Local bus links in Newcastle Designing a network to TYNE AND WEAR meet your needs INTEGRATED TRANSPORT AUTHORITY Public consultation 15 March - 4 June 2010 Local bus links in Newcastle Designing a network to meet your needs Public consultation People in Newcastle make 47 million bus journeys annually - that’s an average of more than 173 journeys a year for every resident! Nexus, Newcastle City Council and the Tyne and Wear Integrated Transport Authority (ITA) want to make sure the network of bus services in the area meets residents’ needs. To do this, Nexus has worked together with bus companies and local councils to examine how current services operate and to look at what improvements could be made to the ‘subsidised’ services in the network, which are the ones Nexus pays for. We have called this the Accessible Bus Network Design Project (see below). We want your views on the proposals we are now making to improve bus services in Newcastle, which you can find in this document. We want to hear from you whether you rely on the bus in your daily life, use buses only occasionally or even if you don’t – but might consider doing so in the future. You’ll find details of different ways to respond on the back page of this brochure. This consultation forms part of the Tyne and Wear Integrated Transport Authority’s Bus Strategy, a three year action plan to improve all aspects of the bus services in Tyne and Wear. Copies of the Bus Strategy can be downloaded from www.nexus.org.uk/busstrategy. How have we designed a new network? Research by Nexus identified two main concerns for bus travellers – they want buses that get passengers where they want to go, and run at the right times for them. We have tried to design a service so that as many people as possible in Newcastle can reach local centres, major employers and community facilities like shops, doctors’ surgeries and post offices, in no more than 30 minutes from the moment they leave home. Around 90% of all buses in Tyne and Wear are operated as ‘commercial’ services, where the routes and frequencies are decided by the bus operators (Arriva, Stagecoach, Go North East and others). The remaining 10% are subsidised by Nexus using money provided by the councils in Tyne and Wear. Nexus can pay for the whole of a route or just part of it. It can also pay for a route at certain times of day (often early mornings, evenings and Sundays) when there are fewer passengers but the route fills an important social need. Our consultation concentrates on all ‘subsidised’ services and the changes we propose for them. We would like you to tell us whether our proposals meet your needs. We are very keen to get your comments on these proposals – we will consider all constructive ideas and make changes to our plans where there is a good case for them. Our aim is to make more effective use of the funding we already have. The maps and text in this leaflet show all bus services and Metro links so you can see all the public transport options available in your area. But please remember we are only seeking to make changes to those bus services which Nexus subsidises, highlighted in colour and described overleaf. As well as guaranteeing to provide buses that are fully accessible on the services proposed here, we also want to give a consistent ‘look’ to them. We would like your views on the design we propose, which is included in the questionnaire. Proposed changes in Newcastle – a summary 1 - Whitley Bay to Kibblesworth The Monday to Saturday early 15/15A - Walker to Revised route would link Wallsend Metro to via North Shields, Wallsend, morning journey departing from Whitley Bay Kenton Shops via Newcastle Fawdon Park Road via Walker, Byker Newcastle and Gateshead at 0508 (towards Newcastle Central Station), City Centre, RVI, Fenham and Morrisons, Jesmond Vale, Newcastle City Interchange and Sunday morning journeys departing from Montagu Estate Centre, RVI, Cowgate, Blakelaw and Montagu Whitley Bay at 0638 (towards Walkergate) and Estate. The service would provide new direct from Walkergate at 0731 (towards Cullercoats) links from Fawdon Park Road to Morrisons at would be withdrawn due to low use. The route Cowgate and to the RVI Hospital. All journeys and timetable at all other times are not affected would operate as service 15. The service would by Nexus plans. no longer serve Hazeldene Avenue (Kenton Bar). West of the City Centre the route would 1 - Four Lane Ends to Slatyford Not affected by Nexus plans. serve Nuns Moor Road/Cedar Road instead of Fenham Hall Drive. The service would Early morning Saturday journeys 2 - Whitley Bay to Wrekenton operate every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday departing from Meadow Well at 0626 (towards via North Shields, Wallsend, daytimes between 0600 (0800 on Saturday) Gateshead Interchange) and from Gateshead Newcastle and Gateshead and 1830 and new evening journeys would Interchange at 0702 (towards Whitley Bay) Interchange operate hourly between Walker and Kenton. would be withdrawn due to low use. The route This service would be coordinated with revised and timetable at all other times are not affected services 32/32A and 33 to provide a bus every by Nexus plans. 10 minutes between Newcastle City Centre and 3 - Wallsend to Regent Centre No change to route or timetable as part of the RVI Hospital. via Walker, Byker, Freeman Nexus plans. For new hourly daytime link - Forest Hall to Wallsend Revised route would link Walker and Forest Hall Hospital and South Gosforth to Benfield Road please see new service 3B 18 via Longbenton, Four Lane via St Peters Basin, Byker Morrisons, (Peak journeys Monday to (below) Ends, Freeman Hospital, Chillingham Road, Freeman Hospital and Friday only) St Peters Basin and Walker Longbenton. The section between Wallsend and Walker would now operate as part of 3B New Service 3B would be a new route linking Wallsend and Hollywood Avenue (Gosforth) service 15 (see above). The service would via Benfield Road, High Heaton, Freeman provide new direct links from Chillingham Road Hospital and Regent Centre. The service would to the Freeman Hospital and also to St Peters provide new daytime links to health facilities on Basin where connections would be available Benfield Road and at Freeman Hospital as well with service Q2 for links to Newcastle as access to shopping facilities at Sainsbury's Quayside. The service would continue to in Heaton and ASDA in Gosforth. This service operate every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday would replace service 33 on Hollywood Avenue daytimes between 0630 (0830 on Saturday) and provide an hourly link to Regent Centre and 1800 and every 60 minutes during the Interchange where passengers can connect with evenings & Sundays between Walker and Four other frequent bus services or the Metro for Lane Ends. journeys to/from Newcastle City Centre. The - Byker to South Gosforth Not affected by Nexus plans. service would operate every 60 minutes 18A Monday to Saturday between 0900 and 1600. 21 - Newcastle to Not affected by Nexus plans. Bishop Auckland 5 New Service 5 would be a new route linking Newcastle City Centre and Freeman Hospital Not affected by Nexus plans. via Shieldfield, Jesmond Vale and Osborne 22 - Newcastle to Road. The service would provide new links Waldridge Park from Jesmond Vale to shopping facilities in - Throckley to Wallsend Not affected by Nexus plans. Jesmond and also a new link from Jesmond 22 Vale and Osborne Road to the Freeman 27/27A - Newcastle to Not affected by Nexus plans. Hospital. The terminus in Newcastle would be South Shields Market Street instead of Central Station in order to offer improved reliability. The service would 28/28A - Newcastle to Not affected by Nexus plans. operate every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday Chester-le-Street from 0800 to 1800. - Slatyford Silver Lonnen to Not affected by Nexus plans. Service 6 would be replaced by the new service 30 6/6B - Newcastle (Central Fawdon Park Road Station) to Jesmond Vale via 5 (see above). Service 6B would be withdrawn Shieldfield due to low use. 31 - Slatyford Silver Lonnen to Not affected by Nexus plans. Montagu Estate 6/7 - Metrocentre to Not affected by Nexus plans. Freeman Hospital 31/32 - Newcastle to Not affected by Nexus plans. Winlaton 8 - Newcastle (Central Station) Not affected by Nexus plans. to Freeman Hospital 32/32A - Newcastle - Four Revised route would operate Four Lane Ends to Lane Ends - Newcastle Circular Four Lane Ends via Freeman Hospital, Byker, Not affected by Nexus plans. 10 - Newcastle to via RVI, Blakelaw, Kenton Bar, Newcastle City Centre, RVI, Benwell, Blakelaw, Rockwood Hill Estate Four Lane Ends and Byker Kenton Bar, Broadway West and Regent Centre (and in alternative direction). This service 10/11 - North Kenton to Not affected by Nexus plans. would provide many new direct links to the West Denton Park/West Denton Freeman Hospital from estates surrounding Shops Newcastle. The service also provides new daytime links for residents in Blakelaw Not affected by Nexus plans. 12 - Fenham to Wallsend (Springfield Road/Sunny Way/Binswood Not affected by Nexus plans. Avenue) and Broadway West (Kingston Park). 12 - West Chirton to Buddle Road in South Benwell and Jubilee Newcastle Road/Salters Road in Gosforth would no longer be served by this route although in each case these roads would continue to be served by other high frequency routes. The service would operate every 30 minutes daytimes (including Sundays) and every 60 minutes during the evening. Service 32/32A would be coordinated with revised services 15 and 33 to provide a bus every 10 minutes during the day between Newcastle City Centre and the RVI Hospital.