X3 Market Harborough - Leicester Bus Diversion

[Doug_J]

Hi,
Miller Homes wants to build 170 houses at the top of Oaks Road in Great Glen and divert the X3 bus in a big loop up Coverside Road and down Oaks Road to make it 'sustainable' so they can get planning permission. Users already enjoy a scenic route around Kibworth on what is supposed to be an express service. They will pay Arriva handsomely for 5 years to run it. Anyone who knows traffic in Great Glen will know what a crazy idea this is apart from the fact that express services are not supposed to have loops in them. If you don't approve of this, particularly if you are directly affected, please go to the Harborough District Council website and search Application no. 17/00579/OUT or OAKS ROAD and post an objection. You don't have to live on the bus route or take the bus to object, but even better if you do.

 

[Qwerty133]

The X3 would simply be unsustainable if it went the most direct route, as most of the direct traffic catches the Stagecoach X7.

 

[carlberry]

Hi,
Miller Homes wants to build 170 houses at the top of Oaks Road in Great Glen and divert the X3 bus in a big loop up Coverside Road and down Oaks Road to make it 'sustainable' so they can get planning permission. Users already enjoy a scenic route around Kibworth on what is supposed to be an express service. They will pay Arriva handsomely for 5 years to run it. Anyone who knows traffic in Great Glen will know what a crazy idea this is apart from the fact that express services are not supposed to have loops in them. If you don't approve of this, particularly if you are directly affected, please go to the Harborough District Council website and search Application no. 17/00579/OUT or OAKS ROAD and post an objection. You don't have to live on the bus route or take the bus to object, but even better if you do.

What is the purpose of the objection? If you don’t want the bus diverted contact the bus company, if you don't want the houses built then you'll need different grounds (I'm not aware that how the planning bung is spent is a grounds to object to house building and the construction company can claim that it's not their decision anyway).

 

[Deerfold]

Anyone who knows traffic in Great Glen will know what a crazy idea this is apart from the fact that express services are not supposed to have loops in them.

That appears to be opinion, not fact. Why are express services not supposed to have loops in them?

 

[Doug_J]

To answer the above questions, Manual for Streets and other authoritative guidance says that loops are not a good idea. It puts people off overall. Besides anyone who knows the roads in Glen will know what a crazy idea this is.
It is very much the developers decision to pay the bus company not the Councils. The Council will not be funding the diversion. If a bus route is diverted in order to obtain a planning permission, the sustainability and social impact of the diversion are material considerations. There are many other reasons to object to the development believe you me but I'm not asking anyone to be concerned about that. Objections to the bus route will count.
Re the X7 - good point. But the X3 still carries through traffic, offers choice, and is supposed to be an 'X-press' service. Who's to say if they get away with this on the X3 they won't do the same on other bus routes?

In any case, hopefully my post will make people aware of something planned by a transport company that will directly or indirectly affect them, that they can actually do something about if they don't like it.

If anyone knows of similar loops or out of the way diversions past or present please let me know (I know about the Kibworth one).

Thanks

 

[overthewater]

It would seem this change might be better for the passengers in Great Glen. As said there is already a much faster express service provided by Stagecoach every 30mins from Market Harborough and Kibworth. ( up to 25mins faster)

Just by looking as an outsider, I can't see what is wrong with this plan. That X3 isn't an Xpress, its an all stop service with a fancy X on the front. If passengers are sitting on that bus for 1H 5, then the people are not going to care for the extra 5mins added in.

 

[Qwerty133]

The X3 is the last remaining legacy of the citylinx brand introduced in Leicester in 2006 (IIRC), and in comparison to the other 5 services has been lucky to last this long (Only the X6 still exists and this is only due to another operator taking on when Arriva pulled out). IIRC none of the services were ever true express services but rather were a way of disguising lower frequency on a slightly different route as an improvement.
The villages served by one of the other services introduced at the same time have had at least 3 major changes of route number and route since so in many ways the X3 has been lucky to remain as close to that pattern as it has.

 

[Flying Snail]

That appears to be opinion, not fact. Why are express services not supposed to have loops in them?

The term "Express" and the use of an X--- number is pretty much meaningless in Britain these days, all over the country these are used on routes that have no business being elevated above a standard bus service in terms of directness or speed.

 

[Robertj21a]

It seems to me that the residents of Great Glen gain quite a bit from the proposal to re-route the X3 around the village. The timetable also appears to have enough time to accommodate such a loop. A good idea !

 

[Busaholic]

The term "Express" and the use of an X--- number is pretty much meaningless in Britain these days, all over the country these are used on routes that have no business being elevated above a standard bus service in terms of directness or speed.

I think the X classification of some of these is akin to the old British Board of Film Censors one i.e. you're about to experience a horror