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Trivia: Worst Bus Station

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ReverendFozz

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Just thought I would follow on from the best bus station thread, what is the worst bus stations, my nominations would be

Middlesbrough, dont like the layout and design of it, also Park Lane in Sunderland and Durham which I think are badly designed

Worst of all time for me would be the old Seaham Bus Station near Sunderland, it was filthy, never cleaned and always, alway smelt like a tramps underpants and was sometimes littered with dog turds.
 
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MidnightFlyer

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Blackburn. I know there's quite a lot of 'my local's worst' on this forum, but I genuinely feel this. I won't type it all put again, so this is what I posted on the matter in the best bus stations thread:

... bear in mind that Blackburn is a town of 105,000, has about 20 regular bus routes serving the bus station, and is right next door to the railway station (making for a perfect interchange)! It used to feature, from what I can gather, wonderful Art Deco buildings, but they were swept away when it was slightly remodelled in the 1980s - that sounds akin to so many railway stations! There are plans to move it away from the railway station to the old market site, as the CoE want the land that it's built on back (I think that includes some of the land the railway station is built on too!). If it does move, I do hope that it is brought up to the standards one may expect for a town undergoing regeneration.
 

Mutant Lemming

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.... I think the majority of the country's bus stations would end up on the bad list. Hanley stands out as poor, though it is due for demolition.
 

anthony263

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Cardiff, Port Talbot, Swansea's (Old demolished) Newport(Wales) is ok ish but could do with a renovation.
 

trentside

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Lincoln City Bus Station.

It's buried under a car-park, is fume filled and leaky with insufficient layover places - made worse since the City Council decided to reduce the number of stands for 'health and safety' reasons, despite the previous layout having operated for 30 years without any major difficulties.

The sooner the redevelopment of the area goes ahead, the better.
 

Anon Mouse

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Walker Bus Station is a bit cack and Haymarket in Newcastle is a pian when its busy!
 

daniel3982

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Northampton's is pretty vile I seem to remember.

While Piccadilly Gardens is awful for such a large city (and causes traffic chaos).
 

GNERman

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Preston Bus Station.

I don't care it's now listed/protected, its outdated, old-fashioned, uncomfortable, cold and generally knackered...
 

Anon Mouse

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But so much better (and nicer) than it used to be.

I used to like the old Park Lane, it had atmosphere. Mind you I also miss Sunderland Central Bus Station so my taste maybe a bit weird! Washington Galleries used to be a tip when I worked there years ago and Washington Concord was a cess pit too....
 

MK Tom

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Northampton's is pretty vile I seem to remember.

It's shocking. Grotty, dirty, the doors are unpowered so you have to slide them manually... it's an impressive building but the place is just horrid.

Bedford's is also mankey to say the least.
 

robertclark125

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Cumbernauld, like the rest of the town centre, is a dump. In fact, the bus station term is used loosely; In reality, it's a series of bays along the dual carriageway that goes through the town. Same across the road. In fact, Stagecoach Fife correctly refer to it as town centre or Bus bays, not a bus station.

And Falkirk is a bad bus station. It hasn't been touched for years. The fact that Farmfoods has its only entrance and exit right next to one of the stands isn't helping matters. But, by golly, it needs rebuilding.
 

transmanche

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I used to like the old Park Lane, it had atmosphere. Mind you I also miss Sunderland Central Bus Station so my taste maybe a bit weird!
Maybe :D

Sunderland Central Bus Station was dingy and diesel-fumed. Second only in the region to the old Eldon Square Bus Station.
 

Anon Mouse

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Maybe :D

Sunderland Central Bus Station was dingy and diesel-fumed. Second only in the region to the old Eldon Square Bus Station.

The old Eldon Square Bus Station was MINT, especially the pub that linked it with 'Old Eldon Square', George & Dragon IIRC (think I'm showing my age lol)
 

VTPreston_Tez

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Preston Bus Station.

I don't care it's now listed/protected, its outdated, old-fashioned, uncomfortable, cold and generally knackered...

WHAT.
Preston bus station's become really good following more modernisation outside my local bus stand.

Exeter for me, per Temple Meads. Also there's this one in Cornwall somewhere, and Blackpool's the worst. Half the buses go around the bus station it's that bad.
 

Heinz57

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My reply for this is quite interesting, as it is exactly the same bus station as that listed first on the best bus station thread.

But straight out its the new Derby Bus Station. In the vast amount of space that was gained for the new bus station and river lights from the demolition of the old bus station they've produced something which crams far too much into such a small space, the bays are far too busy. They should have opted for something with bays down both sides, giving it more capacity. They should also review what buses are in each bay.

For example, currently the Trans Peak is in the same bay as the Black Cat. The TP is supposed to leave 10 mins before the BC, but often it is late. Arriving in the bay when the BC is supposed to be on stand. Prompting that to move to another bay, which in turn prompts buses from that bay to move somewhere else. Its a bit of a knock on effect.

Bay 1 was constructed too close to the road, so is practicaly un-usable, even by small buses (apparently, in one of the first drafts of the bay assignments, the Red Arrow was supposed to be in bay 1. Yeah, a big coach in bay 1, good luck with that!).

The video screens don't work properly and often fail not showing the correct infomation, plus they don't actualy show important passenger news (for example, in the great snows of last year, it shown all buses as running on time. Which they wasn't, in fact they were cancelled. Resulting in a lot of confustion). The automatic doors on the bays also have problems and often fail. The seats are cold and uncomfortable, the buildings too cold, over crowded with no organisation to the flow of passenger and is acousticly poor. The building isn't very inviting, it becomes a very dull and gloomy place, particularly at night, it costs 20p to use the can. And finaly it has nowhere near enough litter bins.

Thats just my views on it.
 
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Couldn't agree more. During the Derby Evening Telegraph's coverage of the proposed new bus station some of the complaints against the existing art deco station were dark, cold, smelt bad etc. All of which are much worse in the new station. Space has been sold off for a Hotel & Casino thus lining the pockets of a few lucky individuals.

We had a building of significant architectural interest & practicality (ie less reliance in reversing) & now its a squashed line of bays hiding underneath the main body of the new building / hotel / probably another restaurant soon etc. A familiar pattern in my hometown!

My advice is dont visit Derby for anything. Apart from that its ok :)
 

ReverendFozz

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transmanche:1002251 said:
I used to like the old Park Lane, it had atmosphere. Mind you I also miss Sunderland Central Bus Station so my taste maybe a bit weird!
Maybe :D

Sunderland Central Bus Station was dingy and diesel-fumed. Second only in the region to the old Eldon Square Bus Station.

I said Park Lane, because of the design of it's roof, back in Winter 2010/11 when we had a lot of snow, it was avalanching off the roof with multiple stands having to be shut off, it is like a wind tunnel at times as well, I am convinced one of those big signs will hit the deck one of these days the way they are blown about in strong wind...

I agree the new Park Lane looks better than the old one.

As for Sunderland CBS and old Eldon Square bus stations, thy certainly did have character, but they horrible to be in for long times with the diesel fumes
 

redthunder

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My reply for this is quite interesting, as it is exactly the same bus station as that listed first on the best bus station thread.

But straight out its the new Derby Bus Station. In the vast amount of space that was gained for the new bus station and river lights from the demolition of the old bus station they've produced something which crams far too much into such a small space, the bays are far too busy. They should have opted for something with bays down both sides, giving it more capacity. They should also review what buses are in each bay.

For example, currently the Trans Peak is in the same bay as the Black Cat. The TP is supposed to leave 10 mins before the BC, but often it is late. Arriving in the bay when the BC is supposed to be on stand. Prompting that to move to another bay, which in turn prompts buses from that bay to move somewhere else. Its a bit of a knock on effect.

Bay 1 was constructed too close to the road, so is practicaly un-usable, even by small buses (apparently, in one of the first drafts of the bay assignments, the Red Arrow was supposed to be in bay 1. Yeah, a big coach in bay 1, good luck with that!).

The video screens don't work properly and often fail not showing the correct infomation, plus they don't actualy show important passenger news (for example, in the great snows of last year, it shown all buses as running on time. Which they wasn't, in fact they were cancelled. Resulting in a lot of confustion). The automatic doors on the bays also have problems and often fail. The seats are cold and uncomfortable, the buildings too cold, over crowded with no organisation to the flow of passenger and is acousticly poor. The building isn't very inviting, it becomes a very dull and gloomy place, particularly at night, it costs 20p to use the can. And finaly it has nowhere near enough litter bins.

Thats just my views on it.

I totally agree, I would say the New Derby Bus Station is appalling, the amount also of buses crashing into each other is unreal, and the queues on some of the bays are astronomical (bays 6 and 22 especially) cos of unreliablity on the routes concerned, the old bus station or even no bus station is better than that building!!!!!
 

Heinz57

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the queues on some of the bays are astronomical (bays 6 and 22 especially) cos of unreliablity on the routes concerned, the old bus station or even no bus station is better than that building!!!!!

Bay 6 is rediculous. Sometimes the cue snakes down to bay 4 and sometimes 3. Its often unclear which cue is bay 4 and which is for 6. Many people, myself included, have often been in a cue that we think is for bay 4 without realising the cue is actualy for bay 6.

The advantage of the old bus station is that the buses didn't have to back out. Which I think when its as busy as this is a lot better. Of course you can get more capacity with 'back out' bays, but every time a bus has to back out, he holds up others coming in (in the new bus station they come in on average every 10 seconds during the day).

And of course the bays are too close together so the drivers can't actualy see behined them properly. Which results in accidents.

I know its too late to do this, and if they did it would be very expensive to do so, but Derby seriously needs to sort this out. They can't go on like this.
 

redthunder

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Bay 6 is rediculous. Sometimes the cue snakes down to bay 4 and sometimes 3. Its often unclear which cue is bay 4 and which is for 6. Many people, myself included, have often been in a cue that we think is for bay 4 without realising the cue is actualy for bay 6.

The advantage of the old bus station is that the buses didn't have to back out. Which I think when its as busy as this is a lot better. Of course you can get more capacity with 'back out' bays, but every time a bus has to back out, he holds up others coming in (in the new bus station they come in on average every 10 seconds during the day).

And of course the bays are too close together so the drivers can't actualy see behined them properly. Which results in accidents.

I know its too late to do this, and if they did it would be very expensive to do so, but Derby seriously needs to sort this out. They can't go on like this.

Ive seen the queue for bay 6 go outside the main entrance its that bad, plus whats the point of having a wheelchair accessible coach if a wheelchair cant even board the coach in its allocated bay of BAY 5 (it has to go to one of the end bays with Nat EX)
 

westcoaster

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The old Luton bus station was grim, seem to remember the lavs were underground, so glad it was pulled down.
 

transmanche

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The old Eldon Square Bus Station was MINT
Mint, in the sense that the Black Hole of Calcutta was mint! :D
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
My vote for worst bus station goes to the combined Haymarket and Eldon Square bus stations in Newcastle, not because of their looks or ambience (the new Eldon Square bus station is fairly pleasant place to wait). But the traffic management of the bus stations and surrounding roads is awful!

At busy times, buses can't get into Eldon Square bus station. So they back up and block the exit of buses from Haymarket bus station. And as nothing can get out, buses back up meaning nothing can get in to Haymarket bus station. And then buses trying to get in back up across the junction, all the way to Barras Bridge and St Mary's Place.

It's a mess.
 

Anon Mouse

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Mint, in the sense that the Black Hole of Calcutta was mint! :D
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
My vote for worst bus station goes to the combined Haymarket and Eldon Square bus stations in Newcastle, not because of their looks or ambience (the new Eldon Square bus station is fairly pleasant place to wait). But the traffic management of the bus stations and surrounding roads is awful!

At busy times, buses can't get into Eldon Square bus station. So they back up and block the exit of buses from Haymarket bus station. And as nothing can get out, buses back up meaning nothing can get in to Haymarket bus station. And then buses trying to get in back up across the junction, all the way to Barras Bridge and St Mary's Place.

It's a mess.

yes, its awful at busy times, Christmas is especially bad what with huge traffic jams, those stupid traffic lights at the exit of Haymarket and the frequent pulling up in other stands due to other buses occupying wrong stands. Still on the Tyneside theme, I used to like Gallowgate much better than that horrible Nat Ex station that replaced it. Dispite being a great building Worswick Street was an awful place to wait as was Marlborough Crescent.
 
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