Some more bus changes

See here for details; http://www.midlothian.gov.uk/Article.aspx?TopicId=0&ArticleId=19119

Be interesting to see how much extra time is added onto journeys for the Park & Ride..

Interesting stuff there - thanks.
I am amazed how quickly they are getting on with the roadworks for the Park and Ride site - if only they could show the guys doing the rest of the A701 "upgrades" to work like that!

It was bad enough that they made the X47 stop at Cameron Toll, but now if it also has to stop at the new park and ride it is going to take even longer I'm not sure I like the idea of some 47s being diverted via the Bush either. Can there really be that much of a demand from people in the Bush to justify the diversion?

I thought the 'X' indicated a fast service, as in 'express', and I seem to remember the good old days when the express didn't stop between Cameron Toll and nearly Penicuik, but gradually it has come to mean that it doesn't detour around and about like the others, yet stops all over the place. Now a new detour is going to be introduced at the Park and Ride, it will surely get slower. How is this an improvement?

Edit - Now that I think of it, I seem to remember that the express didn't stop between Surgeons' Hall and Penicuik many years ago.

The X tends to be used on services anywhere that are either Express or Limited Stop. In the good old days the X71, X77 & X78 Timesaver services where just the biz but as is rightly pointed out over the years Lothian have eroded away at the expresses and to my mind the current X47 is merely a limited stop which should suggest faster journey times, but as anyone who has used it knows a standard 47 can do the journey just as quickly. The stop at Cameron Toll I can understand and to a certain extend the extension into the P & R BUT if only it could run non-stop from Salisbury Place into Surgeons Hall the amount of time lost here is rediculous. I know that any X47 & 47 that I have used during the peak times tend to be well loaded so best of luck to folk who park and expect to get on a bus City bound...

Here's another posted on the council website, to take effect as of 20th October:

Lothian Buses - New Service 67 - Hanover Street - Potterrow - Summerhall - West Mains for King's Buildings - Kaimes Crossroads - Straiton P+R - Bilston - Easter Bush Vet Centre - Pentland Science Park - Gowkley Moss

This new service will run hourly during the daytime Mon-Fri, increasing to every 20 minutes during the morning and late afternoon peaks.Coming from the city the last setting down point will be the last bus stop before Gowkley Moss Roundabout. The bus will then run around the roundabout to turn, and the first pick-up on journeys back to the city will be the first bus stop after the roundabout heading into the Bush.

"You cannot be serious", as was once screamed in disbelief at percieved ridiculous decisions. What kind of bus service is that, for cryin' out loud? Oh, pardon me, I forget all the commuters from Gowkley Moss. But, thereagain, perhaps something is afoot of which we have no ken, maybe that huge brand new never used vacant science park building at Bush is about to be occupied, requiring a specific service for the scientists, which will not be filled when arriving at their stop by the Penicuik punters on the way back into town.

Does seem an odd bus service. There must be some reason for it and they are not telling us about it (no change there) as even students going to the vet centre could not justify such a service. No doubt there will be some crazy rumours around soon....
PS: I wonder if it has anything to do with the streetlights on the road up to that big building being on after dark, even though it is supposedly empty???

I have to agree with everyone that it does seem to be a very strange route. I wonder if this service is being subsidised? If it is, would it not be better providing the funds for services that go through places like Roslin. The few times that I have used the 15a I have found that most of those who use it are usually on the bus before Gowkley Moss and then when you arrive in Edinburgh.

Reponse from Lothian Buses when I asked them if they would consider routing this new service through Roslin.

Service 67 is being introduced with significant funding from the University of Edinburgh with the primary objective of improving links between their Campuses for their students. As you mention, the service links Potterrow, Summerhall, King's Buildings and The Vet School at The Bush.

The new service will also improve links between The Bush development and the City Centre and offer students the chance to make use of the new Park and Ride facility at Straiton.

The service will be reviewed after 6 months and an assessment made then about its future. It is safe to say that without the financial support of the University of Edinburgh, Lothian Buses would not operate such a service commercially.

Makes sense, in a time where everyone is being encouraged to use public transport. Be interesting to see what happens.

It will fail, although I suppose I should prefer to be proved wrong, if that makes any sense at all.

Edit:
I'm happy to be proved wrong, the 67 is a useful catch out of town from its start at St Andrew Square to the park & ride.

I see the Park and Ride at Straiton opens on the 5th of October. It will be interesting to see what effect it has on all the cars which currently park around Penicuik, especially at Tesco which often looks to be busy with loads of cars but then you go in and the store is empty!

Don't think the word has really spread yet that the park and ride is open as yesterday morning there was only about 15 cars parked and as predicted the 3 people had to stand as the bus was full, hopefully it will get better.

Although one car in particular that likes to park in our street from about 8am to 8pm hasn't obviously seen it is open yet!

Yesterday there were about 5 cars at 7am and 2 people boarded. At night a couple of passengers got off the bus. This morning there were no cars and no pick ups. The 47 that I was on coming home at 5pm tonight did not divert into the car park but there must have been about 20 cars or so.

I imagine that the Park and Ride is going to cause a few problems, especially with the delay it causes to buses heading for Penicuik. It must add several minutes to the journey as you wait to turn right in to it then wait again to get out again - especially if there is no one getting on or off there!
Many commuters might see it as the last straw with all the delays in the city.

Judging by the number of cars sitting in the retail park next to Boots etc, makes me wonder if folk that used to park there still are and not using the P & R. So far, so good though I'd say although it seems overkill to have buses stopping at Straiton Cottages then going round into the P & R before then stopping again just before the roundabout 3 bus stops in such a short stretch.... Reckon there was about 30 cars this morning just after 8am and at least 1 person got on (may have been more but I was upstairs!)
I agree though about the heading out of City, trouble is though unless the bus is empty how does a driver know that no passengers are going to want off at the P & R ?

That will explain why my bus is all to pot in the morning.

Straiton is quickly becomeing a place to avoid because of the traffic. Something wrong somewere

I had my first experience of the Park and Ride on the X47 today. Why they need THREE bus stops in that one bit is anybodys guess! Surely they could abolish the ones across from Argos / Boots / M&S since the Sainsburys one is only a little bit further along.
I also think that that section of road must have made the traffic light companies a fortune

Got to the stage of not really bothering about the bus going into the P & R now, but it strikes me as being daft in the morning,, I normally get the 0750 X47 (from Penicuik Centre) which is generally a very well loaded bus, indeed each morning this week it has been standing room only from about Glencorse, anyway it's been getting into the P & R about 0810 and about a dozen folks get on - squeezing on into the remaining space - the best bit though is there is at this time a completely empty X47 sitting waiting to set off at 0816. I can't help but think that the passengers would be as well just waiting that extra few minutes and actually getting a comfortable journey into the City!

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Site-turns-into-parkandhide-as.4616098.jp


Oh dear - problems already!!

Ah! I wondered why it had all been coned off already! last night my bus drove all the way round the outskirts of the park and ride and didn't even go to the bus stop, one poor guy got dropped off practically at the entrance and had to walk back to his car in the pouring rain.

Thought more people would have been using it by now though - not really seen it that busy yet.

Since its the school holidays that would maybe explain why things are quieter. It's great though, they build it in the middle of a field exposed to everything, have the experience of Ingliston yet they still manage to build it and encounter problems at the first gust of wind....

I see that Lothian Buses is considering more cuts to the bus services and the number 15 is mentioned http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Bus-bosses-slam-brakes-on.4703514.jp

I would not be surprised to see cuts to all the Penicuik buses as many seem to be fairly quiet now, outside the peak times. If they could get them running more regularly it would make things better instead of no buses for 20+ minutes then 15, 37, 47 and X47 all coming along at once as often happens now.
I hope that the fares don't go up along with cutbacks, especially with the lower cost of fuel now - this would only encourage people back in to their cars!