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Author Topic: Taunton bus station to be sold off?  (Read 3319 times)
infoman
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« on: December 18, 2019, 07:15:23 »

report on BBC1 points west breakfast news on Wednesday morning.

Report should appear on BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Spotlight as well.
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bradshaw
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« Reply #1 on: December 18, 2019, 15:18:13 »

More details here
https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/18109413.buses-somerset-plan-sell-taunton-bus-station/
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JayMac
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« Reply #2 on: December 18, 2019, 23:24:48 »

Prime real estate. No great surprise.

Some logistical problems for Buses of Somerset and National Express would need to be overcome. Whether that's another nearby site (lots of car parking land nearby) or changing the method of operation in the town centre with services starting/terminating in several locations. There is the potential for connections to become more difficult without a 'hub' though.

One possible site would be Tangier Way/Wood St where Lidl used to be before they moved a few hundred yards to Castle St. Good road access from all compass points into Taunton, and not much difference for interchange to local services which would only need minor rerouting. However, this current derelict site is on the riverside, which would probably be more attractive for residential/retail development in the future.
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ellendune
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« Reply #3 on: December 18, 2019, 23:30:47 »

However, this current derelict site is on the riverside, which would probably be more attractive for residential/retail development in the future.

I am surprised anyone is thinking retail developments are likely to be attractive in the future.
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JayMac
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« Reply #4 on: December 18, 2019, 23:45:46 »

Substitute 'retail' for 'leisure/food'.
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grahame
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« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2021, 22:04:12 »

Old thread ... and many arguments and much water under the bridge since, but perhaps in Facebook Bus groups rather than here? I was reminded by a letter in the York Press (about York)

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As bus operators we are keen to see bus services given the prominence they deserve within the city. However, a bus station is not the answer to how people use bus services. The key attractions and shops in the city are dispersed and many services operate across the city, which gives customers a choice of where they get on and off, which is far better.

York bus operators welcome the proposal to maintain the bus interchange lay-out at York Station which provides great connectivity for bus users while retaining vital cross-city bus links and improving journey times.

York has many interchange points which have benefitted from investment in shelters and information provision in recent years which we feel is the best solution for the city.

Marc Bichtemann, on behalf of York Quality Bus Partnership,

First Bus Limited, York

And public comment from deep in the armchair of the local press - how Jo Public feels ...

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I don't know who the bus bosses are but they are not looking at the bigger picture. The main question is who is this terminal for? Local people or to attract tourists to the City by coaches. Victoria Coach Station in London is a beacon example of how this works. A similar bus / coach station would attract more visitors to York and also serve as a central point for locals coming into York. With plans for York to become a World Heritage City this basic travel infrastructure is a much needed asset.



Why not take the train?



The bus bosses may not want a bus station but the majority of bus users would be happy to see one



What a huge missed opportunity for York. The plans for the station look good so let's get on with that, however nearly every major town and city has its own bus/coach station with facilities for passengers eg. toilets and travel/tourist information etc. Together with the station, a coach/bus station are key requirements for all travellers arriving or departing from our city.



Our bus - the number 10 - used to stop outside the front of the rail station and was great for anyone needing to connect to the trains for commuting, business, or leisure. A few years it got re-routed to run via Leeming Road. The bus stops are dark, uncovered, and isolated. The bus company's response was to tell people - including mobility impaired - to transfer to another bus at one of the wonderful interchages - costing the traveller more and introducing another point at which there could be delays and potential to miss ongoing connections. Honestly, they make it really hard to use public transport!



It's not about a bus station for the use of First York, it's about making travel easier for citizens and visitors.
The city needs an integrated transport hub at the station linking facilities for national coach travel, local bus services, taxis and rail travel. Travel in York is incomprehensible to anyone visiting the city. We need a clean, under-cover area for passengers to make connections instead standing in the cold and rain at street bus-stop. There should be toilet facilities and arrangements for drivers to take meal breaks and change shifts meal breaks and change shifts. Travel in the city is still in the 1950s.
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CyclingSid
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« Reply #6 on: February 03, 2021, 06:55:13 »

West Berkshire Council sold off the Newbury bus station near the station and council offices, for housing. Reasonable replacement, by The Wharf, if you know where it is but a long walk from the station.

Should councils or public transport operators be looking towards transport interchanges (bus and train etc together), dislike the term but like the principle.

Reading has been a mess for buses from the station since they got rid of the old bus station. Now the old bus station was terrible, and not somewhere to be in after dark, but it was all together near the station. But sold to build empty offices, of which there isn't exactly a shortage in Reading. Now if you are lucky you notice a not very clear map, showing the bus stops dotted round the town centre, on the back of a cabin outside the station.
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Clan Line
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« Reply #7 on: February 03, 2021, 10:35:24 »


Salisbury
Reading has been a mess for buses ......................since they got rid of the old bus station.
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eightf48544
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« Reply #8 on: February 03, 2021, 20:02:22 »

So is Maidenhead. With several points i the town center being used.

Also what about 2 No 4 routes, First Bus to Heathrow and Courtney to west Maidenhead. Could be confusing especialy as the First bus now terminates under teh railway bridge and not Frascarti Way.
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Jamsdad
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« Reply #9 on: February 04, 2021, 17:01:23 »

Plymouth Council made a good job of selling off Bretonside Bus Station and relocating to a much smaller site in the city centre not too far form the Rail Station. The old bus station was a 1960s horror, full of undersirables, smelling strongly of urine and hardly a great advert for the city to those unfortunate to arrive by bus. The redevelopment has ben an asset to the city and the new coach station is clean bright and modern. Win win all round I would say.
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