I'm really struggling to see what you can't understand
- Fewer delays to HGVs that constitute an above-average amount of the traffic and, more crucially, the resilience and reliability so freight operators can and rely on timings
- Safer from fewer frustrated drivers making ill-advised overtaking manoeuvres
- Improved and safer local environments in villages
What I don't understand is how the provision of an overtaking lane would reduce delays to HGVs (your first bullet point) other than by allowing them to overtake tractors (and other really slow vehicles).
The other two bullet points I understand, but they can be addressed with much less environmental damage. For the village (only one on the section in question), impose a 30mph speed limit, widen a particular stretch of narrow pavement and provide a footbridge or subway to allow safe crossing. For the frustrated drivers, prohibt overtaking altogether by painting a pair of solid white lines down the middle of the road.
seriously it could be inter-worked with the Cardigan local service in that the vehicle would have time to do a trip on this each hour during its layover, either with 460 drivers or the existing local service driver, so it should be possible to work it to hourly at a reasonable cost.
I've had a quick look at that but the Cardigan town service appears to be very nearly a 40 minute round trip so would have to be changed significantly to be able to save a vehicle by interworking with the 460.
The 460 was, I think, operated by Richard Bros (2 boards) and Morris Travel (1 board) with the latter later passing to First Cymru. 12 mins recovery time in every 180 mins is not overly generous but not unreasonable either. It was obviously too long for a driver to do two round trips but why the need to have a 3h15 cycle...? In the days of Davies Bros, it was run from the Carmarthen and Pencader depots and with spare fleet in Carmarthen during the day between schools, it was easy to slip an extra vehicle in. Not au fait with the requirements of the Cardigan local services and whether a full size vehicle (that the 460 needs) could be accommodated to allow interworking.
Richards Bros and Morris Travel did share the 460 service at one point but I cannot remember when Richards Bros gained the second vehicle 'diagram'. I remember Richards Bros just having the one bus (the Optare Versa YJ59GFU) on it and the other operator (First or Morris, can't remember) having two and then it was re-tendered and Richards picked up a second one.
As for full size vehicles, I'm not sure about the Cardigan town service but there is
a photo of YJ55BKE at Poppit Sands on Flickr doing the Cardigan - St. Dogmaels - Poppit Sands run that I think the town service currently interworks with. Unfortunately Cardigan to Poppit Sans and back is almost a half-hour round trip itself, so interworking the 460 with that wouldn't be straightforward either.
I do think it is more sensible to stick with the T numbering for the longer distance network rather than lose passengers who don't realise that an X50/550 is just a slightly slower version of the T5 and it goes where they want to go.
I see your point but X50, 50 and 550 are not new numbers, they are what was there before so passengers who have been around for a while will have some idea of where they go. Even so, the T5 has been around for some time now so for the reason you give
one of the routes should probably retain that number, even if we do give up on TrawsCymru as a brand. However, the T5 is not one route - if somebody wants to travel to Blaenporth, Aberporth, Trecwn, Mathry Road or even New Quay (since one trip each way still avoids it) it does not necessarily go where they want to go. In the short term I think there should be three routes, the first three listed below (with the fourth added when finances permit and being the only one which could be branded TrawsCymru), each with its own number:
- (Aberystwyth) - Aberaeron - New Quay - Aberporth - Cardigan - Newport - Fishguard - Trecwn - Mathry Road - Haverfordwest
- (Aberystwyth) - Aberaeron - New Quay - Blaenporth - Cardigan
- (Cardigan - Newport) - Fishguard - Mathry Road - Haverfordwest
- Aberystwyth - Aberaeron - Cardigan - Newport - Fishguard - Fishguard Harbour
I note all the other arguments above. I don't see that it should be either/or for bus improvements and A40 improvements.
We're facing Climate Breakdown, we need to REDUCE the use of cars (and HGVs, somehow, but buses won't help with that) and cover more of Earth's surface with photosynthesising plants. The A40 'improvements' are based on increasing traffic and will replace a fair bit of greenery (including some ancient woodland) with tarmac.
And to spend all that money on a depot for electric vehicles for the T1 seems a bit mad, why not use it for a larger number of vehicles somewhere else. The T1 is not an obvious route for electric vehicles compares to local services which would have a better chance of a full day's work on one charge.
As I have said earlier in relation to the T19/T22, I can't see the benefit of electric vehicles on TC routes when there are much more logical places in which to achieve better results. Doubt if the air quality in Blaenau is a major issue in comparison to some of the major routes into, for instance, Wrexham. Just seems like a vanity thing IMHO.
Part of the Welsh Government's decarbonisation policy is to deliver a zero tailpipe emission bus fleet by 2028 (see
Proseprity for All A Low Carbon Wales, page 106). If that date was 2050 I'd agree that it would make much more sense to start with the biggest towns and cities but, if they're going to make the 2028 target given the lack of progress so far, everywhere is going to get electric buses more or less at once anyway.
