Traffic chaos, missing buses and the return of proper snowmen in the Tameside area
For most of us around the UK, this week’s weather has had a fundamental effect on our daily lives. Whether we were stuck on trains to and from the continent or walking to the railway station, we will have no doubt been affected by the lack of grit on the roads and pavements. Read the rest of this entry »
A case closed from Barrett Holmes
Somewhere within ‘More Lost Bus Routes of Greater Manchester’ is reference to a bus route from Stalybridge to Macclesfield Hospital operated by North Western Road Car Company. Thanks to a little clearout I had recently I found what I had considered to be the Holy Grail. Read the rest of this entry »
East of the M60 is doing a blog about it
OK, only kidding about the subtitle. After a number of more serious bus based articles I thought it would be a good idea to lighten the mood a little.
These findings and observations have come about from my personal experience as a bus user able to remember the dying days of Greater Manchester Transport and thereafter. I may throw the odd dafter one in for good measure. Read the rest of this entry »
Tameside area service changes (December 2009):
After being awarded to First Pioneer on an emergency tender since the 5th October 2009, Speedwell Bus has regained the Monday to Friday daytime service of the 343 route. Prior to then, the Hyde based company operated the route since April 2007, with the weekday service being ran commercially since the 25th April 2009. Read the rest of this entry »
Since I wrote the first installment of ‘Lost Bus Routes of Greater Manchester’, there has already been a favourable response in terms of comments and visitor numbers. This has prompted me to continue the series further. With the fluid nature of bus routes since deregulation began over 23 years ago, it has made for fascinating reading and jogged a few memories of those who have almost forgotten the routes. Read the rest of this entry »
Anger as Top Mossley residents are cut off from outside world by road closure.
When’s the best time to close a main road for roadworks: Christmas Day? Half Term holidays? The rush hour? Christmas Day would of the three as most people would be sat at home scoffing turkey and listening to this year’s X Factor winner (whom would have rigged the Christmas No. 1 spot for the umpteenth time). In a small town, the half term holidays is a least worst option due to the reduced schools traffic. Read the rest of this entry »
An irreverent history of the much maligned lightweight DMU
Few trains epitomise Greater Manchester’s rocky relationship with the rails other than the Class 142 Pacer unit. Making their debut in the summer of 1985 at Newton Heath depot, the Pacer units did not have the best of starts. Read the rest of this entry »
A special mixtape to celebrate 40 years since the formation of SELNEC PTE
40 years ago came one of the most revolutionary reforms to public transport management in the Greater Manchester area. As per Barbara Castle’s 1968 Transport Act, part of this legislation involved the formation of Conurbation Transport Authorities. Read the rest of this entry »
Another tumultous month awaits us…
The school holidays are already over and the next few weeks are going to be far from dull indeed for Tameside based bus enthusiasts.
After the last Bank Holiday, a major change has been made to Stagecoach’s 389 route, with the service no longer running to Stockport. Since then, the revised terminus has changed to Gee Cross, in line with First Pioneer’s Sunday and Bank Holiday service. As a result, the 386 service from Greave to Stockport has been restored and taken over by Arriva North West. Sister services 380 and 381 too have been taken over by Arriva.
As a consequence of the traffic on Ashton New Road, Speedwell’s new S50 route will be revised to run between Ashton and Mossley only. This is a temporary measure till the Metrolink works have finished. Last week’s Tameside Reporter also included reference to Speedwell’s proposed expansion of S50 service with evening and Sunday operations in the pipeline.
In the latest installment of The Incredibly Fluid 343 Route, there will be an operator revision. From the 5th October, First Manchester will regain the Monday – Friday daytime route which was lost to Speedwell in April 2007. In the last month, Speedwell intended to deregister the daytime journeys leaving Flowery Field without a full time link to Stalybridge and Dukinfield. This led to the formation of a Facebook group (Save The 343) favouring the route’s retention.
With the next round of major service changes due by the end of October, the 343 could well be changed yet again, as an emergency tender has been granted to First Manchester for the interim period since the 5th October 2009. This recent change will be the fourth one which has affected this route in the last 6 months and the eighth in the last 6 years! By contrast, the 346 has had half that number of changes within the same period.
Elsewhere, fellow Monday – Friday daytime Speedwell routes 41 and 337 will also be operated by First Manchester. This will leave the two local services in the sole hands of First for the first time since September 2006.
With the unanimous ‘No’ vote of last year’s Transport Innovation Fund referendum and the recession, we could be in for a bumpy ride. If I expect to be walking more at 60 than at 30 years, you’ll know why.
S.V., 22 September 2009.
With 13,000 plus friends on Facebook favouring its retention, support from beyond the Tameside boundaries and celebrities, Tameside Hippodrome must have had a fighting chance of being saved. Read the rest of this entry »
For a fair number of us weary commuters, travelling on any form of public transport is an ordeal. Whether its overcrowded trains, high fares or slow journey times, it brings out the inner grouch in us. Such manifestations of this may lead us to yearn for a 1950s utopia of steam trains, short pants and the Light Programme, or drive us to… drive – and add to growing traffic congestion.
One good thing about this 1950s utopia was the launch of paid holidays. In the space of the last 50 years, we have progressed from a week at Butlins to that of a week abroad thanks to cheaper air travel. The latter has resulted in higher CO2 emission sources from transport alone.
Overlooked by this increased demand for travel is the humble service bus. Due to increased car ownership, it has till the last two years been in continuous decline. Recent fuel prices and re-regulation of buses in Greater London have been the contributory factors to increased patronage.
We tend to travel by bus on short to medium distance journeys, with the rest of the journey completed by a longer train or coach ride, and possibly another bus at the end. What we do forget is that some journeys are best enjoyed by bus than any other form of public transport.
Its piece de resistance lies in rural and semi-rural routes for the views ahead. The UK is blessed not only with its scenery but also, in some areas, double decker buses. Which other vehicle allows for unrivaled views of the scenery ahead besides observation railway coaches?
A long bus journey on a most scenic route allows the passenger time to dream, some space to relax, and forget about the tedium of the desk/commuter cattle truck/rush hour traffic. It allows us to stop and stare like the sheep and cattle on the hills, though anywhere between 3′ – 7′ above ground. On higher terrain, we are treated to birds’ eye views of the horizon (especially on double decker vehicles).
The Zen Guide to Recreational Bus Travel
Scenic Routes Worth Trying:
Finally
It is worth noting that most bus routes outside Greater London are commercially ran. As per the 1985 Transport Act, bus companies determine the frequencies, which also means frequent changes to the timetable of each route or buses within that given area. Frequencies and journey times may be changed at short notice due to road works or service withdrawal. If you are unfamiliar with the route or need to clarify the route’s timetable, consider telephoning the local bus company/companies or Transport Direct.
Alternatively, log on to Transport Direct’s website or any of your local bus companies’ websites. If the local operator is part of a transport owning group like First, Stagecoach or Arriva, you may be able to search their website(s) by area.
It also pays to be at the bus stop some 10 minutes before your desired journey, to allow for early running, or late running buses on earlier journeys.
Though bus companies are carrying more passengers (due to free travel for aged persons), services are still no more profitable than before, if there is a low number of full fare paying passengers. This may result in some lesser routes being withdrawn, so please support them to avoid this scenario. On a personal note, whilst off work, I like travelling during the weekday off-peak periods due to higher frequencies than, for example, Sunday and Bank Holiday services.
The best book on the subject is David McKie’s treatise on little known bus routes throughout the UK. It focuses on the routes less trodden on and some of the lesser known local landmarks which are just as important (locally) as St. Paul’s Cathedral or The Great Pyramids.
Well, I’d better leave you to your own devices and let you return to when ‘we had time to stand and stare’ by forgetting everything other than your bus fare/pass/day saver/return ticket.
S.V, 07 September 2009
A muse on Manchester Metrolink’s Week of Misery
Before I begin my journey into work does not require any use of the Metrolink system. I prefer the less frequent though often more comfortable train which runs parallel with the tram. It takes a more scenic route and is less crowded. I find the trams a poor substitute in terms of comfort to the train, due to the seating (obviously designed for short hop journeys) and (till recently) the ride quality. Read the rest of this entry »
Was it: a) HM Government; b) Thatcher; c) The pub companies; or d) The supermarket chains…?
Before I start, it is best in convivial company not to discuss political issues within the walls of your local pub. This article breaks a multitude of rules by discussing pub politics. Assuming you may be reading this in the comfort of your own home by your laptop/cheap can of lager/favourite ashtray/fellow online poker player, this shouldn’t matter. Read the rest of this entry »
Five ‘must read’ autism spectrum books and five ‘must read’ Aspie/Geek Chic books for the summer
Despite running the risk of turning this subject into an adaptation of the Boney M song, this focuses on essential reading material for the summer holidays. If you’ve not already booked your holidays, this little article is for you.
One major difference is no that BAA/Peel Holdings-tastic trashy airport book is covered. All books within this subject concern autism spectrum disorders and some Geek chic titles which I most enjoy. I do apologise for the non-inclusion of any Terry Pratchett Discworld novels or trivia guides on ‘Star Trek’ and its forerunners.
Five ‘must read’ autism spectrum books
1. Best Book for the Railway Station Waiting Room/Shelter
‘All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome’, Kathy Hoopman
I have mentioned this book elsewhere in a previous post for the best Christmas books. This is an uplifting book stating in simple terms what Asperger’s syndrome is like to anyone 7 – 14 years of age. For anyone else, it is also a good coffee table read, due to the amount of cat pictures. Dog lovers on the autism spectrum or caring for such persons may appreciate ‘All Dogs Have ADD’, also by the same author.
2. Best Book for lazing on the beach with
‘Urville’, Gilles Trehin and Uta Frith
This is one book you could lose yourself in literally. Gilles Trehin’s drawings of his imaginary metropolis are nothing short of unbelievable. Just make sure you don’t have to keep any eyes on any children – and leave the sun lounger when the tide is about to come in.
3. For long train journeys (UK only)
‘Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence’, Luke Jackson
Given that most UK train journeys tend to have more stops than their mainland European counterparts, a book which is less likely to throw you off course is worth reading. In this case, Luke Jackson’s take on adolescence is funny and easy to read on a long Inter-City service from, for example Birmingham New Street to Penzance.
4. For long haul flights/coach trips
‘Nobody Nowhere’, Donna Williams
Though I am in no capacity to recount any experience of long haul flights, I would say Donna Williams’ first book is most suitable enough to make the long flight (so to speak) fly past. It is a gripping title which refuses to let go. I can testify on this statement, as when I first read the book, I almost ran the risk of losing sleep. I would say every one of Donna’s four autobiographical works are worth reading, though I recommend starting with her first one so as to enjoy her next three books properly.
5. For bedside reading
‘Loving Mr Spock’, Barbara Jacobs
For bedside reading, Barbara Jacobs’ book on living with a husband with Asperger Syndrome is both funny and harrowing. It states in detail the difficulties of combining a job as a talk show host in the West Midlands and looking after her spouse.
Five ‘must read’ Aspie/Geek Chic books
Put on your 1337 t-shirt and head for the sun. It does exist in real life, not just in Second Life or in the local newsagent.
1. Best Book for the Railway Station Waiting Room/Shelter
‘The Rough Guide to Television’
The Rough Guides are pocket sized and pithy enough to pass the time with, in the same way the Observers’ Guides are with birds and other topics. Besides, mentioning the Platform 5 range of spotters guides would be too obvious.
2. Best Book for lazing on the beach with
‘CSS Zen Garden’, Dave Shea
Do we laze about on the beach, or look for a bar with the best free Wi-Fi access? In our case, it is usually a case of ‘all our sun loungers belong to us’. However, to allow for any exception, any decent computer magazine or XHTML/CSS coding book is a good read. In my honest opinion, Dave Shea’s classic work on CSS created websites is a must for the summer sun.
3. For long train journeys (UK only)
‘Don’t Make Me Think’, Steve Krug
This book is just the thing for reading about web accessibility and improving your website. Steve Krug’s book is a ‘must read’ for anybody wishing to make their website ideal for humans and search engines alike. The text is just as easy to follow for beginner/intermediate level. Best enjoyed on the Manchester Piccadilly – London Euston route.
4. For long haul flights/coach trips
‘Metro Maps of the World’, David Ovenden
This book may not only be ideal for reading on the long haul flight, but also useful if you are visiting any location detailed within. David Ovenden’s hardback book includes a brief history of each light rail/heavy rail system from London to Lisbon. Entries include the Melbourne tram network, Manchester’s Metrolink, and up and coming systems.
5. For bedside reading
‘Greater Manchester Buses’, Stewart J. Brown
Behind the excellent ‘Nobody Nowhere’ and ‘Everyday Heaven’ by the one and only Donna Williams, Stewart J. Brown’s treatise on Greater Manchester’s buses from SELNEC up to the split of GM Buses is my all time favourite. Packed with pictures of orange and white Greater Manchester Transport Leyland Atlanteans and several others, this is the most comprehensive history of its ilk. There is reference to Clippercards, SaverSevens and the 400 Trans-Lancs Express as well as the buses themselves. Unmissable!
S.V., 21 August 2009
Donna Williams’ 2009 UK Tour Dates
Half Man Half Biscuit fans, I do apologise for my attempt at link baiting hoping you would expect an article on the above song from their 2002 album Cammell Laird Social Club.
More seriously, the tour dates for Donna Williams’ UK lecture tour have been revealed on her website. This time, there are no dates for the North West though the most northerly date is at Middlesbrough. Her penultimate tour date will be in the Kent seaside town of Broadstairs (hence the title).
Dates:
All dates may be subject to change. Check the Events section of Donna’s website for details.
To any regular readers of this blog who may be interested in seeing one of her seminars, you will be in for a treat. I am not just saying that because I know her as a good friend. As well as being informed you will also be entertained by her approach on discussing autism spectrum disorders.
Half Man Half Biscuit fans on or off the autism spectrum, you may wish to attend the Broadstairs lecture, visit the place itself properly, stay overnight and leave home the following morning. Sadly I cannot speak for the qualities of Broadstairs as I have never been!
S.V., 20 August 2009.
Postscript (01 October 2009): Donna’s final UK venue will be at Farnborough, not London. I will be going to the Wrexham, Doncaster and Middlesbrough lectures, so if in the unlikely event you see me, make yourself known. Middlesbrough also has a place in HMHB History in that Hedley Verity was born there (hence ‘Hedley Verityesque’ on their 1991 album ‘Macintyre, Treadmore and Davitt’.
Defunct bus routes in Greater Manchester formed after deregulation day
For the most part of the last 25 years, bus operations outside London have been subject to the worst excesses of neo-liberal economics. Networks have continuously shifted to meet ‘market demands’, resulting in an unstable system which has seen falling passenger numbers. This has seen inferior service quality, higher fares and older vehicles on our streets. Greater Manchester is no exception, and even more so, having had at one time some 71 operators within the GMPTE ticketing boundary.
Despite all this it has given us many weird and wonderful routes. It has also done more to increase the use of minibuses on streets once unserved by standard buses, and brought competition to soap opera type proportions. Bad points aside, there has been few dull moments.
As the creative genius behind East of the M60 has missed more buses than the average car loving Tory voter, this installment of The Not So Perfect Ten focuses on lost bus routes in the Greater Manchester area. All routes suffixed with an asterisk denote the ones I have travelled on myself.
Each entry includes reference to its replacement routes, correct to August 2009.
1: Stockport – Trafford Centre (X5)
On our imaginary journey, we take the X5 from Stockport bus station to the Trafford Centre. To commemorate the opening of Peel Holdings’ cathedral to consumerism, Stagecoach Manchester launched limited stop route X5 in September 1998. This followed the 371 route up to Cheadle before joining the M56.
What happened next: the route was withdrawn after 2 years. For most passengers it was easier to get a 371 between Cheadle and Stockport. Given the high concentration of car ownership and affluent population, it lost out, unanimously to the car.
2: Trafford Centre – Mossley, Hey Farm (600)
Launched also at the same week as the X5 was the 600 from Mossley, Hey Farm estate. Whereas the X5 had an hourly frequency on Monday – Saturday, the 600 was a much more limited affair (1 return journey, Saturdays only). Operated by First Pennine, it was a limited stop route which called at Mossley (Hey Farm, Bottom Mossley and Brookbottom), Ashton-under-Lyne, Denton and Brinnington, before joining the M60 motorway. There was also further stops at the Portwood junction of the M60 motorway and Stretford Arndale Centre.
What happened next: the route withdrawn in August 1999. A faster option for most Tameside residents would have been the car: the journey took 50 minutes from Hey Farm. With its pitiful frequency, a train to Manchester Victoria, and the 100 from Arndale Bus Station would have been a better alternative. Even now, it is more convenient for Tameside bus users to change at Manchester city centre (for example, 216/219 from Ashton then the 250).
3: Mossley – Ashton-under-Lyne (341):
Between these two points, I could in 2009 catch the 350, or (from the 3rd August) the S50. From the start of deregulation, two independent companies made an impact in Mossley: one was Checkmate Coaches, the other, Dennis’ Coaches. The latter company, from the 27th October 1986, launched a new service to Ashton.
Compared with the 350, Dennis’ used standard excursion coaches for their service. It also differed from the GM Buses service by being the first bus route in Tameside to stop at an ASDA store. Along with sister route 342, it gave Uppermill and Mossley a link with the store on Langham Street.
What happened next: the route was an early casualty of deregulation, being withdrawn by the summer of 1987. Most of the route is covered by First Pioneer’s 350 route with the section to Langham Street covered by Stagecoach Manchester’s 231 from Queen’s Road to Waterloo (Oldham Road/Wilshaw Road junction). The ASDA store moved to its present site on Cavendish Street in April 1989, served by the 41/330/335/345 bus routes.
4: Ashton-under-Lyne – Hyde Circular (D32):
Dukinfield in the latter part of the 1980s and early 1990s saw a glut of minibuses on short distance local routes. For example, GM Buses had the number 1 route, which competed with Pine Coaches’ P1 route, and Bee Line Buzz Company service 14. Lesser known was Dennis’ Coaches route D32, launched in May 1990. The route whisked passengers in the direction of Hyde via King Street and Ashton Road before returning to Ashton.
What happened next: there is little reference of this route (though I would be grateful if anyone had any further information). However, most of the route was replaced by extensions of their 216 and 219 services to Manchester – calling at the forecourt of the Morrisons store off Foundry Street. The Dukinfield extensions of the 216 and 219 were withdrawn by February 2001.
5: Hattersley – Hyde – Ashton-under-Lyne (333):
Another pioneering operator of the late 1980s and early 1990s was Stuarts Bus and Coach. Formerly known as Trimtrack, the coach company started bus operations on Deregulation Day, carving a niche around Hyde, Newton and Hattersley.
Our imaginary journey has taken us to the 1981 version of Hyde bus station with its draughty stands. I take my place at Stand D for an Ashton bound 333, operated with an Alexander bodied Daimler Fleetline, de rigeur for 1991. The 333 began at Hattersley, continuing to Hyde and Ashton, via Dukinfield Town Hall.
What happened next: the route was renumbered 3 to avoid confusion with the Ashton – Smallshaw Circular service. It outlasted Stuarts Bus and Coach’s stage carriage operations, following the company’s loss of GMPTE contracts and safety record. The route was taken over by Stagecoach Manchester who extended it to Glossop and renumbered them as two routes (398/399) in 1998. The section between Ashton – Hyde was withdrawn, due to duplication of sister route 330.
The Hyde – Glossop section remains, albeit with some journeys amalgamated with former Glossopdale route 341 and other journeys renumbered 397. Since 2007, both routes have been operated by Speedwellbus.
6: Ashton-under-Lyne – Glossop (S36):
In 2002, Speedwellbus was established as a private hire company in Glossop. Two years later, it began bus operations with the S36 service to Ashton-under-Lyne, competing with Stagecoach Manchester’s 236/237 services.
Back in Ashton, our imaginary journey has taken us to 2004 with the sight of one of Speedwellbus’ pristine Optare Solos. The S36 continued to Tameside Hospital, Stalybridge, Mottram-in-Longdendale and Hollingworth, before stopping at Glossop.
What happened next: the S36, which entered Glossop via Back Moor, lost out to Stagecoach Manchester. Their 236/237 routes were rerouted via Back Moor, with another route (238) being diverted to serve Tameside Hospital. Being robbed of these unique selling points saw the withdrawal of the S36. Soon after, Speedwellbus won the tender for the 238 (formerly the Ashton – Hattersley – Hyde extension of the 201) and the 239. The 238 has since been renumbered 387 and is operated by First Pioneer.
7: Ashton-under-Lyne – Oldham – Grotton (398):
After a pint at The Star Inn near Glossop railway station, our imaginary journey sees us returning on the S36 to Ashton. We finish up at Stand M of Ashton bus station and see a crowd of people leaving the then new Arcades Shopping Centre. I was back in 1995 and realised that I had left my Teen Travel Club card at home and didn’t want to pay GM Buses North fares aboard the 409 to Oldham.
I chose the Stotts service 398, operated by a former South Yorkshire PTE Leyland Atlantean. The Alexander bodied bus in its smart livery whisks me to Oldham for the princely sum of 90p (actual 1995 adult fare to Oldham from Ashton aboard their route). The service followed the 409 route up to Oldham (West Street) before continuing to Grotton via St. Mary’s Way and Lees Road.
What happened next: the service was withdrawn by 1996, giving GM Buses North (and ultimately First Manchester) monopoly status between Ashton and Oldham on the 409 route.
8: Oldham – Ashton-under-Lyne – Dukinfield (P1):
The P1 was for a short time Pine Coaches’ sole route, linking Dukinfield (Yew Tree) with the Morrisons store and Ashton-under-Lyne. It differed by dedicating one stretch of its route (Armadale Road) to genuine hail and ride operation, without the need for conventional bus stops.
On my imaginary journey back to Ashton, I am back in October 1991 where I eschew the Leyland Atlanteans of GM Buses (Northern Counties) and Bee Line (Eastern Coach Works) on the 409 for a Mercedes minibus. The route followed that of the 409 between Oldham and Waterloo (Dog and Partridge), entering Crowhill via Littlemoss Road, and continuing to Ashton bus station. The Dukinfield section followed the 340 route up to Armadale Road, which it would take to reach Morrisons, before terminating at Yew Tree.
What happened next: the P1 service was withdrawn in 1992, a year after its extension to Oldham. Much of the route lives on in the form of the 41 (except for the Morrisons link via Armadale Road North) and the 337, both operated by Speedwellbus and First Pioneer.
9: Ashton – Failsworth – Manchester (434):
After returning home to find my lost Teen Travel Club pass, I get the P1 back to Ashton and return once more to the late 1990s in my fantasy time-travelling mission. Waiting in the same bay as the 419 route (M stand again, with the 400/401), I board the 434 operated by First Manchester.
Much of the 434 service had its roots in Citibus service 428. The main variation was its route out of Ashton. Whereas the 428 followed the 409 up to Hollins Road junction in Hathershaw, the 434 followed the former 332 route via Turner Lane, then followed the 428 route via Hollinwood, Failsworth and Newton Heath.
What happened next: the 434 was renumbered 396 in 2001, terminating at Newton Heath. The route was operated by Vale of Manchester till 2004 before its present operator Speedwell Bus (along with sister route 395, Limehurst Farm) took over.
10: Bolton – Manchester (X9):
I am more or less back in the recent past of 2004. After winning the 400 Trans-Lancs Express the previous year, Horwich based independent Blue Bus launched a new express service to Bolton from Manchester. With a journey time of 38 minutes, it followed the number 8 route up to Moses Gate, with non-stop running on the A666 bypass. From there it joined the M60/M61 motorways before joining the A580 for Swinton, Pendleton and Salford, before reaching Manchester. Within Manchester, the service stopped at Albert Square and Piccadilly Gardens, before calling at Deansgate and returning to Bolton via Bridge Street.
A small number of buses, including an Optare Metroliner minibus received promotional liveries. This had its roots in an earlier plan to add a special livery for the 400 route.
What happened next: September 2004 saw the withdrawal of the X9 due to low usage. As Blue Bus was having some financial problems at the time, the business was sold to Arriva North West on the 31st July 2005. The limited stop section between Manchester and Swinton is covered by Stagecoach North West on their X61 route to Preston. A slower link to Bolton via Swinton is maintained by First Manchester in the form of their 12, 22, 36 and 37 routes.
Postscript:
With the network continuously changing, it is a task of Herculean proportions to keep up with the times and route revisions. I know myself being a long-time bus and rail enthusiast for the last 25 years. Though the timing of service changes seemed to have settled in recent years, updates to the network, could seem more frequent to the average user than his/her software patches – if he/she uses more than one company’s routes.
Whoever gets elected by 2010, there is half a chance that the Greater Manchester bus scene would be as interesting in the next five years as of now and before then. Though the Big Three (FirstGroup, Stagecoach and Arriva) remain dominant at this moment, I could see in five years from now smaller companies taking a greater share of routes deemed unprofitable by the Big Three. These would not only include local independents (Jim Stones Coaches, Speedwellbus and JP Travel for example), but third sector groups (for example Partington and Cadishead Transport) and taxi companies.
If the free market model of the 1985 Transport Act remains in place, I could see this happening more within 2 – 3 years. In fact it is already happening in some parts of Greater Manchester, so we should expect more weird and wonderful routes.
As usual, any comments are welcome, on the routes covered. Expect to see a follow-up pretty soon (possibly embargoed till the 26th October).
S.V., 30 July 2009
The Colours of Greater Manchester: Michael Eyre and Peter Greaves (Capital Transport, £22.00)
Tram Sunday: I hate that day with a passion. This is not so much for the lack of buses, but more so the stalls. It is an absolute incitement for me to spend silly money on transport books and DVDs. This year’s was no exception, returning home with three DVDs, two books and a handful of antiquarian bus tickets.
One of my two books is a recently published work by Michael Eyre and Peter Greaves entitled ‘The Colours of Greater Manchester’. The book focuses on the many liveries used by municipal and private bus operators between 1955 and 1969 in what is now Greater Manchester. Chapters are devoted to each of the constituents which made up SELNEC, Greater Manchester Transport and its forerunners.
Also covered is Lancashire United, the UK’s biggest independent bus operator before deregulation and its takeover by Greater Manchester Transport. There is also reference to Hubert Allen’s famed Yelloway coaches and a short chapter devoted to A. Mayne and Son.
As well as displaying the liveries through the ages, photographs have been carefully chosen to give the reader a wide variety of buses used by each operator. As well as Ralph Bennett’s Mancunian bodied Atlanteans (and his Bolton Transport ones before then), Manchester City Transport airport services and SHMD’s dual-door Daimler Fleetlines are also covered.
For your £22.00, you get an A4 hardback book with 100% full colour photos accompanied with details about the place and the route itself. The book is an absolute must for any Greater Manchester bus enthusiast. It’s a great book for the coffee table, suitable also for bogside/bedside reading.
I enthusiastically await a follow-up focusing on deregulation era liveries (which may well be as thick as an Argos Catalogue). Nice work guys!
S.V., 24 July 2009
A succession of hollow victories or The Great Leap Backwards?
Recent by-election results have seen the Tories gain ground over Labour in their former seats and wards. The most recent one was Norwich North where the Conservative candidate got twice the number of votes of the second place Labour candidate. Though third place, the Liberal Democrats saw a drop in their vote. Is this a Labour problem, or a problem facing the parties on the centre-left to centre of politics?
Critics would state that the expenses scandal, courtesy of the Daily Torygraph, had a main influence on the vote. This was the claim made after the European Elections where Britain warmed to the right-wing parties. However, it was not just Britain, but most of the EU Member States’ electorate which swung to the right. Instead of turning to the left-leaning parties, Little Englander style rhetoric has been exported to mainland Europe, small wonder why UKIP was the second most popular party in Britain at Strasbourg.
Are we voting Tory because we really want a change, or are we really mean spirited enough to vote for cutbacks? Do we really give a stuff about the unemployed, or would we rather make them suffer?
Cutting jobs would see a reduction in High Street spending due to reduced income, thus reducing income tax and VAT receipts for the chancellor. Result: reduced receipts leading to further cuts in public spending. Alternatively, VAT could be extended to more pervasive avenues like transport fares, books and children’s clothing – which would be massively unpopular.
The recession would also see an increased need for public services. By this I mean the local Jobcentre Plus, the NHS, municipal social services provision and the emergency services. Cutting jobs in the public sector would be a false economy. How do we know if private sector or third sector organisations would provide adequate replacements? Personally I think not.
The third sector should have a complementary role to existing public sector provision rather than as a replacement role. As for the private sector, well, they have to make a profit and answer to their shareholders. Therefore, the latter may only cherry-pick the most profitable areas.
Does Tameside need a Tory Government by 2010? Absolutely not. With few major employers besides superstore chains, the public sector accounts for more than half the borough’s workforce. This is not only Tameside MBC but also the NHS. The borough has already lost jobs from private enterprise with one of its constituencies (Denton and Reddish) reporting a 111% increase in unemployment. Tameside needs further cuts in employment like I need a hole in the head.
Cutting back the public sector could mean the end of Tameside’s ‘Tameside Works’ programme, designed to help local businesses weather the worst effects of the recession. Fewer bus services may be subsidised with service cuts reducing employment opportunities (thus exacerbating the recession). Events like ‘Party in the Park’ would also be a thing of the past.
It doesn’t take a genius to work where the cuts are going to go in Messrs Cameron and Osborne’s Utopia. If recent reports are anything to go by, they are chomping at the chance to cut and privatise anything at free will. To be totally honest, Britain needs a Tory Government like we all need holes in our heads.
For anyone wishing to see the reasons against, one should take a trip to South Elmsall, a place which has not recovered from the last Conservative government. Houses dating from the 1950s are boarded up, examples of which likely to fetch respectable prices – even in this downturn – in more affluent areas.
A Cameron led government could see the gap between the rich and poor widen even further – even though social mobility under this Labour government, is worse than the Great Dole Age of 1980 – 1993. The recession could mutate into a depression with the unemployed bullied even more. The public sector could go the way of the dinosaurs.
As for the North West, there will be several thousand Beasley Streets served by antiquarian trains and buses, taking tourists to the post-historic ruins of 1990s retail parks. All this would be amid the background of champagne quaffing City bankers, still not taking responsibility for the recession.
Still want to vote Tory? I take it you don’t remember Toxteth, the Miners’ Strike, the Falklands conflict, the abolition of GLC/GMC and other metropolitan counties, the castration of the trade unions, Poll Tax and privatisation…
I could go on, but that’s best left for another subject.
S.V., 27 July 2009.
For the purpose of this Not So Perfect Ten, I have decided to focus on the best ten pieces of music featuring buses. This may include direct or indirect reference to buses in its lyrics, song title, or instrumental pieces.
First and foremost is a more obvious entry; The Who’s Magic Bus. There is no reference to defective services nor high bus fares, just a straightforward plea to board their Magic Bus. Both The Who’s tune and Magic Bus played a part in the early years of bus deregulation. The first Magic Bus service began on the 26 October 1986 in Glasgow. Using an AEC Routemaster in an early version of the Stagecoach livery, Brian Souter launched Magic Bus’ cheap and cheerful service taking fares whilst dressed in a rabbit suit!
The Who tune was adapted for a GM Buses advert. Shown in the run-up to deregulation in the Granada region, it cheerfully announced the dawn of GM Buses, ‘picking you up tomorrow as usual’. What happened on deregulation day and the day after seemed to be opposite. On the same day was the first televised Manchester Derby game, resulting in a sub-40,000 attendance (at the time, the lowest ever at Maine Road). The lure of Brian Moore/Martin Tyler or the fear of bus deregulation chaos? You decide.
The second is a surreal piece from Half Man Half Biscuit. On their most recent album CSI:Ambleside, Little in the Way of Sunshine is peppered with references to bus routes around Shropshire. Parts of the lyrics include advisory signs seen on buses.
From Shropshire to Salford, we see a different side to bus travel immortalised in Last Bus. Written by The Salford Jets in 1979, it is a wry observation and warning on boarding night buses in Greater Manchester. Recently, this track has been reissued as part of their ‘Greatest Hits’ album ‘Manchester Boys’. Headed by Rock Radio DJ Mike Sweeney, they are well worth seeing live. I saw them perform an acoustic set at The Railway in Greenfield recently and they were great.
On the B Side of The Human League’s comeback single Tell Me When is The Bus to Crookes. This is a track about the 51 service to that part of Sheffield which begins at Gleadless Town End. At present, First South Yorkshire operates this service (please tell me if anyone knows different).
Another good bus related song also released in 1995 was Tour Jacket with Detachable Sleeves. As part of the Half Man Half Biscuit album Some Call It Godcore, the song starts well with a few friends going to a gig at the local polytechnic. That is until they find it was full of tribute acts, finishing with a bus journey from Hell, ending in an accident. There is reference to the 71 and 72 bus routes from Liverpool to Heswall via Birkenhead, operated by First Crosville.
Madness’ Cardiac Arrest is more to do with a hellish commute to work. In the narrative of this song, a time pressed commuter feels frustrated by the slowness of his bus. Fearing a late arrival, he gets wound up, hence the “I wish this bus would get a move on; driver’s taking his time”. It almost reminds of some of my bus based commutes from Hell in Greater Manchester. At least he had a conductor (as seen in the video) aboard his AEC Routemaster rather than a flustered driver trying to balance promptness with encapsulating weekly or monthly bus tickets.
The ninth one has nothing to do with buses whatsoever. Lucky Stars by Dean Friedman was his biggest and best known UK chart hit. The conversation with uncredited vocalist Denise Marca could have been anywhere other than aboard the Hale Barns Express. Its link with buses was Greater Manchester Transport’s ‘Sounds in Motion’ experiment, as (according to anecdotal evidence; my parents) it seemed to have been the only tune played!
The purpose of GMT’s ‘Sounds in Motion’ was to generate extra advertising revenue whilst keeping its passengers aboard the top deck entertained. 8 minutes per hour was allocated to advertising, with 52 minutes for music. If anybody else could remember ‘Sound in Motion’ (and as to whether they played anything by Supertramp or any other artiste(s) besides Dean Friedman), feel free to comment.
My final one is Bus Stop by the Hollies which is a gentle observational piece of waiting for a bus by the great Graham Gouldman of 10cc fame. It paints a picture of the boredom endured by passengers at Ashton bus station whose 346 is forever delayed by the schools traffic.
Any further suggestions are welcome. Cushty!
S.V., 17 July 2009
New from East of the M60 – Food Reviews
I was in search of something suitable to me on till teatime at around 1650 hours. We thought that a carton of chips or a chip butty would have been too much between our last meal at 1050 hours and our Sunday dinner.
Along with my old man I was watching the 10th Brighouse Brass Band Contest and having a most enjoyable time. We chose to go to the chippy whilst there was a 4th section band on as we most wanted to see Marsden Silver who were on afterwards.
At Blakeway’s Chippy I stumbled upon the ultimate compromise between chips with curry or a chip muffin. A Chicken Curry pie.
I have experienced the delights of the Balti Pie from my local Morrisons store and the pie hut at Redditch United’s ground. Those two specimens were gorgeous so I expected the same high standards of this one.
It didn’t disappoint! The pastry, though flaky wasn’t the sort of flaky pastry seen in a Greggs sausage roll or some frozen pies. Whereas my previous two pies had Indian style curry, Peters went for the Chinese style chip shop curry. It worked like a dream!
The pie had generous chunks of chicken and good pieces at that. It was well worth the £1.50 price tag and a very moreish pie to boot. For the health police, there is no MSG, artificial colours, flavours, preservatives and hydrogenated fat. According to Peters’ website, you can also buy these at Tesco and Sainsburys stores.
FotM60 Rating: 8.5/10
S.V., 07 July 2009.
East of the M60 says ‘no’ to the extradition of Gary McKinnon
A young man highlights the insecurities of US Federal computer system by sending a message about its lack of security. One would expect the message to be returned more favourably and thank you for exposing this situation.
Now imagine if the message was sent soon after 9/11. Instead of the kind thanks for acknowledging this error, they go down on this person like a ton of bricks. They threaten him with 60 years behind bars, some informally wish to ‘let him fry’ by putting him on death row. Being as this fellow is a British citizen, he is being threatened with extradition.
The subject in question, Gary McKinnon, has an autism spectrum disorder like myself which has led me to follow this case. This has meant the grotesque shambles of a socialist reading the Daily Mail which has picked up on the campaign this Friday. I abhor the aforementioned paper’s politics and Conservative leanings but they have succeeded in making this a more mainstream issue beyond the broadsheets and the internet.
Worse (and this is explained most explicitly in the Daily Mail given its Tory stance, as you would expect), it is claimed that the UK Government are in some way favouring the extradition plans.
A trial in the UK is overloading enough for a person with Asperger’s syndrome – let alone extradition and the possibility of a 60 year sentence – or Guantanamo Bay – if taken to America.
Instead of sentencing him for any amount we should give this fellow a job! He might even make Windows 7 more secure than that present and without any yawning gaps. Instead we could be sleepwalking towards sending a fellow Aspie to jail in America or worse, Guantanamo Bay. Oi!! Labour!!! Deal with this at once, on behalf of your fellow brothers and sisters on the autism spectrum. Like the author of this post.
To sign the petition sponsored by the Daily Mail, click here.
S.V, 06 July 2009.
Except on Saturdays
Recent service changes have seen Micklehurst Road and Staley Road disappear from the Greater Manchester bus network, with the exception of a Saturday only service.
Monday to Friday daytime journeys on the 343 (Oldham – Mossley – Hyde) route will follow the evening and Sunday route. Speedwell Bus, operator of the weekday daytime service has since lost the subsidy from GMITA resulting in this change. Passengers using the bus from Staley Road or Micklehurst Road will need to walk to Egmont Street or Winterford Road. Also scrapped is the Buckton Vale Road link which would mean Carrbrook passengers will have to change at The Carrbrook (late Buckton Castle) for the 348 to South View.
Passengers of the 343 from Dukinfield will however see a reduction in journey times to Mossley, equalling First Manchester’s evening route. The Saturday service operated by JP Travel (which along with the First Manchester service is subsidised) remains unaffected. The revised timetable also offers better connections for Dukinfield passengers with Flowery Field railway station.
Other changes:
East of the M60 Comment:
To compensate for the lost journeys on the 343, I would like to see Staley Road return to the bus network full time. This could be achieved by rerouting the 217/218 service via Staley Road. Another idea could be the rerouting of the 217 via Micklehurst Road with the 218 serving Staley Road. However the former could be problematic due to the gradient and the width of Micklehurst Road.
S.V., 02 July 2009
Remembering the Bee Line Buzz Company
Readers of a certain age living in Greater Manchester may remember the early days of bus deregulation for clapped out double deckers, competition and ticket validity issues. There was one company which was an exception to this.
The 26th of January 1987 saw the launch of the Bee Line Buzz Company. Eschewing double deckers, its remit was to deliver high frequency bus services using minibuses. Instead of having a service with a half hourly frequency using double decker buses, the same route would be served with 20 seater minibuses operating every 7/8 minutes. Unlike conventional bus services, they could be hailed anywhere on the route like a black/yellow taxi cab (apart from some sections where conventional bus stops were used).
The idea of replacing conventional bus operations with frequent minibuses was not without precedent. Harry Blundred dabbled with this before deregulation in Exeter within the National Bus Company. This was later copied in the Hereford and Worcester city centre areas.
Up to its launch, the streets of Greater Manchester saw the PTE owned GM Buses competing against a wave of independent operators. Some were long established companies like A. Mayne and Son and Finglands. Others were more recently formed companies like Citibus and Stuarts. The launch of the Bee Line Buzz Company however did more to ruffle the feathers at GMPTE on Portland Street.
Unlike the older independents, the Bee Line Buzz Company was part of a national company, United Transport, who also had transport interests in South Africa. Its frequent services and modern fleet prompted GM Buses to launch its Little Gem services. This name superseded locally branded minibuses such as Ashton Minilyne for minibus services from Tameside depot.
Personal recollections:
I had my first experience of Bee Line Buzz Company’s services in February 1987, within its first week of operation. Mine was with 18 others as part of a school trip to Hatchett’s Wood in Wythenshawe. We caught the number 5 route from there to Palatine Road, West Didsbury for my then school at the time, which was Ewing School.
Also in the same year, I could recall boarding the number 14 route from Hyde Park to The Forester pub in Dukinfield. It was Guy Fawkes’ Night and along with my Dad, I went to a Tameside MBC organised display on the spare ground opposite Hyde Park. It seemed amazing to me seeing a computerised ticket machine, compared with the Almex ones used on GM Buses. The journey experience to me was almost like boarding a taxi given its intimate atmosphere compared with the usual double decker on the 343 route.
The routes:
As a proud owner of a Bee Line Buzz Company timetable with maps, the routes (as noted on the 14th of September 1987) were:
Only two of the routes remain in more or less of the same form as their 1987 route. These are the number 7 and the number 1 routes. The latter was renumbered 11, whereas the former’s route is virtually unchanged apart from the fact it also serves the retail park and multiplex cinema at Ashton Moss. Both are operated by Stagecoach Manchester and run to frequent intervals.
At this time of writing, the 7 has a 20 minute frequency operated with single decker buses, though no service after 2030 hours, Sundays and Bank Holidays. This is operated from Stagecoach Manchester’s new depot at Ashton-under-Lyne, just off Clarence Street. Marshall bodied Dennis Darts and Optare Solos are frequently used, with the former vehicles inherited from the acquisition of A. Mayne and Son’s bus operations in January 2008.
The 11 has a 10 minute frequency, also operated with single decker buses, though no service after 2030 hours, and on Sundays and Bank Holidays. This at present is operated from Daw Bank depot in Stockport. With the possibility of Charles Street depot closing this summer, could the 11 transfer to Stagecoach Manchester’s proposed new depot in Northenden?
What happened next?
Sadly, the party was over for the Bee Line Buzz Company’s bold aims by the end of the 1980s. Firstly, the company was acquired by Ribble Motor Services at the end of 1987. Stagecoach Holdings took over Ribble in March 1989 and sold the Bee Line operation to Drawlane. By 1989, its minibuses disappeared from the streets of Greater Manchester, replaced by worn out double deckers from privatised NBC owned companies such as London Country.
Drawlane later became known as British Bus. In 1993 – 1994, they tried to bid for GM Buses North, but were beaten by an employee and management buyout. By 1996, British Bus were sold to Cowie Holdings, before becoming Arriva two years later. In 1998, Bee Line was no more. Along with its stablemate North Western (not to be confused with the North Western of NWRCC fame), they became part of Arriva North West. Its operations were ran from Merseyside. Manchester area operations were known as Arriva Manchester.
Today, Arriva Manchester has two depots. One of them is the Manchester depot just off Fairfield Street, inherited from the original North Western, formerly owned by Tilling and BET. Its second depot is in Wythenshawe.
Though not part of Arriva Manchester (in this case Arriva North West), the former Blue Bus depot is Arriva’s third depot in Greater Manchester. This being the result of its acquisition of Horwich independent Blue Bus on the 31st July 2005.
Recommended reading and source materials:
‘Greater Manchester Buses’, Stewart J. Brown (Capital Transport, 1995);
Bee Line Buzz Company timetables (1987);
GMPTE Bus Times: 7 and 11 bus routes (2009);
7: Ashton – Reddish – Stockport (Stagecoach Manchester);
11: Altrincham – Wythenshawe – Stockport (Stagecoach Manchester).
Before I go…
I would be most grateful if anyone could fill me in with extra information on the 1987 Bee Line Buzz Company routes (in a sort of ‘Where Are They Now?’ type of thing). A special mention also to Martin Bryant of the Manchester Buses blog, who commented a few months back asking me about the Bee Line routes. I hope this article fits the bill in some way.
S.V., 08 May 2009.
Blogged with Flock
A new series from East of the M60
Any readers of this blog who lived or shopped in Oldham, nearing, or have passed their 30s may remember St. Peter’s Shopping Precinct. Opened in 1967, it was to become Oldham’s (as we call it in 21st century parlance) retail destination, attracting the major names. Influenced by the popular Merseyway centre in Stockport, it was hoped that the winning formula would work in Oldham.
The precinct was a mixed-use development before the term was invented. It was flanked by offices (most of which let by the North West Health Authority) and offered subway access to Henshaw Street, Cheapside and Manchester Street. The subways linked the centre with the market hall and the C&A department store, enabling shoppers to avoid the Market Place roundabout.
Given the cold Oldham weather, Its windswept location won few friends with shoppers and retailers. The subway link from the precinct to C&A acted as a wind tunnel, which was exacerbated by the precinct being fairly open. The layout didn’t seem to have helped either, which must have made it seem like a muggers’ paradise.
For most of its time, empty units plagued the precinct. The precinct’s anchor store was a TESCO, opened by Ken Dodd in 1968. The Post Office was moved to the precinct from Union Street, to a unit overlooking George Street near the TESCO store. A NORWEB showrooms took up a unit under the office block. The rest of the precinct included a handful of chain store retailers and independently owned shops, and a café. This was on the side of a stepped ramp ideal for skateboarding fanatics. At the most easterly part of the precinct on the ground floor was the Job Centre.
I would say that St Peter’s Precinct failed in Oldham due to: 1) the layout; 2) the town’s cold weather; and 3) its windswept location. The design may have worked better in a location with a warmer climate than Oldham. I can recall the precinct in its twilight years and loved how the whole thing was like a giant climbing frame. It could have made a good open air laser shooting venue on Sundays and Bank Holidays – though even in the summertime, I would have needed that Fair Isle sweater!
I also remember in recent times reading a historical feature on the precinct in the Oldham Chronicle, and it showed a picture of how Phase 2 would have looked. St. Peter’s Precinct was originally going to be done in two phases, albeit with windy open air shops continuing on what is now the Town Square Shopping Centre.
Instead, a private company took on Phase 2, and learning the lessons of its predecessor, made the precinct fully enclosed. This was opened in 1981. 12 years later, St Peter’s Precinct was replaced by Spindles Shopping Centre. It was a breath of fresh air from the windswept subways of its predecessor. C&A also moved into the new shopping centre, dispelling the risk of hypothermia. Both centres are linked internally, and the transition from the older Town Square centre to the Spindles is seamless.
S.V., 29 April 2009
Had it not been for the actions of the AQA to include the Metrolink timetable as part of an ‘A’ Level literary syllabus, this post would not have been possible. Thanks to reports in the local and national press around November 2008, it had got me thinking ‘Yes! The 1972 SELNEC Southern timetable will be rated alongside the Bronte Sisters, Charles Dickens and Homer’ If my school’s English Literature syllabus included the Teen Travel Club leaflet from 1984 rather than The Merchant of Venice, that B would have been upgraded to a juicy A*.
My transport related literary classics are:
How can a book about transit maps be fascinating? Mark Ovenden proves that it can be possible. Metro Maps Of The World categories every metro map from the most elaborate (London Underground for instance) to more modest systems and projected ones too. Within this book is a history of how some maps evolved over the years, with some more concise references to the Melbourne system, Dublin DART rail and our very own Metrolink.
Also consider reading: Henry Beck: a similar book by the same author on the creator of the London Underground map.
Had it not been for Westminster pushing us from pillar to post, we would have had something more substantial than the Metrolink, a north-south heavy rail link with services from Bolton, Bury and Oldham to all points south. The fact it took over a century for Manchester to have a north-south based rail connection is scandalous (though that’s best left for another post), but this could have been possible – by 1980 – if The Picc-Vic Project was fully implemented. The reader is greeted with a cover of a possible subterranean Royal Exchange station and a train similar to BR’s Class 508 EMUs. The book details possible bus/rail interchanges, service frequencies and has its roots in SELNEC’s Lifeline 2000 book.
Also consider reading: Lifeline 2000: SELNEC’s precursor to The Picc-Vic Project route.
Till 1972, Stockport, parts of south Manchester, Trafford, Glossop and Tameside were served by the North Western Road Car Company as well as SELNEC and municipal operators before then. North Western’s bus services within Greater Manchester were absorbed by SELNEC and were briefly part of the National Bus Company. Their 1968 timetable was their last pre-NBC era one. As well as all its bus routes, reference is made to its summer holiday services, some from other operators and British Rail services. Also listed is information of market days, half-day closing and bus/rail through-ticketing. A fantastic publication. If only today’s bus timetables were that informative.
Also worth reading: any of Derbyshire County Council’s trio of timetables – a must for exploring the Peak District, Bolsover Castle or Uttoxeter for JCB’s Diggerland.
With Britain in the cut and thrust of recession, and a Tory Government inflicted fares increase in 1981, Labour took over GMC’s County Hall with a promise to freeze bus fares. Another strategy was the expansion of off-bus ticket sales, started by its predecessor. This included the new Teen Travel Club and Wayfarer tickets. The most thorough leaflet on this was A Fare Deal For You. The leaflet is also a good source book for 1980s fashions as well as Saver Sales points. Also included are the ticketing boundaries, details of mobile Saver Sales outlets and (in the 1983 leaflet) news of fare reductions!
Also worth reading: Teen Travel Club leaflets, 1984 – 1986. It is worth a peek for the fashions alone.
No enthusiast of Greater Manchester Transport should have a bookshelf without this tome. Greater Manchester Buses by Stewart J Brown is probably the definitive reference on all things in the Greater Manchester bus world from SELNEC to the government enforced split of GM Buses. Almost everything from Clippercards to Citibus is mentioned. My copy has taken pride of place for nearly 10 years and is one of my most read books besides the Argos and IKEA catalogues. The only downside is due to the book being 13 years old at this time of writing, Greater Manchester now needs a definitive reference of the bus scene since deregulation. 2013 could be the best year to start writing this section (covering the last 25 years of deregulation), as by then we may or may not see the congestion charge imposed and the changes to our transport network.
Also worth reading: 75 Years of Mayne’s Coaches, Mark Hughes (1995): this as well as covering the famed coach operator, offers excellent background reading on operations in the deregulation era.
In the First Dole Age of the last generation (1982 to be precise), Greater Manchester Transport set about promoting recreational usage of their buses to arrest falling patronage caused by high unemployment. Among its leaflets was the excellent To Market To Market By Bus. This provided the would-be traveller with information on markets in the Greater Manchester area from Bury market to Partington’s outdoor market. As one would expect, the centre pages included a map of its frequent bus routes and the market locations.
Also worth reading: To Market By Bus (National Bus Company, 1983), or The Big Shopping Book (GM Buses, 1989).
I only ever remember seeing this book once at a transport fair and didn’t buy it till recently (my purchase coming from an Uppermill bookshop). I should have done though, but 10 Years of Progress (1974 – 1984) by West Yorkshire PTE is a curio itself. The book is an affectionate history of West Yorkshire PTE’s achievements. These include the Saverstrip – their equivalent of the Clippercard, cheap off-peak travel and its terminal like bus stations. Even now, its bus stations are streets ahead of their neighbours in Greater Manchester. Sadly since then the Metro-National company was disbanded and is like Greater Manchester in being the domain of FirstGroup, Stagecoach and Arriva.
Also worth reading: any annual report of the PTE operators, which come close to this work.
Among West Yorkshire PTE’s crowning glories was Bradford Interchange. So much so that in 1978, West Yorkshire PTE published a glossy softback brochure. The brochure details how the depot is placed below the bus station level, its separate coach station, railway station and wealth of car parks. This was anchored by the proposed central offices for West Yorkshire PTE (though used for the Bradford District only). Bradford Interchange has since changed radically with bus and coach facilities on a single terminal and half the site taken up by offices. The railway station has changed little apart from the buffet bar which is a crew change room for First West Yorkshire. The depot has since closed and is now a bingo hall.
Also worth reading: GMPTE’s brochure on Hyde bus station (2005) or Bury Interchange (Greater Manchester Transport, 1980).
The typical bus, rail or tram timetable details its times by means of the 24 hour clock with the times being read from top to bottom. Exceptions to this rule included Trent Barton and Merseytravel PTE who chose the 12 hour clock. The latter decided to display their times from left to right. A Southport to Liverpool service would see Bootle Oriel Street at the centre right of the timetable rather than near the bottom. Another detail was that am and pm times were shaded in different colours. In recent years, Merseytravel have opted for standard top to bottom timetables with the 24 hour clock. Their previous layout, though unusual in the UK is common practice in the USA.
Also worth reading: any USA based transit authority’s timetable/schedule.
For my final transport literary classic, I recommend the New York Metro’s transit map. Designed in 1972, it has formed the template for most modern day transport maps, though its roots lie in the older London Underground map. The difference is that the diagonal lines are presented in a 45° angle and without the softer curves. Even in 2008, the design remains timeless. The New York Metro has (sadly) disposed of the 1972 design, with its Helvetica typeface – which no doubt inspired Greater Manchester Transport in 1974.
Also worth reading: any British Rail/National Rail map since the early 1980s. I especially recommend the 1989 Network Northwest map due to its closeness to the New York Metro – before they thought of copying Henry Beck’s London Underground map.
S.V., 29 April 2009
So, almost four years since 7/7, almost eight years since 9/11, and a host of anti-terrorism laws during then. Have these laws stopped any terrorists? Are we a more illiberal country than we were in 2001?
I would yes to the latter, though I would say the UK ceased to be a free country since the Miners’ Strike. This point refers to the activities of the government in relation to the castration of trade union power and an organised working class.
Now, it seems that anti-terror laws are used more popularly for targeting trainspotters and photographers. How far do we need to go before we target anyone with a camera? Will Flickr, Photobucket and company be closed down? Would all Ian Allan Bookshops in future be treated the same as adult shops with opaque window displays?
Trainspotting is a harmless hobby, as is collecting numbers of other forms of public transport. It is the thrill of the chase, though this chase is less pleasurable as most passenger trains are electric or diesel multiple units of some description. In these cash strapped times, trainspotting can be a cheap hobby, if you live close to a main line. Plus you don’t always need a camera, as a discrete notebook and pen could suffice.
Most trainspotters seem to mind their own business and not bother any one, but they seem to be a threat to the rail franchises. Other than the anti-terror angle, I reckon it is more to do with money and them (to the companies) taking up precious space on the platform.
They may claim that trainspotters standing on the platform edge do not generate enough profits. Au contraire. How else would we have saved the Settle and Carlisle line or our steam trains without the derring do of the rail enthusiast? In fact, rail enthusiasts and spotters probably do more for the railways. Without them we wouldn’t have had steam trains doing Summer Sundays on the Settle and Carlisle, numerous other railtours, or restored stations.
Note to jobsworths harassing our spotters: leave them alone if they’re not bothering the travelling public. They too may be one of them waiting for trains.
S.V., 05 April 2009.
A57/A628 Mottram-Tintwistle Bypass funding rejected
Courtesy of an email from one of my fellow comrades, I am proud to announce one ‘No’ vote which will have greater benefits than that of The Car Lobby v. The New Trams. It is of great pleasure for me to announce that the North West Regional Development Agency and 4NW has rejected funding for the Mottram – Tintwistle bypass.
The bypass would cut through the heart of Swallows Wood and Arnfield Reservoir, which would lead to degradation of the environment, increased noise pollution and traffic fumes. Among the successful lobbiests against the bypass were Save Swallows Wood and the Tameside Nine Towns Green Party.
Estimated costs for the bypass increased from £184 million in July 2007, reaching £223 to £315 million by June 2008. Emma Lawrence from Save Swallow’s Wood stated “Of all the schemes being proposed Mottram Tintwistle was the most expensive and the most environmentally damaging. This is the first time a sensible decision has been made relating to the bypass and is a real cause for optimism amongst campaigners”.
The Tameside Nine Towns Green Party also support proposals to extend the proposed Piccadilly – Droylsden Metrolink line to Glossop, with extensions to Denton and new rolling stock.
A good move I say, but I reckon we should seriously think of reopening the Woodhead line.
Closed under the Thatcher led Conservative government in August 1981, the Woodhead line was considered as a trunk route for bulk freight in Dr Beeching’s ‘The Reshaping of the Railways’. Reopening the Woodhead line would potentially bring improved links with Sheffield and Barnsley from the Tameside area, assuming Guide Bridge becomes an intermediate station for Sheffield bound trains. The current journey from Manchester to Barnsley by rail involves changing at Huddersfield for the Penistone line (which is no bad thing if you love scenic routes but not speedy travel) – at least 90 – 120 minutes – compared with up to 90 minutes by road.
The Woodhead line could also be a suitable diversionary route for East Midlands Trains services to Norwich, whilst the Hope Valley line is closed for engineering works. This could avoid the need for reversal at Sheffield before continuing to Chesterfield or Manchester. Reopening the Woodhead line could increase journey opportunities for Glossopians whose only way of travel to Sheffield is likely to be the Woodhead Pass (A628) or Snake Pass (A57). Rail using Glossop folk are forced to change at Piccadilly. A Sheffield service over the Woodhead line could call at Dinting, providing connections with the stopping service. This could only work if the Hadfield – Glossop section is doubled.
Now the funding has gone for the bypass, let’s campaign for improved public transport based solutions for Tameside and Glossop.
Hopefully, those bypass signs near The Gun Inn will be demolished. 
S.V, 18 March 2009.
“…Heartbeat, why do you miss when my baby kisses me…” – Buddy Holly
The strains of ITV’s much loved period drama may no longer haunt the screens in a few years time due to falling ad revenues, which may well be a blow for the North Yorkshire village of Goathland. Viewing figures have halved since the programme made its debut in 1992. I reckon it could down to the fact the programme may have ran its course, but that’s another story best left to another topic.
On the whole, has anybody else realised how Sunday night programmes tend to be more sombre? I don’t think it leaves any of us in a sunny disposition for Monday mornings. It is this concept which has led me to a new Not So Perfect Ten. Today’s subject, ‘Sunday Night Terrors’ is a rundown of the most sombre programmes ever to have graced the Sunday night schedules. They merit inclusion on the grounds of its mawkish nature, sheer crapness, apocalyptic doom and an unedifying blandness which screams ‘Monday is on the way’.
There are probably several more to list which may form a follow-up to this subject. Please note that the transmission dates within this list above refer to the UK transmission dates.
Before I discovered the joys of real ale, Sky Sports, and Sunday bus services, Monday was almost on its way when Channel 4 reverberated to the strains of Little House on the Prairie. Though the sets were lavish, I couldn’t get into the programme, unlike my mother.
There must be an unwritten rule that Sundays had to be a schmaltz-fest. There was the awful ‘Small Wonder’ which included the non-adventures of a girl and her robot. Then ‘Highway to Heaven’ would come on after ‘Weekend World’ or ‘Aap Kaa Ark’. Coinciding neatly with Sunday pub closing times (before 1994, you couldn’t get a pint between 1500 and 2000 hours) was The Love Boat. The premise was that romantic and funny adventures took place on cruise ships around the world. Interesting. Could we have some football on instead? Thankfully, Bullseye used to start shortly after, which neatly finished for the UK Top 40 Countdown.
For me, the weekend finished as soon as the UK No. 1 chart single was announced. Now that I no longer listen to the music charts, Antiques Roadshow will suffice instead. Though I find this programme mildly interesting, it doesn’t quite stir my senses the same way as a rare home win for Stalybridge Celtic. Now that Fiona Bruce presents this programme, I have started watching it more, so I’ll leave this to your imagination…
Sometime in 1996, Richard Wilson returned to ITV for the sitcom Duck Patrol. After doing the successful One Foot in the Grave on ‘the other side’, ITV thought this would be their equivalent to ‘Last of the Summer Wine’. My family and several other viewers thought otherwise as we tried to force a titter.
Around about the same timeslot as Antiques Roadshow was Surprise Surprise, a televisual equivalent of the ‘missing persons’ column with ‘our Cilla’ at the helm. I found it rather schmaltzy, making at the Anne Nightingale’s request show on Radio 1 a more inviting proposition. When I was young, I hated the programme and thought ‘Ho hum, school is on the way’. Now if there was a quiz show element to it…
In a bid to make Sunday night the new Saturday, ITV decided to give its Sunday night schedule an overhaul. Spurred on the success of Dancing on Ice, ITV thought Beat The Star would become another. Alas it wasn’t. The Vernon Kay fronted programme [Beat The Star] encouraged the general public to take on celebrities at challenges akin to ‘You Bet’. The biggest challenge was sitting through 90 minutes of this programme, despite not fulfilling the ‘depressing’ nature of Sunday programme.
If trying to impress us with ice dancers weren’t enough, trying to create a similar programme to an already successful one was bad enough. Enter Where The Heart Is, produced by Anglia Television, yet set in West Yorkshire. I found the storylines maudlin and unadventurous. Where was the suspense laden plots, or the fear factor?
The fear factor was something Threads did have - in buckets – one Sunday night in 1984. Ticking all boxes for a Sunday night doomfest, the docudrama was set in Sheffield before, during and after a nuclear attack. It is also something of a cult classic (and rightly so), not least for a social history of 1980s Sheffield, its shoestring budget, and ability to scare anyone into joining CND. Even on repeated viewing, I cannot fail to be stirred by the anti nuclear weapons demo scenes, and the first nuclear strike which occurs 55 minutes into the programme (nicely timed before Spitting Image when shown on the 23rd September 1984).
For the terrified feared of the nuclear reality approaching them at the time, they could have chickened out and watched something more asinine, like Tales of the Unexpected or Hart to Hart. Featuring Stefanie Powers and Robert Wagner, the titles were, in my opinion were as good as the programme got. Then again, I was sent to bed well before that programme started, and it is only through anecdotal evidence I was told that Freeway was the best actor (and he was their dog).
Now I know why we get this ‘OMG, I’ve got to go to work/school/college feeling’. It is almost as if the programmes are selected to numb us into work. Unless of course it happens to be a decent horror film or the excellent Threads.
Bring on the trumpets!
S.V. 05 March 2009.
OK, not quite.
A nice surprise came to me this morning in one of the free papers on the 220 service towards Stalybridge railway station. I was reading the Metro when turning towards ‘The Ridiculant’ page I found that one of my side projects was listed.
As advertised elsewhere within East of the M60, I created a Google map on the places namechecked by Half Man Half Biscuit entitled (ahem) ‘Half Map Half Biscuit’ (don’t you just love the wordplay).
Top of the list under a section entitled ‘Check These Ones Out’ was… Half Map Half Biscuit!
Fame at last I thought. Quoting from the Metro, The Ridiculant stated:
“At long last someone has created a Google map of every place ever mentioned in a Half Man Half Biscuit song. You young ‘uns probably don’t even know who the band HMHB are, do you? Shame on you.”
Click on the link to The Ridiculant to see the map itself, some comments and other goodies.
At this time of writing, some 6,927 people have seen the map – not bad for a Google map anyway, but one that has only been up for one day more than a month! Feel free to contribute the map itself. Please note that entries may be edited for spelling and grammatical errors.
S.V., 18 February 2009
Update on Ewing School.
Some time ago, East of the M60 reflected on the ‘grotesque shambles’ of Manchester City Council’s proposed closure of Ewing School. Though a local Liberal Democrat newsletter exposed this at the end of last year, the story has finally made the Manchester Evening News (Wednesday 11 February 2009). East of the M60’s story was released into cyberspace nearly a month before the MEN’s account of event.
Since Manchester Withington MP John Leech proposed an Early Day Motion for the retention of Ewing School, an online petition has attracted over 650 signatures. This is in addition to the 2,500 signatures gathered at a rally in West Didsbury.
The loss of Ewing School and the council’s proposals are tantamount to “inclusion by isolation”. Think of the pupils who will have made friends at West Didsbury, only to find he/she has been moved to Moston or Wythenshawe. For the good of fellow auties, aspies and SPLDers like myself, sign the online petition as soon as possible. In the words of Del Trotter, ‘You Know It Makes Sense’!
S.V., 11 February 2009
“…I like to flush the demons from out of your mind…”
With only days to go until Half Man Half Biscuit’s Manchester gig (Academy, 30 January 2009), East of the M60 is proud to announce a new project.
Entitled ‘Half Map Half Biscuit’, this ongoing project is a map of the places namechecked in Half Man Half Biscuit songs. Each place is pinpointed with a quote from the song it featured in.
The map is a user generated map created using Google Maps. All you have to do is go into maps.google.co.uk, zoom your Google map towards the UK, click on the ‘My Maps’ link and enter ‘half map half biscuit’ into Google and click ‘Search Maps’.
Enjoy,
Stuart.
Outrage over Manchester City Council plans to close Ewing School
Imagine being part of a successful football team, winning every trophy imaginable and being forced to split that winning team by the FA. Picture the prospect of your teammates being split into ninths.
As part of Manchester City Council’s plans to improve integration with mainstream schools within its boundaries, is a proposal to downgrade and close two special schools within Didsbury. One school is going to lose its secondary school classes, the other is going to close completely. The latter one is Ewing School, the school I attended from January 1987 to July 1990.
I could cope with the mighty Stalybridge Celtic losing 6-1 to Durham City, spend hours on rail replacement buses from Hell. These are minor compared with this recent development. This development interferes with people’s lives at a fundamental level rather one’s peeves.
I am always happy to talk at length or write about my time at Ewing, and claim that Ewing School, not my secondary school, was the one which helped me the most. What helped were the small classes (18 was the biggest class number) and the high pupil to teacher ratio (4 pupils to 1 teacher). I also enjoyed being able to go to different places on a weekly basis along with my fellow peers. It is thanks also to Ewing School that I am able to appreciate the countryside, enjoy walks and travel independently by bus, train and tram.
Ewing School already has a proven record in enabling pupils to settle in mainstream schools long afterwards. So much that there is a waiting list and people moving to South Manchester so their child can be taught by their specialist teaching staff. Instead of keeping up the good work, the council wishes to break up that successful team.
They propose that its students would be dispersed into 9 ‘havens’ within existing mainstream schools. How do you tell the pupils that their best friend will be moving to a haven in Moston if he/she will be moving to one in Gorton? Will the Ewing staff leave the profession altogether rather than join one of the havens, resulting in a loss of specialist personnel? Any move away from the status quo would cause chaos with parents and their children already satisfied with Ewing School.
As a former pupil, I am totally against the plans. This is an issue shared by Manchester Withington MP John Leech (Liberal Democrats) who in December last year submitted an Early Day Motion favouring its retention. I have written a letter to him.
A petition against the closure will be launched on Saturday 17th January 2009. The rally and launch will take place in West Didsbury between 12.00pm – 2.00pm. If you can make it, please do, especially if you live in the constituency, or linked with Ewing School, as for example a former teacher or pupil.
S.V., 15 January 2009
Music inspired by Greater Manchester Transport’s Teen Travel Club Era
Thanks to the success of ‘The Not So Perfect Ten’, the musical NSP10s have outgrown the previous remit of focusing on the quirky side.
For anyone assuming that this is the end of ‘The Not So Perfect Ten’, think again; it is actually a new cousin for him to play with. There will still be a place for ‘The Not So Perfect Ten’ in subjects like the quotes of Half Man Half Biscuit, the best falsetto vocalists and Greater Manchester Transport.
‘Rebellious Mixtape’ is a suggested list of tracks pertaining to given subjects, such as boat trips, the works of Ted Rogers and cult TV programmes. Tracks are chosen not only from chart singles but also album tracks.
For the first of (hopefully) many rebellious mixtapes, I chosen ‘The Teen Travel Club’ as my source of inspiration.
So, why have I chosen this odd subject? In 1982, as a bid to turn teenagers away from the car keys, Greater Manchester Transport introduced the Teen Travel Club, which offered discounted bus travel to 16 – 17 year olds. This first came in the form of a photocard which entitled them to discounted Clippercards and weekly passes. By 1984, the age range was extended to 18 and 19 by 1986. As well as passes, magazines and other promotions were also sent to ticket holders. Application forms allowed new members to state their three favourite bands or solo artistes.
For the Walkman, here is ‘Teen Travel Club: The Official Soundtrack’. To keep the battery life as long as possible, a C60 is the best audio tape for this. For anyone reading this, it is not a low rent version of ‘High School Musical’ set on the 343 to Oldham. Enjoy the ride:
Side One: Hyde to Mossley (Brookbottom)
Side Two: Mossley (Brookbottom) – Oldham (Bus Station)
S.V., 01 January 2009
