I’d noticed in my site statistics that (unsurprisingly) GMPTE officials have been repeatedly visiting this website yesterday – and again this morning – trying to formulate a response to my posting yesterday. They have now posted a statement on the previous topic, which I have responded to with my own comments. I thought rather than let my answers sit in the replies section, I would create a new post for local residents to read.
GMPTE COMMENT > In Walkden, the 68 and 31 take long routes to Manchester city centre and are not considered realistic options for passengers traveling between Walkden and Manchester city centre.
As far as the 31 goes, this is nonsense. Although the 31 takes in the Duchy estate and Pendleton precinct in Salford, it travels non-stop down the East Lancashire Road which means that in practice it is actually as quick as any of the supposedly more direct routes.
The 68 is a slower service to Manchester, granted, but it is often nonetheless quicker than waiting for the next bus.
GMPTE COMMENT > The 36 & 37 would be coordinated to provide a service every five minutes and would be the principle services for city centre journeys.
These services are already in existance and already provide a service every five minutes into Manchester, without the need for a huge Government loan and £1200 per annum congestion charge. NO IMPROVEMENT.
GMPTE COMMENT > The 68 would be diverted to serve the Trafford Centre, offering new travel opportunities from Walkden and Little Hulton.
I noted the new link to the Trafford Centre in my post and I welcome it.
GMPTE COMMENT > The frequency of the 68 would be reduced to half hourly, however, the frequency of the 33 (Worsley – Manchester) would be increased to every 10 minutes to compensate for the 68 not running through to Manchester.
Changing to the 33 would require a large amount of extra time and hassle, and of course the 33 does not directly serve Salford Royal Hospital as it travels down Eccles New Road rather than Eccles Old Road. NO IMPROVEMENT & SERVICE REDUCTION
GMPTE COMMENT > The hourly 31, which provides a series of local links, would be replaced by a half hourly service 73 linking Walden to both Farnworth and Swinton/Pendleton. In terms of the three buses per hour to Worsley Village, Eccles and Salford Royal (Hope) Hospital, the reduced frequency is due to the revised 68 service, as outlined above.
I’m glad that GMPTE are acknowledging that under TIF the service to Salford Royal Hospital will be significantly reduced. NO IMPROVEMENT & SERVICE REDUCTION.
GMPTE COMMENT > To Farnworth, the 37 remains unchanged at every 10 minutes and is the main Walkden – Farnworth service. Also, the hourly uncoordinated 31 & 550 would be replaced by a half hourly 73.
Again, if the main services remain unchanged then why are we taking out a socking great loan and forcing local families to pay through the nose with a congestion charge? As for this new 73 bus, all you are doing is replacing two hourly services with one half-hourly service – so NO IMPROVEMENT.
GMPTE COMMENT > And in relation to evening services to Manchester, the evening 36 & 37 are unchanged, but the Sunday frequency would actually be improved to provide a combined 10-minute service. The 12 would be unchanged, the 68 & 31 would be varied in accordance with daytime services but the 68 would still operate hourly in the evenings and increased to half hourly on Sundays – to the Trafford Centre, rather than Manchester. The 73 (which would replace the 31 & 550) would operate hourly, which is greater than the 90 minute-frequency offered by the 31.
Again I noted the proposed increased evening and weekend services in my post, but these increases are negligible and certainly not anything approaching a reasonable share of £3 billion investment.
Nothing in the GMPTE statement has contradicted what I set out in my previous post – that despite a £1200 per annum congestion charge and a huge Government loan, local residents in Walkden will see SERVICE CUTS in some areas, others will stay just the same and a few services will see negligible improvements. What a sham.
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