Trivia: Direct bus journeys that can be beaten by walking

[PTR 444]

How many examples are there of journeys between two bus stops which have a direct service between them, but are much quicker to walk at the moment the bus departs? One such example is the eastbound route 18 in Southampton City Centre, which does a big loop over itself that for the Park Walk and Solent University stops (possibly also Brinton’s Road if you’re fast-paced), it’s quicker to get off at Above Bar and walk there rather than stay on the bus, which goes all the way down to Bargate street for a 10-minute layover.

There must be loads more examples, particularly on routes with a loop at one end or a double run, but could even be due to sheer slowness of the bus due to traffic that it’s quicker to walk even when the bus is direct.

 

[Snow1964]

There are couple of examples in Kingston upon Thames
1) Buses starting from Fairfield can easily be caught at nearby stops in Eden Street or London Road (as the do a loop via shops and Cromwell Road bus station to pick up)
2) Exiting the rail station, can often walk to Eden Road stops, before the bus has gone around the one way system from Cromwell Road

 

[WY Bus Spotter]

On certain days coming out of Leeds, if the traffic was particularly bad on Kirkstall Road I used to be able to get off the bus at the old bus depot and walk to Kirkstall Morrisons faster than the bus. It's a length of about 2 miles.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I noticed on Monday that Go Cornwall Bus route 10 does an incredibly circuitous route around Bodmin, leaving barely a main road untouched. I suspect you could easily beat it on foot on some of those sections, e.g. from the hospital into town.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The Dewsbury Free Town bus takes longer to get between the railway station and bus station than walking, if you're reasonably fit.

 

[aliceh]

A very small scale example (that probably doesn't count but I'm a rebel): numerous times I've missed Morebus 20 depart from its Castlepoint terminus outside the library and easily beaten it to its second stop by crossing the road while it does a loop of a traffic light controlled roundabout.

 

[RELL6L]

Lots of circumstances where a bus does a double-run. For example you could get off an Arriva Northumbria X18 from Berwick at Lesbury Village centre at 15.52 then comfortably walk to Alnmouth (16.32, potentially sensible) or Hipsburn Roundabout (16.33, rather pointless) long before the bus - which runs via Alnwick - gets there.

 

[Bletchleyite]

A short one - Milton Keynes (The Point) to the stops by CBX* on the other side, or vice versa. If you miss it at one set you can normally, if you walk briskly, catch it from the others by cutting through the shopping centre while the bus goes round via several sets of lights.

Curiously, Midsummer Place (the shopping centre) is designed for electric buses to run through it (the shopping units in that section are removable buildings), but this never happened and is unlikely to now.

* Originally "Central Business eXchange" but I think just known by the initials in the manner of HSBC now.

 

[sannox]

First Glasgow's 90 is a former circle service now broken. You could easily walk from current terminus at Partick to the other at Braehead or the QE Hospital quicker than taking the bus. Of course nobody would take that looping service but another direct service so is sort of artificial.

Equally any of First's services in Glasgow City Centre that loop from Central Station to Argyle Street and back up Queen Street to Ingram Street are very slow to do that. Google maps suggests walking time from Bath Lane stop to Ingram Street is a 7 minute walk with services being timetabled up to 9 minutes for the same route.

 

[Llandudno]

There are a number of bus routes heading towards Anlaby from Hull Bus Station that leave the bus station and then do a loop around the city centre, if you just miss the bus in the bus station it is about 100 yards to the nearest stop on Anlaby Road where the same bus picks up about 5 minutes later.

 

[EdinRH]

Fort Kinnaird to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on the 49. The bus journey would go via Portobello, Lochend, Leith, the city centre, Newington and Cameron Toll. You can make the same journey much faster using the 400 bus.

 

[APT618S]

Bristol - Southbound 1&2 loop round The Horsefair / Penn St. More than once I have just missed a bus on The Horsefair and walked up Union St to pick up the missed bus on Wine St as the traffic round the loop is usually busy delaying the buses.

TfL 200 in Wimbledon - where the route goes down to Copse Hill from the jn of Ridgeway and Cottenham Park Rd and then back to the same junction, it takes a few minutes and also the buses sometimes also wait for time at the turning stop.

 

[Parebunks]

In Oxford - lots of routes loop round to the south of the Westgate shopping centre to avoid pedestrianised areas, so it's quicker to walk between New Road and St Aldates. E.g. 1/5, U1, 400.

 

[rapmastaj]

Another example of terrible Leeds traffic, I'd guess that walking is normally faster than the bus along the A660 between Leeds University and Headingley (a mile or so distance), at least during the pm peak.

 

[175mph]

There are a number of bus routes heading towards Anlaby from Hull Bus Station that leave the bus station and then do a loop around the city centre, if you just miss the bus in the bus station it is about 100 yards to the nearest stop on Anlaby Road where the same bus picks up about 5 minutes later.

Add to that service 66 to Hessle, that also loops around the city centre before heading down Anlaby Road.

 

[LancasterRed]

Any Lancaster bus when the traffic mounts up.

Now I live in the Fylde, the same idea still applies due to the lack of frequency in bus services.

When heading into Preston for any reason, I see that most of the services there have loops around their final destination area (3, 35, 100 at both ends) where you can walk on streets that intersect them and it be quicker. Due to the current roadworks on Ringway however, if you're staying in Preston, it is quicker to walk for most bus services.

 

[Darklord8899]

Fort Kinnaird to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on the 49. The bus journey would go via Portobello, Lochend, Leith, the city centre, Newington and Cameron Toll. You can make the same journey much faster using the 400 bus.

I mean you could probably walk quicker between Fort Kinnaird and Royal Infirmary than the 49 takes...

 

[Avenger20]

Edinburgh Park Station to...well, Edinburgh Park Station! You can catch the 2, 20 or 63 from Platform 1 to Platform 2 but there isn't a road bridge immediately at the station so it needs to travel westward before crossing and in that time you could easily walk between the two stops.

 

[londonteacher]

In London, the 53 from Plumstead, Orchard Road, to Woolwich Public Market. Much quicker to walk than take the bus.

 

[EdinRH]

I mean you could probably walk quicker between Fort Kinnaird and Royal Infirmary than the 49 takes...

That was my point: walking would be quicker. I was pointing out that I was aware of the existence of a much quicker bus service in case anyone said people could take the 400 instead of the 49 if they were unable to walk.

 

[route101]

First Glasgow's 90 is a former circle service now broken. You could easily walk from current terminus at Partick to the other at Braehead or the QE Hospital quicker than taking the bus. Of course nobody would take that looping service but another direct service so is sort of artificial.

Equally any of First's services in Glasgow City Centre that loop from Central Station to Argyle Street and back up Queen Street to Ingram Street are very slow to do that. Google maps suggests walking time from Bath Lane stop to Ingram Street is a 7 minute walk with services being timetabled up to 9 minutes for the same route.

Yes, I have walked along Argyle St and caught a number 6 or 7 for example from St Enoch's.

 

[HullRailMan]

Add to that service 66 to Hessle, that also loops around the city centre before heading down Anlaby Road.

You can walk from Spring Bank/Princes Avenue to Hull Royal Infirmary in about 5-10 minutes via Park Street. It takes about 80 minutes by direct bus using the 104 (changes to 154 at Castle Hill).

In a similar way, you can walk from Kingswood Retail Park to Bude Road in less than 5 minutes but the number 5 bus takes 15-20 mins going all the way round Kingswood to get there.

 

[Megafuss]

Go North East service 702 starts from stop A on Chester le Street Front Street and terminates at Stop E, which is directly across the road from where it starts. It appears to be registered as a loop, so it's a direct bus route.

 

[Lewlew]

How many examples are there of journeys between two bus stops which have a direct service between them, but are much quicker to walk at the moment the bus departs? One such example is the eastbound route 18 in Southampton City Centre, which does a big loop over itself that for the Park Walk and Solent University stops (possibly also Brinton’s Road if you’re fast-paced), it’s quicker to get off at Above Bar and walk there rather than stay on the bus, which goes all the way down to Bargate street for a 10-minute layover.

The 18 does NOT have a 10 minute layover in town, it’s max 1 min, maybe more if running early. It’s timed for 12 mins from Central station to Bargate and then 14 mins to Bitterne shops.

If you get off and walk then you might get one bus ahead but you’ll likely end up on the bus you just got off.

 

[aliceh]

Thanks to its long route, you could walk from Poole to Bournemouth quicker than the 2 hours it takes the X6 to go between the two

 

[OhNoAPacer]

The 30 bus from Thornhill to Maryport has a bit of a layover at the Lowther Street stop in Whitehaven, when running to time, you can make it to the Tangier Street stop in foot faster than waiting and travelling on the bus.

Similarly in Northampton the 14 has a layover at the stop opposite what us now The Olde Cobbler, you can make it on foot to the stop opposite The Windmill faster on foot. Of course if you got off the 14 at The Olde Cobbler you could cross the road and comfortably catch the bus on its return into Northampton following its loop round Acre Lane.

 

[route101]

The 18 does NOT have a 10 minute layover in town, it’s max 1 min, maybe more if running early. It’s timed for 12 mins from Central station to Bargate and then 14 mins to Bitterne shops.

If you get off and walk then you might get one bus ahead but you’ll likely end up on the bus you just got off.

Quite a few of the Southampton cross town services stop and wait at St Vincents walk. I guess it maintains reliability. Southampton can be a mess with buses parked in a few spots in the City Centre, city lacks a bus station.

 

[Lewlew]

Quite a few of the Southampton cross town services stop and wait at St Vincents walk. I guess it maintains reliability. Southampton can be a mess with buses parked in a few spots in the City Centre, city lacks a bus station.

I used to drive them Max 1-2 mins layover, it feels longer as a passenger and if running early then will be longer.

 

[paul1609]

On the afternoon school run of stagecoach 312 from Tenterden to Rye its possible to alight at Iden Elmsmead have a quick half in the Bell the village pub and catch the same bus again as it comes round the loop from Houghton Village school!

 

[scotrail158713]

It would be quicker to get off Lothian Buses' 48 before it goes on its loop round Mayfield and walk to the next stop after the loop