Trivia. Largest place without a bus station

[Cambus731]

I do think Colchester Council are having a laugh calling their present collection of bus stops a bus station. Especially when Colchester used to have a decent bus station with a nice cafe, toilets, shop etc.

 

[busesrusuk]

Edgware had two, not sure if that is still the case. Golders Green has a famous and longstanding one, plus another offroad stand that was originally used for turning late running trolleybuses and was used as a photo/video opportunity by a certain Mayor to promote the 'New Routemaster.' Becontree Heath had one for donkeys, at one time very busy, and please don't forget Eltham Station which replaced the much-loved (by me from toddler age) bus station at Eltham, Well Hall Station. One of Richmond's many terminal points used to be regarded as a bus station, and why's no-one mentioned Kingston, which most decidedly had two (one incorporating a bus garage), of which one survives? Lewisham's has had a chequered history, Bromley North's terminal arrangements seem never to have been regarded as a bus station, but these days the relatively new Crystal Palace bus station must see both more buses and routes than almost any. A case can be made for Morden too. Romford is another Bromley North as far as the terminal arrangements go, but there is a sort of bus station for buses passing through in a northbound direction right next to Romford Station.

Kingston has two bus stations, I stand to be corrected but the Cromwell Road bus station (by the train station) is of the drive in/reverse out type which I think is unique in London. I can't think of any other London bus station with that layout.

Morden is most definitely a bus station and you can also add Edmonton, Tottenham Hale, Wimbledon and Hammersmith which has two separate bus stations (upper and lower) to the list of London ones to...

 

[Robertj21a]

Kingston has two bus stations, I stand to be corrected but the Cromwell Road bus station (by the train station) is of the drive in/reverse out type which I think is unique in London. I can't think of any other London bus station with that layout.

Morden is most definitely a bus station and you can also add Edmonton, Tottenham Hale, Wimbledon and Hammersmith which has two separate bus stations (upper and lower) to the list of London ones to...

Always amused that Kingston has that drive in/reverse out bus station. Much like the rest of the UK of course but it must have been very traumatic for the bosses at TfL
Surprised that drivers haven't rebelled.

 

[nw1]

I believe both Southampton and Bournemouth, both substantial places, have been without a bus station for over 30 years

Southampton was without a bus station as long ago as 1989 - not sure exactly when it closed.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Southampton was without a bus station as long ago as 1989 - not sure exactly when it closed.

October 1987 - sold for £4.1m having bought all of Hampshire Bus for £2m

 

[Busaholic]

Always amused that Kingston has that drive in/reverse out bus station. Much like the rest of the UK of course but it must have been very traumatic for the bosses at TfL
Surprised that drivers haven't rebelled.

There was a very famous London bus terminal outside the Royal Forest Hotel in Chingford, served by many routes including the 38 from Victoria Bus Station in the days of crew operation, where buses lined up next to each other, having been reversed into position, but this was in the pre-opo age ( it closed on the day that the new routes created in association with the Victoria Line reaching Walthamstow started.) It was opo, and a strongish Trade Union, that scuppered reversing in service, only one instance survived one manning, and that was on an RF route (see the forum header if you don't know what an RF was!)

 

[padbus]

Plymouth no longer has a bus station, though it does have a small coach station.

 

[GusB]

Plymouth no longer has a bus station, though it does have a small coach station.

As mentioned in this post:

Trivia. Largest place without a bus station

Which is the largest town or city in the UK that doesn't have a purpose built bus station. Roadside stops spread out round the centre do not count. I would say probably York but can anyone think of anywhere larger?

www.railforums.co.uk

Please read through previous posts, especially on a relatively short thread like this, and we can avoid duplication.

 

[TheManOnThe172]

Slightly OT, is Matlock the smallest place to have two operating bus stations?

To save their blushes, the County Council renamed the old bus station to "Bakewell Road" - which must cause some grief for anyone who doesn't know it of old: the stops are not on Bakewell Road and it's not an obvious entrance from that street into the Stygian gloom of the old bus station. The newer bus station is the other side of the river adjacent to the railway station, part of the dreadful 2007 Relief Road scheme. Until recently, Hulleys ran some services via both bus stations but have now given up (it involved a long detour) and use only the old bus station. The Transpeak Matlock-Buxton service uses the new bus station going north, and the old bus station going south. A complete mess.

 

[route101]

Motherwell, Livingston,Irvine, Airdrie and Coatbridge are Scottish ones.

 

[Roilshead]

How about Salford - population c220 000? Has it had a bus station since Victoria closed when Arndale (over the Irwell in Manchester) opened? early 1980s??

 

[py_megapixel]

I think quite a lot of places without a bus station have ended up with roads operating as defacto bus stations. I think these are often the roads outside where a now-demolished bus station once was - rather than change all of the routes, they just cut off the little bit at the end where they go into the bus station, and have them terminate in lay-bys on the road instead. Merrywalks in Stroud is a good example of this.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Kingston has two bus stations, I stand to be corrected but the Cromwell Road bus station (by the train station) is of the drive in/reverse out type which I think is unique in London. I can't think of any other London bus station with that layout.

Heathrow Central bus station has this layout for coaches and also for stands for TfL buses. Actual TfL stops are conventional, although the stands were previously used in service.

 

[Whisky Papa]

How about Salford - population c220 000? Has it had a bus station since Victoria closed when Arndale (over the Irwell in Manchester) opened? early 1980s??

Eccles is within the Salford city boundary and retains a modest bus station.

Victoria didn't close when Arndale Bus Station opened, it was still in use when I left GMT in 1985. Its canteen was much used for mealbreaks, which the one at Arndale wasn't at the time. I'm pretty sure Victoria shut at (or soon after) deregulation, but am open to correction.

 

[geoffk]

Weston-super-Mare lost its bus station years ago, Taunton quite recently. These are much smaller of course than some of the other towns mentioned. I don't think Southport has had one since the former Lord Street railway station was closed in the 1990s, having been a bus station since 1952.

 

[ian1944]

Paisley is a standard example, probably the largest in Scotland, just lots of adjacent shelters on Gauze Street. Livingston just about has one, though the layout on either side of a through road and p-poor information makes it very marginal.

Incidentally, why does Middleton (ex-Lancs) have such a grand one, built like an airport terminal with 13 stands? It's no great shopping centre, has the much bigger ones of Manchester, Bury, Rochdale and Oldham nearby, and most of the services are through ones to those very places? Three on-street stops in each direction would suffice, surely.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Weymouth doesn’t have a bus station. Whilst First has a centrally located garage opposite the station, the hub for buses is a few stops along the promenade.

Salisbury has lost its bus station in Endless Street with nearby stops now shouldering the load.

 

[geoffk]

Incidentally, why does Middleton (ex-Lancs) have such a grand one, built like an airport terminal with 13 stands? It's no great shopping centre, has the much bigger ones of Manchester, Bury, Rochdale and Oldham nearby, and most of the services are through ones to those very places? Three on-street stops in each direction would suffice, surely.

Yes, and the routes from Rochdale, Bury and Langley to Manchester all call in there, adding several minutes to a through journey. This applies at most Greater Manchester bus stations, the main exception being the very frequent 192 Manchester - Hazel Grove, which uses on-street stops in Stockport.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Weston-super-Mare lost its bus station years ago, Taunton quite recently. These are much smaller of course than some of the other towns mentioned. I don't think Southport has had one since the former Lord Street railway station was closed in the 1990s, having been a bus station since 1952.

Taunton only closed last year - waiting to become a car park!

Weston closed in 1987 and the town suffers from buses being spread across the town at various stops

Incidentally, why does Middleton (ex-Lancs) have such a grand one, built like an airport terminal with 13 stands? It's no great shopping centre, has the much bigger ones of Manchester, Bury, Rochdale and Oldham nearby, and most of the services are through ones to those very places? Three on-street stops in each direction would suffice, surely.

That's the issue with TfGM - they do love a massive, over-specified facility.

Weymouth doesn’t have a bus station. Whilst First has a centrally located garage opposite the station, the hub for buses is a few stops along the promenade.

Weymouth bus station was actually the depot yard opposite the rail station. Think they stopped using it as such before deregulation. TBF, the stops on the Esplanade/Kings Statue are actually the most sensible and logical place

 

[Llandudno]

Slightly OT, is Matlock the smallest place to have two operating bus stations?

To save their blushes, the County Council renamed the old bus station to "Bakewell Road" - which must cause some grief for anyone who doesn't know it of old: the stops are not on Bakewell Road and it's not an obvious entrance from that street into the Stygian gloom of the old bus station. The newer bus station is the other side of the river adjacent to the railway station, part of the dreadful 2007 Relief Road scheme. Until recently, Hulleys ran some services via both bus stations but have now given up (it involved a long detour) and use only the old bus station. The Transpeak Matlock-Buxton service uses the new bus station going north, and the old bus station going south. A complete mess.

It is a complete mess, the ‘new’ bus station is ideally located adjacent to the railway station, but because of the ridiculous one way system, southbound or Chesterfield bound buses cannot access it without a mile long detour, so needless to say they don’t!

Absolute madness, the only solution is for the original bridge to be made buses, cycles and taxis only and in both directions. But the Matlock traders would be up in arms if cars were diverted away from the town centre.

 

[Roilshead]

Eccles is within the Salford city boundary and retains a modest bus station.

Victoria didn't close when Arndale Bus Station opened, it was still in use when I left GMT in 1985. Its canteen was much used for mealbreaks, which the one at Arndale wasn't at the time. I'm pretty sure Victoria shut at (or soon after) deregulation, but am open to correction.

It hadn't occurred to me that Eccles was within the Salford local authority district - what is the definition of town/city here? the town/city (however one defines that!) or the local government area??

Apparently Victoria closed in 1988 - I'm surprised it lasted that long.

 

[Mikey C]

Edgware had two, not sure if that is still the case. Golders Green has a famous and longstanding one, plus another offroad stand that was originally used for turning late running trolleybuses and was used as a photo/video opportunity by a certain Mayor to promote the 'New Routemaster.' Becontree Heath had one for donkeys, at one time very busy, and please don't forget Eltham Station which replaced the much-loved (by me from toddler age) bus station at Eltham, Well Hall Station. One of Richmond's many terminal points used to be regarded as a bus station, and why's no-one mentioned Kingston, which most decidedly had two (one incorporating a bus garage), of which one survives? Lewisham's has had a chequered history, Bromley North's terminal arrangements seem never to have been regarded as a bus station, but these days the relatively new Crystal Palace bus station must see both more buses and routes than almost any. A case can be made for Morden too. Romford is another Bromley North as far as the terminal arrangements go, but there is a sort of bus station for buses passing through in a northbound direction right next to Romford Station.

Also Brent Cross

 

[ian1944]

It hadn't occurred to me that Eccles was within the Salford local authority district - what is the definition of town/city here? the town/city (however one defines that!) or the local government area??

Apparently Victoria closed in 1988 - I'm surprised it lasted that long.

Salford is strange in that the placename is very old but it has been much overshadowed by its larger neighbour Manchester since that grew with the industrial revolution, and whose city centre is close to the joint boundary. Salford's historical centre was at Greengate, the site of Victoria BS, but the only shopping centre in the ex-city area (i.e. excluding the recent addons of Eccles, Irlam, Swinton, Worsley, etc) worth the name is miles to the west at Pendleton, where according to TfGM there is a bus station (it's called such and is included in the list, with stand-maps, with such as Middleton).

This "bus station" is an exception to the rule of TfGM ones being bloated and grandiose, as it consists of several stops much spread out along either side of the road adjacent to the centre. So no, it's not a bus station in the sense we're considering, but in view of the number of services, maybe it should be, airport terminal and all.

 

[nw1]

Taunton only closed last year - waiting to become a car park!

Reminds me of that 80s Kinks song "Come Dancing" in which he bemoans the loss of an old club/live music venue to eventually become a car park (via a bowling alley)

Seems to be often the case that land is redeveloped for a use of less 'social value' than the preceding one.

 

[Whisky Papa]

Salford is strange in that the placename is very old but it has been much overshadowed by its larger neighbour Manchester since that grew with the industrial revolution, and whose city centre is close to the joint boundary. Salford's historical centre was at Greengate, the site of Victoria BS, but the only shopping centre in the ex-city area (i.e. excluding the recent addons of Eccles, Irlam, Swinton, Worsley, etc) worth the name is miles to the west at Pendleton, where according to TfGM there is a bus station (it's called such and is included in the list, with stand-maps, with such as Middleton).

This "bus station" is an exception to the rule of TfGM ones being bloated and grandiose, as it consists of several stops much spread out along either side of the road adjacent to the centre. So no, it's not a bus station in the sense we're considering, but in view of the number of services, maybe it should be, airport terminal and all.

I did consider including Pendleton alongside Eccles in my earlier post, but rejected it on the grounds that the stops are located on public roads, although around the three sides of the shopping centre perimeter. Certainly it has played a pivotal role in the local network for many decades and has most of the attributes of a bus station. It used to be a relief point for drivers from GMT's Frederick Road garage, but I don't know if any reliefs occur there now (obviously not from the long-closed FK garage!).

 

[philthetube]

Finsbury park has 2, one each side of a low bridge.