend on the Government's ultimate assessment of the plan's quality and the council's ability to deliver it.Mr Sane, the council's transportation infrastructure and engineering manager, said that 'congestion hotspots' had been identified where busy traffic could pose problems.He added: "Plymouth isn't a city with huge congestion problems. If you compare Plymouth with places like Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham and Manchester, it is not a hugely congested city."What we are concerned about is that we do have a growth and regeneration agenda, not just in the city centre but also areas like the northern corridor, including Derriford."As you create jobs and employment opportunities, that is going to increase traffic in some areas and that, therefore, has the risk that we will have congestion hotspots."Mr Sane added that major highway projects, such as the £14.5million road widening scheme at the George Junction in Derriford, showed that the council was acting now to ensure that the city does not face larger problems in the future.He said: "If we do nothing, we will start to see congestion which ultimately will then act as a brake and stifle economic activity."By doing things now, like the work at the A386 George junction, we are easing an existing bottleneck, but also creating capacity for future growth in that area."Mr Sane added: "Traffic congestion has not been caused by the council."We have got the Drake Circus development, which will bring jobs to the city and create an additional high quality shopping environment. That brings more traffic into the city."We are trying to manage the consequences of developments like that for the benefit of not only the citizens of Plymouth, but also shoppers that come in from other parts of the region."Cllr Dann said: "Having busy roads isn't bad. Having busy roads means that people want to come into the city centre to work and shop."Traffic in itself is not a bad thing. It is actually showing how the city is moving forward."Plymouth is booming and, if Plymouth is booming, it means with that we get more people, and more people travelling."Although more traffic is expected on the city's roads in the years to come, the council has no plans to introduce a congestion charge.Instead, the authority is striving to ensure that bus services in Plymouth are more reliable, providing residents with an alternative to taking their cars.But transport chiefs admit that getting people on buses will mean overturning a 'lifestyle' shift that has evolved over decades.Mr Sane said: "Where this stems from is the lifestyle that everyone chooses to live. Nowadays, we have two-adult households where both adults are working. Forty years ago, there was probably a single earner in most households."Many adults now do the school run before driving on into work. We try to encourage children to come to school by other means, whether that be bus or walking."Cllr Dann said: "We can't be accountable for when people want to travel - people make lifestyle choices."People are busy, they want to move around the city quickly, and as a council we need to be able to take all that on board and offer viable transport choices."She added: "All we can do is try to control the traffic and make sure we offer viable alternatives so people can choose how they travel."One of the 'congestion hotspots' identified in the council's draft plan is Royal Parade, where lack of space at bus stops and people using pedestrian crossings are slowing buses.Last year, an underpass which ran under Royal Parade was filled in and replaced with a pedestrian crossing as part of a £1.5million facelift of Armada Way.The work also included the creation of a 'plaza' space, which has hosted temporary attractions including an ice rink, a big wheel, and a giant screen showing matches from the Wimbledon tennis championships.Mr Sane said: "As a result of introducing the Royal Parade crossing, that has displaced some traffic onto Notte Street."For bus journey times around the inner ring, all developments have had a delaying impact. This is something that is inevitable."The crossing was put in primarily to give better pedestrian access. It was very difficult for anybody with mobility needs - such as people with pushchairs, disabled people, and elderly people - to use, compared with what we currently have."Cllr Dann added that the new crossing had turned a former 'accident hotspot' into an area where people felt safe.She said: "We don't get boy racers down Royal Parade anymore. We have accepted that the traffic has slowed down to make the road safer."Cllr Dann added that the 'plaza' had enabled the city to become one of the region's premier shopping developments.She said: "Plymouth was one of the most successful Christmas shopping centres in terms of visitor numbers in the whole of the South West. It's been really buoyant."The entertainment has made the city buzz, and that would not have happened without the Royal Parade crossing."GOSW has told the council that its draft plan 'lacks a coherent policy', with few links to the Mackay Vision for future development in the city.Mr Sane said: "We always knew there were gaps that needed substantial improvement, and we are addressing them."What we were very, very keen on was making sure we had very good public consultation. The consequence of that is that the plan went in with some gaps."Of the draft plan's relationship with the Mackay Vision, Mr Sane said: "I think they did link, but I think the issue was about how explicitly this was expressed in the draft plan."They are not in conflict - we just hadn't made it really explicit that there was a link between the two."Cllr Dann said that the council had been commended for the way it had consulted with stake-holders about the draft proposals.She said: "It shows we are trying to make our streets safer, we are trying to improve the environment in which we live, and we are trying to make the city a lot easier to get around."

Todays blog is already big enough so I wont add too many comments of my own to this yet. But I can assure you I will be coming back to it!

didbygraham