Trivia: Bus routes that cannot use double decker vehicles

[Martin2012]

I'd be interested to find out some examples of bus routes that cannot use double decker vehicles due to the fact that the route involves passing under a low bridge or due to something like a weight limit on a road.

I know this applies to the X8 Bristol to Nailsea route, the 273 route between Devizes and Urchfont and Service 3 between Hanley and Crewe but I'm sure there are other examples?

 

[Gaelan]

The 99 St Andrews - Dundee generally avoids double-deckers due to height restrictions on the Tay Bridge during heavy wind, but they do crop up from time to time.

Geoff Marshall's recent video on the London SL5 mentions that it is single-decker due to a road with low-hanging trees.

 

[Acfb]

The 30 can't use double deckers through Newcraighall. Also the 38 has a low bridge at Balgreen I think.

The X7 is single decker because of low bridges at East Linton and Spott Rd in Dunbar.

 

[THC]

The new Superloop SL5 between Croydon and Bromley can only use single deckers as Diamond Geezer explained on his blog just the other day: https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2024/02/sl5.html?m=1

THC

(Edit - I see @Gaelan beat me to it above)

 

[AdamWW]

There used to be a route from Eccles that went under a rather low canal bridge during the day but took a different route in the evening (or vice versa - I forget).

It used double deckers on the non bridge route.

I was always a bit afraid of a driver having changed shifts forgetting which version of the route they were supposed to be doing...

 

[Ant158]

The 22 Valleyline service between Clitheroe and Blackburn in Lancashire used to have double deckers (and would benefit from them at peak times now), but was confined to single deck when a low railway bridge on route was lowered/ refurbished.

 

[RT4038]

A list of these would be very tedious, but examples in Warwickshire would be National Express Coventry Service 25 which passes under a low bridge by Birdingbury Railway Station, and Stagecoach Service 86 with low bridges at Church Lawford and Wolston. Most of the town service routes in Rugby -1,2,4,8,8a and the 96 Northampton route are restricted to saloons due to the Rugby Station bridge. Stagecoach D1 is similarly restricted due to a low bridge in Hillmorton. Double deckers are seen on ordinary bus routes in Rugby, on other National Express (85) and Arriva service (X84) primarily for school movements, and this precludes the service practically travelling via the Rail Station for integrated transport.
At Stratford, Service 27 Stratford-Pebworth (New Road) is pretty much restricted to saloons due to a 10ton weight limit at Welford on Avon river bridge [a lightweight 'decker such as a Routemaster could be used, but this is hardly likely!].
In Nuneaton, services along Attleborough Road are worked by saloons - double deckers could be used but only through the centre of an arched bridge on a busy road, which the bus company has long judged as being too risky with oncoming vehicles and drivers forgetting.
Service 77A Leamington-Banbury passes under a low bridge by Fenny Compton station.
Diamond service 76A/B (Tamworth-Kingsbury-Wood End) is restricted to saloons due to a low bridge between Kingsbury and Hurley, and between Wood End and Piccadilly.
There are various examples of other infrequent services (or infrequent odd journeys on more substantial services) that restrict the use of double deckers.

 

[90sWereBetter]

Routes 227 and 358 in Bromley are restricted to single deckers due to the low bridge at Shortlands. The 227 probably doesn't merit deckers anyway due to it being so short, but the 358 is getting those frankly ridiculous ieTrams...presumably at some point before the heat death of the universe

 

[SSmith2009]

Only routes in Leicester that I know of are:

First service 21 to Thurmaston - Wyvern Avenue/Barkby Road bridge is 3.6m (12ft)

Stagecoach X7 (Leicester - Kibworth - Market Harborough- Northampton) the low bridge on New Road in Kibworth is 3.8m (12.9ft)

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I'd be interested to find out some examples of bus routes that cannot use double decker vehicles due to the fact that the route involves passing under a low bridge or due to something like a weight limit on a road.

I know this applies to the X8 Bristol to Nailsea route, the 273 route between Devizes and Urchfont and Service 3 between Hanley and Crewe but I'm sure there are other examples?

There are loads across the country. Off the top of my head, I can think of

5 Bath to Whiteway at Twerton
D2 Bath to Frome (though very low deckers worked it 30 years ago) at Midford
60/61/600 - Aberdare to Pontypridd at Abercynon

 

[JamesC357]

First Essex’s service 28 from Southend to Basildon is limited to single decks due to Pitsea railway bridge.
Arriva’s services 7/8 used to use double deckers, but modern vehicles are too high to pass under Hockley and Hawkwell railway bridges.

I’m sure there are others locally but can’t think of them right now.

 

[infobleep]

Not sure about the K1 and K2 through Surbtion but the K3 does encounter low Bridges I believe.

 

[Roger1973]

There are a few routes that use Glebe Street, Stoke-on-Trent - this bridge (Street View link here) is too low for some single deckers.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

There used to be a route from Eccles that went under a rather low canal bridge during the day but took a different route in the evening (or vice versa - I forget).

It used double deckers on the non bridge route.

I was always a bit afraid of a driver having changed shifts forgetting which version of the route they were supposed to be doing...

The 66 "Bee Network" bus service (Prestwich -> Eccles Interchange via Peel Green) looks to routinely use the low bridge under the Bridgewater Canal on Barton Lane. Definitely wouldn't fit a double decker. Every now and then, there'll be one that attempts it, before inevitably coming to grief. The height clearance is just 11 ft 6 ins.

 

[Statto]

Any buses that go down Liverpool Road in Neston, the bridge has a 13.3 foot clearance. There's another bridge in Marshlands Road Neston that has a 13.9 foot clearance too.

 

[dodecahedron67]

First’s 10, 59, 200 in York due to Leeman Road

Also Reliance 30/30X/31X and York Pullman 19

 

[Polarbear]

Route 487 on the Wirral (Liverpool to Neston), has a low bridge in the Neston area.

 

[JD2168]

Stagecoach Yorkshire:
137 can’t use deckers due to 2 low bridges at Meadowhall.
218/218a can’t use double deckers due to a low bridge at Kilnhurst.
219/219a/226 can’t use deckers due to a low bridge in Thurnscoe.
Globe Holidays:
X20 can’t use deckers due to a low bridge at Manvers.
First:
The first 87 journey from Doncaster to Moorends can’t use a decker due to trees at the Industrial Estate it serves. The other journeys don’t go this way so can use deckers.

 

[MadMarsupial]

There used to be a route from Eccles that went under a rather low canal bridge during the day but took a different route in the evening (or vice versa - I forget).

It used double deckers on the non bridge route.

I was always a bit afraid of a driver having changed shifts forgetting which version of the route they were supposed to be doing...

147 that became the 247? Went through to Flixton? Now starts at the Trafford Centre and avoids the problem. It is also possible that the old 22 ( became 262?) might have used the route with a single decker with the mainly double deckers going via the Packet House on Patricroft Bridge. However, by the time I used the 22 to go to school ( 1968 -1975 ) all 22s were double deckers.

 

[Penfold@658]

7/7A Burbage Route can't use a Double Decker Due to Low Bridge at 13.9 Rugby Road Hinckley

 

[RELL6L]

Loads, too many to begin to try and get them all!

London worth mentioning the 108, deckers are too high for the northbound Blackwall tunnel but there are short journeys which do use deckers.

Many in former mining areas such as South Wales and South Yorkshire.

The Reliance 30 does use deckers, it must avoid the restriction.

Rugby has been mentioned, I am pretty sure the 86 to Coventry is restricted to saloons as well.

In Lincolnshire the Stagecoach 31 from Lincoln to Sleaford goes under a low bridge, I think in Metheringham, but the 31X avoids it and does use deckers.

There always used to be a bridge between Hitchin and Stevenage which was OK for RTs back in the day but too low for Atlanteans, which kept RTs at Stevenage for a while in the 1970s. I think this prevents deckers being used on the Arriva 100/101 from Luton and I guess will mean they can’t be used on Stagecoach 9A/9B which starts next week.

Chelmsford station bridge affects lots of routes but if they need to run deckers they make a variation to go the long way round.

All routes to Anglesey due to the wind risk, also the Arriva 5 and anything else through Conwy - although Olympians were OK.

The Uno 610 through Harpenden, although the 612 variant and the X10 use deckers. I think Rickmansworth station bridge may be too low but this may be markings rather than reality, Atlanteans always were fine.

 

[Penfold@658]

Arriva X6 Route from Hinckley to Coventry also uses a low bridge at 13.9 to Rugby Road Hinckley
No Double Deckers Allowed on the Route

 

[Stan Drews]

The Midland Bluebird X38 Falkirk - Edinburgh encounters a low bridge east of Linlithgow, so has to be a single deck operation.

 

[barringtoncem]

The Misguided Busway from the Trumpington P&R in Cambridge has to use single deck buses until it reaches Cambridge i believe due to the Railway Bridge

 

[nw1]

The Haslemere-Midhurst route (currently 70, formerly 219 and 229) has a low bridge near Camelsdale (on the B2131) which double-deckers cannot negotiate.

As a result all current services appear to be single-deck though in the 80s there used to be some double-deckers around school times. These would divert via Kings Road (southbound) or Shepherds Hill (the A286) (northbound) and involved an out-and-back trip through Camelsdale to the roundabout on the B2131. However, they didn't appear to need any extra time.

The remaining school trips, still double-deckers, are numbered 470 and are operated entirely separately from the main 70, being short journeys from Midhurst to Hammer Hill Estate. Indeed they seem to be run by Aldershot while the main 70 is operated out of Guildford.

I don't believe there are any Bluestar routes which cannot use double-deckers. I've never noted a booked double-decker on the 15, but they have occasionally appeared as substitutions for the normal single-decker.

 

[MasterSpenny]

In London, the B13 has narrow roads in the Blackfen area which can’t handle double deckers, and the same for the London route B14, but in the Albany Park area.

 

[DunsBus]

The 30 can't use double deckers through Newcraighall. Also the 38 has a low bridge at Balgreen I think.

The X7 is single decker because of low bridges at East Linton and Spott Rd in Dunbar.

The 46 and 48 are also single-deck due to the Newcraighall bridge. You are correct about the one at Balgreen.

 

[lxfe_mxtterz]

Stagecoach routes 34/35 between Guildford and Camberley aren't able to be operated by double deckers due to the low railway bridge in Woking. Slightly frustrating as this is an incredibly busy route during the peaks, with full and standing loads not uncommon.

I seem to recall the bridge height was changed as I remember back when the routes were run by Arriva, they sometimes sent out double deckers (usually Volvo Olympians).

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

London's H37 uses single deckers to pass under the bridge at St John's Road in Isleworth. The bridge has claimed a few roofs from rail replacement buses over the years.

358 linking Orpington to Crystal Palace also pass under a low bridge.

Rail replacement buses west of Northolt on the Central Line have to be single decker to fit under the bridge at South Ruislip station. Even then it is 'snug', especially on a coach.

 

[Sussex Ben]

Metrobus 270 Brighton to East Grinstead due to the railway bridge at Wivelsfield station, plus another bridge under the viaduct between there and Haywards Heath.

The first bridge mentioned also prevents most Burgess Hill town services from being double deckers, not that the extra capacity is needed.