Bus stop recycling

[quarella]

Visting my parents in Somerset over the weekend the bus stops in their area have been replaced with some from another part of town and still bear the routes and street names from their original location.

[Nicholas]

GMPTE do it a lot, and have done it for years. It makes an interesting sight if one of the service number tapes come off to reveal bus services from another part of Greater Manchester!

What will be interesting is what happens next year, once GMPTE is rebranded Transport for Greater Manchester. When GMT became GMPTE, it was easy, just a vinyl sticker over the name - however this time it'll be a lot different due to a different design incorporating a much larger logo!

[scynthius726]

What will be interesting is what happens next year, once GMPTE is rebranded Transport for Greater Manchester.

Are they going to gain similar powers to TfL or is this just a rebranding exercise?

[Nicholas]

What will be interesting is what happens next year, once GMPTE is rebranded Transport for Greater Manchester.

Are they going to gain similar powers to TfL or is this just a rebranding exercise?

It won't be as powerful as TfL, but will gain more influence than GMPTE does now, mainly highway management. Published details are still a little sketchy though as the changeover is still in a consultation phase (I think), so well hopefully find out soon. I work for Wigan Council, and I know no more than anyone else!

[vlad]

That's nothing.

Unless they've changed it since I was there last, the London Midland network map on platform 2 of University station (in Birmingham) has reused a network map for the Manchester Metrolink.

Squint and you'll see it!

[scragend]

GMPTE do it a lot, and have done it for years. It makes an interesting sight if one of the service number tapes come off to reveal bus services from another part of Greater Manchester!

What will be interesting is what happens next year, once GMPTE is rebranded Transport for Greater Manchester. When GMT became GMPTE, it was easy, just a vinyl sticker over the name - however this time it'll be a lot different due to a different design incorporating a much larger logo!

So we're losing the big "M" logo after all these years?

It's not a very snappy title is it - "Transport for Greater Manchester"? Although I suppose it's no worse than "GMPTE".

[Nicholas]

So we're losing the big "M" logo after all these years?

That's one of the things that has not been announced. It could be that the "double M" is retained or incorporated into the new logo. It would be sad to see it go, as it is apparently the third most recognised - and used - transport logo in the UK after the TfL Roundel and the British Rail logo. Plus its outlived name changes, whereas (for example) the West Midlands "WM" and Merseytravel rail/road logo have both gone.

[Haydn1971]

Perhaps the Somerset shelters are reused because they can't buy any new ones in feet and inches ?

[Gareth]

So we're losing the big "M" logo after all these years?

That's one of the things that has not been announced. It could be that the "double M" is retained or incorporated into the new logo. It would be sad to see it go, as it is apparently the third most recognised - and used - transport logo in the UK after the TfL Roundel and the British Rail logo. Plus its outlived name changes, whereas (for example) the West Midlands "WM" and Merseytravel rail/road logo have both gone.

The Merseytravel logo was iconic and unique. It was a shame they ditched it.

[kevjs]

Perhaps the Somerset shelters are reused because they can't buy any new ones in feet and inches ?

Hmm, perhaps that explains why all of Nottingham County Councils are a few centimeters shorter than the old ones! The one I used to get the bus from still had pre-2001 signage visible under the modern stuff - they changed it a couple of weeks ago.

[SC2]

I went for a stroll down the new Derby Ring Road in the summer and came accross a load of discarded bus shelters, which seemed to have been moved from the Morledge with the opening of the new bus station. They now seem to be in the arriva depot.

[Chris5156]

What will be interesting is what happens next year, once GMPTE is rebranded Transport for Greater Manchester. When GMT became GMPTE, it was easy, just a vinyl sticker over the name - however this time it'll be a lot different due to a different design incorporating a much larger logo!

Transport for Greater Manchester? That's a horrendous name! I'm not entirely convinced they should get greater powers - I was always profoundly unimpressed by their rather myopic system of network management. From the point of view of the end user it always seemed to me that they spent all their time playing with their tram system and were very reluctant to expend any money (or thought) on rail or buses.

I also won't be able to refer to them as "Gumpty" any more

[Bryn666]

I suppose if they tried Manchester Transport Authority or something they'd invariably get sued by all the other hundreds of MTAs out there.

If it's labelled as TGM it'd be easier to say than TfGM.

Call it TransportSELNEC instead

[Nicholas]

Transport for Greater Manchester? That's a horrendous name!

It is stupid - people know GMPTE, keep it that way! Plus its going to cost an absolute fortune changing every bus stop, bus shelter, poster, timeteble leaflet, sign..... plus all the road signs with the logo on it.

I'm not entirely convinced they should get greater powers - I was always profoundly unimpressed by their rather myopic system of network management. From the point of view of the end user it always seemed to me that they spent all their time playing with their tram system and were very reluctant to expend any money (or thought) on rail or buses.

As a GM resident and transport user, I entirely agree with you. Too much money is being spent on the minority and not helping to serve the needs of the majority. Merseytravel shows this - they have more control over local rail, plus the ferry service, yet are able to use more money in providing bus services at niche times, or in some cases, running subsidised services more frequently than once an hour - this has meant that numerous routes have become commercial over time, because they are more useful to the end user. Plus, they charge lower fares than commercial routes!

I also won't be able to refer to them as "Gumpty" any more

Me neither.

If it's labelled as TGM it'd be easier to say than TfGM.

Arriva won't like that as they own Tellings Golden Miller, which is always being abbreviated to TGM.

Call it TransportSELNEC instead

I know who would like that name!

[WHBM]

I would have hoped that pointless rebranding exercises by public bodies, such as this one, would have been one of the first expenses to go in the current climate. Oh well, I'm sure they will prefer to cut actual bus service provision (generally the better used ones) instead.

Regarding Somerset bus stops, I remember the standard pattern here from many years ago. The operator (Western National) had large roadside bards, on which they used to paste up the enire set of bus timetables for the area, so you had to pore over it to find the relevant one. These were printed on A0-sized large yellow paper sheets. This was overprinted diagonally in big red letters with BUS STOP. No pole, no bus stop flag, nothing like that.

When you did find the right timetable the chances were, if it had been there for more than a month or two, it was now illegible through people poking at the relevant place !

[Chris5156]

I'm not entirely convinced they should get greater powers - I was always profoundly unimpressed by their rather myopic system of network management. From the point of view of the end user it always seemed to me that they spent all their time playing with their tram system and were very reluctant to expend any money (or thought) on rail or buses.

As a GM resident and transport user, I entirely agree with you. Too much money is being spent on the minority and not helping to serve the needs of the majority. Merseytravel shows this - they have more control over local rail, plus the ferry service, yet are able to use more money in providing bus services at niche times, or in some cases, running subsidised services more frequently than once an hour - this has meant that numerous routes have become commercial over time, because they are more useful to the end user. Plus, they charge lower fares than commercial routes!

Compare also with Metro (WYPTE) - the third public transport executive in that part of the world to use a big 'M' as its logo - where the rail network is well tended. Most of GMPTE's rail stations look virtually abandoned - the norm is for outdated signage, fenced-off sections of platforms, boarded up and dilapidated buildings. I remember a news story a couple of years ago about a residents' group in Irlam raising funds to have their station repainted and GMPTE were trumpeting what a great idea it was. Unthinkable in West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire or Merseyside, where the PTE keeps the stations looking neat and tidy.

I also remember Manchester buses being something like a cowboy operation (no-name bus operators running shuttles with out-of-date buses that only cover part of a route, that sort of thing) while in Liverpool and Leeds things always seem much more orderly.

[Nicholas]

Compare also with Metro (WYPTE) - the third public transport executive in that part of the world to use a big 'M' as its logo - where the rail network is well tended. Most of GMPTE's rail stations look virtually abandoned - the norm is for outdated signage, fenced-off sections of platforms, boarded up and dilapidated buildings. I remember a news story a couple of years ago about a residents' group in Irlam raising funds to have their station repainted and GMPTE were trumpeting what a great idea it was. Unthinkable in West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire or Merseyside, where the PTE keeps the stations looking neat and tidy.

Not really the case anymore - every railway station has had its signage replaced and furniture is being refurbished. Albeit, it is Northern Rail that is footing the cost of this. GMPTE is paying for CCTV, loudspeakers and departure boards, however it is being done at a rate of about 9 stations per year.

I also remember Manchester buses being something like a cowboy operation (no-name bus operators running shuttles with out-of-date buses that only cover part of a route, that sort of thing) while in Liverpool and Leeds things always seem much more orderly.

Since UK North was banned, that hasn't been the case in Manchester. It seems to be more prevalent in Birmingham, going off the stories that people I know have told me!