Two BNC meetings condensed into one article because I’m rather slow in writing these things.
Before we start, a quick note that another tram derailed on 13th September. 3049 along with an unidentified mate fouled the outbound points after leaving the sidings at Cornbrook.
We’ll start with the Bee Network Committee meeting on 28th November:
- A trial of AI-powered software to detect people using mobile phones at the wheel or not wearing a seatbelt which commenced in August concluded in November. The Acusensus ‘Heads Up’ software will produce data which will inform future road safety campaigns. One to watch. It produced some rather terrifying pictures, one of which can be seen left. Idiots. 812 were caught on mobile phones and 2,393 incidents of “seat belt non-compliance”.
- TfGM, Oldham Council and National Highways are looking at converting the speed cameras on Broadway into an average speed zone. 53 other “spot speed cameras” will be converted into average check zones. The 91 remaining spot speed cameras have been upgraded.
- £1.55m was thrown at the project at Bury Interchange (on top of the £4.5m to date). An idea was floated to integrate a residential element at the interchange in a ‘transit-oriented development’ following the ‘success’ of a similar idea at Stockport’s new bus station. The report mentions that a development would add more users for the tram-train service from Bury to Rochdale.
- A further £400k was thrown at the Ashton-Oldham-Rochdale quality bus scheme out of it’s £50m pot.
- A new buzz word seems to have cropped up: “right mix”. One hopes it gets explained and doesn’t become more ammo for the ’15 minute city’ folk.
- “Bus franchising has exposed the bus network, and in turn the supporting road network, to greater scrutiny and expectation of availability“ in a report on TfGM’s role in the SRN & KRN (Strategic Route Network and Key Route Networks – why they need two names is anyone’s guess!). TfGM realising that the fines they sling out to operators for late running are in fact somewhat their fault!
- It continues: “The traffic performance of the highway network is critical to the performance of the Bee Network and the reliability of the bus and tram services that use our roads, that in turn will give the people who live, work and visit Greater Manchester the confidence to use public transport. The KRN, whilst only being 7% of the total GM road network, carries around 70% of all peak traffic and around half of the bus mileage in GM so the importance of its performance cannot be understated.” “Bus Franchising will be completed for the whole of the GM region in January 2025. With it comes significant financial and reputational risk for GMCA and the 10 GM local authorities“
- DfT data shows 1.1m licensed vehicles in GM, and the CAZ cameras (what them?) read 4m unique licence plates a month.
- Roadworks cause 62% of highway delays. Councillors were hoping for an end to ‘patchwork filling’ after works instead of full carriage way reinstatements.
Now the meeting on 12th December.
- TfGM have appointed a designer to look into tram modifications to better acomodate bikes on trams. Designs will likely include modification/removal of some seating, restraining equipment for bikes being carried, and signage. Estimated cost of design and implementation: £5-7million! The first modified trams are hoped to be on the network by the end of the year.
- The outline scheme at Bury was approved by Government in March 2023 tagging it with a requirement to look into a “low cost, low carbon” alternative option. It took TfGM two years to figure out that taking the roof off would be a rather difficult option to sell to the soaking wet punters. ‘South Access’ to the Metrolink station is being progressed to enable continued access whilst the bus station is demolished. The entrance will be retained. A FURTHER £1.55m was requested as the £1.55m approved last meeting was, er, for Bury Interchange but not for Bury Interchange: “BNC will note that an unrelated funding request of £1.55m was approved at its meeting in November to progress design and development of a potential residential element to RIBA Stage 2, which will be undertaken separate to and alongside associated refinement of the main interchange design.”
- The night buses on V1 and 36 carried 7,000 passengers in the first month of operation.
- Two mentions touching on the 2 big collisions involving Bee buses in October and November were made in the report pack. Investigations underway and a “Bee Network Safety Plan” is being developed. One of the first things to look at is possibly TfGM’s micromanagement of bus drivers and the increased workload and pressure piled on them from the top. A fine for wearing a non-branded beanie hat? Really? Pathetic. Concentrate on the more important things, not filling the coffers or scoring points.
- The Manchester City buses are gaining in popularity.
- October saw a record breaking 4.12m journeys on Metrolink, up 15% on last year. Curiously, 5 million ticket inspections were undertaken. They hope to bag a further £2m next year as a result of the new fare evasion tactics.
- Fare evasion enforcement on the buses was also up. They boarded 7,294 buses in October withdrawing 48 tickets and passes. The Bee Rozzers also carried out ‘User Acceptance Testing’ of a new app to immediately fire out penalty fares.
- On the punctuality side, First Manchester’s new timetables are showing a 5% increase in start and mid point punctuality. An increase in the PVR on Free Bus, 59, 83 and 84, helped by 10 more EVs at Oldham. £71m for more buses. On the rails, only 1 in 7 Avanti West Coast services on Piccadilly – Euston arrived on time keeping inline with its position as the worst operator in Britain for ‘on time trains’. Northern aren’t running ‘up to half of services’.
- 1 in 4 signalled junctions (around half of those possible) are providing priority to public transport.
- The partnership with Google continues for TfGM, using AI to “reduce stop-start traffic and associated vehicle emissions” by altering the timings of traffic lights.
- In the 12 months to October, there was a rise in reports of crime and ASB “believed to be a result of the increase in the number of TravelSafe Support and Enforcement Officers (TSEOs) deployed across the Bee Network making it easier for passengers to report incidents”, however a few paragraphs up in the Metrolink section contradicts this position: “revenue inspection activity may be disrupting and deterring those who looking cause trouble on the network. Over the same period the number of reported incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB) on the Metrolink network has also fallen. During the 12 months to October 2024 reported incidents of crime and ASB were 31% down on the equivalent period to October 2023.” Who to believe?
- Ashton depot will be electrified by February.
