EXPLANATORY NOTE ABOUT THE 2003 URBAN BUS APPLICATION

The application was initiated by Worsley Civic Trust (WCT) responding to a news release on the DfT website at about the same time as there was much discussion about the Walkden Lift Project.

WCT had direct contact with the Urban Bus team in Whitehall throughout the process and building the route.

WCT put the idea forward to both Little Hulton Community Committee and Walkden and Worsley Community Committees. They and the twelve Councillors fully endorsed the application concept.

The application was submitted in good time and it was at the eleventh hour WCT were told that in Manchester the GMPTA/GMPTE has carried out a selection process. Way beyond the eleventh hour WCT were contacted by Economic Development of SCC and were told “if they had known they would of course have been willing to support……”

However, the concept:

• To attempt a modal shift where people may consider changing from the car to public transport, it is more likely if they live within 400m of a bus stop. So in trying to plan any new routing then trying to put a service through an area that maximises the potential customer base is a first priority.
• The potential customers are likely, in a random system, to all have different destinations unless you are specifically running a bus service to an out of town facility or to a school. However, the same principle applies to fitting destinations and opportunities to change to other services and routes into the proposed route as capturing your customers.

Bearing in mind in 2003, the object was to fit a bus service in that would meet the above concepts, it had to also satisfy two other criteria:

That it had to “fix a problem” in an innovative way in deprived neighbourhoods and provided new routing and

That it could not financially affect any currently running commercial routes.

It was considered that the most efficient way of making it different and put all of its potential destinations within 25mins of its customer pickups was to run a circular. The route fitted the WCT and community committees’ criteria on this and it could put a bus as close to Tesco as sensibly possible which met with considerable satisfaction.

• To the north it was getting to within fifty flat walking distance of the LIFT centre and delivering passengers to the then planned frequent 10minute services to Bolton and Manchester.
• To the east it was passing within 5 metres of the entrance to Walkden Station, it was providing a connect to Roe Green and the Hazlehurst area.
• To the south it was putting buses into the estates of Boothstown and Ellenbrook of 600 and 900 new homes respectively encouraging young teenagers to not use mum’s or dad’s taxi service with buses within 300 metres.
• As it travelled along the western part of its route it was providing connect to the Hilton Lane area and onward to Tesco and a proposed stop by the Roundabout near the Petrol Station.

As you will see from the ensuing correspondence it was not to be accepted and so discussion was to take place that would address some of the service short falls: one meeting took place.

In 2006 Worsley and Boothstown provided the idea of the Urban bus concept to the PCT following a presentaion on the LIFT Centre in January 2007; No feedback was received from the PCT.

In 2007 the situation has changed:

• The LIFT centre is approaching completion
• The bus services map and timetables have changed
• The challenge to encourage use of public transport becomes more desperate
• There is still sketchy connect to all the public facilities and other routes
• The real possibility that the service not high-bound on the deprived neighbourhood criteria of the Urban Bus Grant could be run to a better fit.
• The Demand Responsive concept is now functioning in area of Greater Manchester
• Worsley and Boothstown Community Committee area is surrounded by frequent new bus “low floor” services attractive to young, mums with buggies and older people. It does not have frequent ( ie less that 20minute frequency services) through the area.

Hence it is possible that a Worsley and Boothstown Circular could be sustained and not commercially affect other services.

Please read and consider the concept afresh for a new era.

The opportunities to bid for that grant stream ended a few years ago. However other funding opportunities may arise or a commercial operator and GMPTE may consider it anew.

The maps are sketchy simply because the best ones were provided with the original documents. They can be worked up again to a better standard.

With a knowledge of the area and the facilities in the area you will be able to understand the route and what it was trying to do.

BID DOCUMENTS

The links to the documents will take you to an external server site called "free virtual server". The site is safe and virus free. On the displayed page select, by "left click", "DOWNLOAD FILE" and your normal dialogue about savings files will appear.

             Urban Bus Challenge 2003 Bid Document  (size: 461kB)

             Map One   (size: 540kB)

             Map Two   (size: 520kB)

             Lift Centre Leaflet (2007)   (size: 142kB)