It OUGHT to be simple and therefore it OUGHT to be easy to understand - but it isn't.
Sheffield correspondent Andrew, who lives at Bradway, uses services 24/25 to commute from home to work and back. He often uses the stops on Arundel Gate, notably those adjacent to the run of three shops ...
Sheffield correspondent Andrew, who lives at Bradway, uses services 24/25 to commute from home to work and back. He often uses the stops on Arundel Gate, notably those adjacent to the run of three shops ...
... that are to be demolished. Clearly there would be an impact on AG9, the stop seen above ...
... which stands at the top of the steps down to Esperanto Place, the bottom stretch that was once part of the through road, Norfolk Street.
There is a second stop (AG12) further back along the road ...
... in this case NOT a posh monolith but a simple flag on a pole with route numbers shown on the yellow panel. The current excellent PTE map ...
... shows what stops where.
There are 18 journeys an hour using AG9, 16 of which may need to "wait time" in the layby which can easily be full with resting vehicles; all three shown below are, in theory, calling at AG9.
AG12 is, in some ways, less of a hassle; services 5 and X7 are nearing the end of their routes (3 buses an hour) so alighting passengers are the most likely; whereas for 43, 44 and X17 (six buses an hour) Arundel Gate is one stop out from their terminus departure so boarding passengers will predominate. There is no over to lay!
In order to demolish the row of three shops, the site and the pavement have been encased in a cocoon of planks and scaffolding.
Part of the layby has been coned off and is used as diversion for the pavement. (this picture from Roy)
Now, here is a picture from Andrew of the current state of AG9.
It appears to be fully functional and carries no indication that its is out of use.
Meanwhile, stop AG12, not directly impeded by any obstruction, has been covered in black plastic and thus withdrawn from use.
Meanwhile, stop AG12, not directly impeded by any obstruction, has been covered in black plastic and thus withdrawn from use.
Notice that, when Andrew went a-snapping, a replacement "dolly-stop" was in place between AG12 and AG9 at the very end of the truncated layby. Notice, also, that a yellow notice has replaced the departure lists in the frame of AG12.
So what does a bemused passenger, approaching his "usual" stop from the flesh-pots of Castle Square see arrayed before him.
Not a lot! "Where's my bus stop gone," he wails pitifully. "Look at our helpful notice," ripostes the PTE.
But the temporary stop is NOT outside Select and Save (nearer to Castle Square) it is right next to the closed stop AG12! It did move later ...
... when someone at the PTE persuaded the contractor who moves the stops to actually communicate with the contractor who posts the yellow notices.
There is, of course, nothing on the "dolly stop" to confirm what stops there; meaning, according to Andrew, that folk are using their initiative, wrongly, and watching their buses whizz by.
More wailing from passengers who, without a map or even a simple arrow, ask, "Where is the O2 Academy?"
... when someone at the PTE persuaded the contractor who moves the stops to actually communicate with the contractor who posts the yellow notices.
More wailing from passengers who, without a map or even a simple arrow, ask, "Where is the O2 Academy?"
The O₂ Academy Sheffield, is a live music venue in the centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is a £3 million refurbishment of the former "Roxy Nightclub" ...
... and opened on 11 April 2008. And before that it was the Top Rank suite!
fbb thinks that somewhere in the middle of this identity crisis it was also "Steelys" nite spot!
Anyway, the new stop is significantly further along Arundel Gate in the direction of travel. You can see the layby clearly (?)
It is well past the "academy" and might be better described as "outside the Odeon Luxe".
Below is the pavement level view of the new stop. Note the provision of a shelter NOT.
The layby has been turned into a road-painted bus stop ...
... complete with flag and an "Arundel Gate" stop number AG123.
Which leaves us with yet another problem to solve.
Where does service 4 stop?
According to the yellow notice ...
... everything except the 3 and the 20 now stops "outside the O2 academy"; everything does, you might assume, include the 4 (and 4A), obviously.
But the flag does not mention the 4. The PTE assures the few readers who can be bothered to trawl through its web site that the 4/4A stops where the flag says it doesn't.
But, according to correspondent Andrew it stops "outside Select and Save".
One furious passenger returned from AG123 spitting venom because he had hailed a service 4 from there and it flew past without stopping. He was going to Ringinglow at 1735 ...
... that is the last bus of the day, the next being at 1135 the following morning.
Likewise ditto and repeat for service 10a!
Now fbb has a suggestion, too late to implement as it would redouble the confusion. But wouldn't it have been easier to put a temporary flag up the AG12 pole renaming it as AG9, leave all the AG9 buses in their rightful place; the provide a gurt big arrow (or even series of arrows) guiding the AG12 users to a new AG12 up the pole outside the Gaumont Luxe?
And, as you would expect with the PTE, always anxious to provide "sustainable" electronic information, the journey planners are all expertly updated.
In case you had forgotten, stops AG9 and A12 are closed, suspended, abandoned, defunct and obliterated. Wonderful.
The Odeon (now on Arundel Gate and now Luxe) is in premises that used to be the Cinecenta and/or the Fiesta night club. The previous Odeon (now Mecca Bingo) was at the foot of Norfolk Street, now Esperanto Place.
It opened as a cinema in 1956 and went Bingo in 1971.
A marvellous film!
Next loco building blog : Thursday 28th March
No comments:
Post a Comment