Yes Indeed, few options. My nearest bus stop with regular service is 20 mins walk away.
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Lothian Group discussion (Lothian City, Lothian Country Bus and East Coast Buses)
- Thread starter GusB
- Start date
Yes Indeed, few options. My nearest bus stop with regular service is 20 mins walk away.
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90019
Established Member
It is possible and has been done, but is extremely tight and really not recommended unless absolutely necessary due to the risk of hitting the fence on the corner or the traffic Islands.
FlybeDash8Q400
Established Member
Wow I was always told by my friend who drives for Lothian that it was completely impossible rather than it being unadvisable. I’ve seen smaller buses hit the fence before which is why I thought the ex London buses were great for this part of the 8 - admittedly less useful elsewhere. In any case I think Lothian would be better not serving the turn and run a service serving both Pilton Drive North and Pilton Drive (lots of new housing up there so there’s definitely a potential market) but the humps make that a bit trickier and other services would need to be reduced for it to work (the 27 being the most likely). A less frequent service could still do Granton Road etc but run the whole length of Boswall Parkway instead of half. It’s something in my view that when the trams arrive that could probably be looked at if it was a good idea and practical.
alexf380
Established Member
Running a service right down Pilton drive to the Morrisons at Ferry Road, then run east from there could work. Passenger numbers could probably stand the 8, 21 and 27 all going along that stretch (reduce the 27 to every 20 mins, maybe the 23 too to give a combined 10 min frequency from Goldenacre to Tollcross?) The 14 and 19 both run the full length of Boswall Parkway so that's that box ticked.
There is a problem with regards to Pilton Drive, though - the hump-back bridge over the old railway line. As I remember, it has quite a sharp crest.
The bridge is the reason why there's no bus service on Pilton Drive, though a tendered minibus service, the R70, did briefly serve it in 1993-94. It also was the reason why all loads leaving the Bruce Peebles factory (where the housing is now) didn't head direct to Ferry Road - they all headed down Pilton Drive and Pilton Drive North. Heading to Ferry Road would have caused problems with trailers bottoming out on the bridge and, through time, likely have weakened it.
FlybeDash8Q400
Established Member
The bridge does have quite a bad crest however I have seen buses go this way before, admittedly only when they are off service and there’s a number of road closures so it doesn’t happen that often. Coaches and trucks are now a common sight on Pilton Drive though. Perhaps something that might happen if trams ever go that way (as the bridge would need to go) - but that would probably render any potential bus route pointless.
Thanks for clarifying this. I remember my grandad saying to me that the bridge was the reason for Pilton Drive not having a regular bus service.
So the bridge can cope with buses, admittedly infrequently. It certainly wouldn't have coped with the loads leaving Bruce Peebles, though - some of these were rather on the large, and heavy, side! (Slightly off-topic, there is footage on Facebook of the 1999 fire there that took out the transformer shop and ultimately resulted in the eventual closure of the factory site. It makes for spectacular, if sad, viewing.)
I remember there being a dip on the Ferry Road side of the bridge, which was levelled out when the nearby Morrisons was built in 1996. There were plans the previous year (1995) to close off Pilton Drive at the bridge itself - the relevant TRO was advertised, but ultimately came to nothing.
That is quite strange - I assume it's a bug but we'll see. My friend is at the Gyle so he will take a look once it arrives.
Aictos
Established Member
- Joined
- 28 Apr 2009
- Messages
- 10,403
I'm not too familiar with the area but you say the old railway line, do I take it that the railway line no longer exists there in day to day use and if so could they not replace the bridge to reduce the sharp crest you talk of at all?
FlybeDash8Q400
Established Member
I reckon it’s 713’s AVL having been recycled and it’s probably actually a 7900. Will be interesting to see what it is though. I’ve seen that bus sit in Central for a while now.
Just been informed it's bus 7.
Graham Alexand
Member
This is the same on bustimes.org aswell.
Is it the ticket machine, e.g. replaced with ex 713's ticket machine?
That is probably the case.
FlybeDash8Q400
Established Member
The tracking as far as I know comes from the AVL and not from the ticket machine (like a ticketer would). Something has probably been swapped most likely the AVL.
Lothian_Bus
Member
- Joined
- 29 Jan 2018
- Messages
- 382
All service 26's terminating at Corstorphine Road roundabout from 7pm tonight and tomorrow night due to an issue with anti social behaviour.
Tweet from Lothian's twitter about this: https://twitter.com/on_lothianbuses/status/1368199493150273541
Update:
Lothian won't be serving Clermiston at all, from 19:00 hours. Link here: https://twitter.com/on_lothianbuses/status/1368234932833771522/photo/1
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Graham Alexand
Member
Is this at Clermiston and Clerwood?
And what has happened (gang violence, damaged buses, driver attacks, ect...)?
I am not sure, but by anti-social behaviour I imagine it's damaging vehicles in the area.
Graham Alexand
Member
Ahh, okay thanks, It's a shame to hear about stuff like this happening, not even a month since the incident in Wester Hailes, also I think these people are also forgetting about the pandemic.
Things like this will probably never stop but hopefully it can be at least calm down a bit, not only are they affecting the company, they are also putting more and more fear into the drivers.
The railway line there is long since defunct - it closed in 1962 and became a footpath in the 1980s.
I wonder how these little s###s would like it if I was to go round to their houses and throw stones at (and put the windows out on) their dads' cars.
Bring back the belt, I say!
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Tartan shorts
Member
As I said before. These things tend to happen in spates. Probably now helped with teens communicating on social media. It kind of grows legs as a "fun thing to do" for bored kids It was Niddrie the other night. It's the same handful of areas that pop up time and time again.
Quite right that they're pulling services. They should do likewise elsewhere tho it can be hard if it's a through road like Niddrie Mains, Westerhailes Road etc. You'll tend to find that in these areas the parents will care more about something when they're directly inconvenienced by it. If they can't get a bus on their doorstep they'll take action against their little cherubs.
What is the cost of replacing glass these days? I remember when it was bad in the early 00's it was quoted at about £1k to replace a standard full size window. Not to miss the time taken and the clean up of the debris inside the bus.
Quite right that they're pulling services. They should do likewise elsewhere tho it can be hard if it's a through road like Niddrie Mains, Westerhailes Road etc. You'll tend to find that in these areas the parents will care more about something when they're directly inconvenienced by it. If they can't get a bus on their doorstep they'll take action against their little cherubs.
What is the cost of replacing glass these days? I remember when it was bad in the early 00's it was quoted at about £1k to replace a standard full size window. Not to miss the time taken and the clean up of the debris inside the bus.
I believe it it was around 30-40 window incidents (some more than one window) just last month alone. That's not mentioning when they've missed the window and damaged the bodywork, I've had two MCVs handed over to me with fresh bodywork damage from rocks recently.
PSV glass were doing three buses one morning at Longstone alone the other week (including an upper deck window on a B5LH).
Tartan shorts
Member
Thanks. While repair bills are not good at the best of times, when revenue is so far down at the moment the last thing you need is a constant churn of glazing bills night on night.
That's obviously of lesser importance to the risk of injury to staff and passengers.
And of course the people inconvenienced waiting on a bus that fails to arrive because it's sitting somewhere with a missing window.
That's obviously of lesser importance to the risk of injury to staff and passengers.
And of course the people inconvenienced waiting on a bus that fails to arrive because it's sitting somewhere with a missing window.
FlybeDash8Q400
Established Member
Hopefully this starts to draw a line on this latest area of incidents. Pennywell Road, Wester Hailes among others seem to have remained issues (no surprise to me), just hope it doesn’t take somebody to get hurt before people actually start to pay for their actions, the kids are just bored and have to cause bother. I’ve only ever been on a bus once that had rocks thrown at it, I was upstairs at the time however a young mum with her child needed a good reassuring afterwords. And surprise surprise nothing happened to those that did it.
OmniCity999
Established Member
A member of staff has been assaulted and taken to hospital.
Unfortunately police resources haven't been enough. Councilors are rather upset. Would be a different story if it was there family. The company is acting accordingly.
Aictos
Established Member
- Joined
- 28 Apr 2009
- Messages
- 10,403
Okay, so can they not remove the bridge and replace it with a newer one that's less steep?
As to bringing back the belt, they won't for a number of reasons - I can't go into detail as it would be off topic.
FlybeDash8Q400
Established Member
They could, but it’s not viable. Only if trams ever go that way in my view will it ever happen.
Were it up to me, I'd pull all services after 7pm. It's not worth risking drivers' safety just because of a few bored kids. Yes it would inconvenience others, but the message has to be put across.