TransBunbury Service Ideas

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102 at 1625
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TransBunbury Service Ideas

Post by 102 at 1625 »

On a recent trip to Bunbury, my attention was drawn to the TransBunbury bus network. In my opinion, duplication is rife throughout many of the routes servicing areas south of Bunbury City Centre, particularly those travelling east of Spencer St and Bussell Hwy. They also seem to twist and turn far more than necessary, delaying the majority to please the minority. Below are some ideas for changing the services south of Bunbury to make them less duplicitous, more direct and more efficient. I have endeavoured to keep multiple routes running along the same alignment as much as possible to simplify the currently confusing network and increase the possibility of service coordination. Unfortunately, I do not have the computer software or knowledge of how to use it to be able to make PTA-style bus network maps, so instead I have used Google Maps.

I’d love some feedback regarding my ideas – please be as critical as you like. Are these changes a good idea? Have I taken the route straightening too far? Should I add some occasional deviations to various aged care facilities whose residents would now have to walk farther to catch the bus (such as the one on Wattle St along the current 830 route and the one on Myrtle St along the current 832 route)? Are there important points of interest that I have missed and need to serve better?

And one more thing: if these changes were to go ahead, it would be a significant saving in service kilometres (probably about enough for a route a similar length and frequency as the current 828). Should these services be invested into the Bunbury bus network? If so, where and how? Or should the additional kilometres simply be taken out of the Bunbury network, and invested into the bus systems of Perth, or another regional town?

Route 828
Only minor route changes to streamline the route. I do not believe that the detours via Clark St East or Twilight Tce are necessary. It would continue to be coordinated with route 829 to provide a service every 30 minutes between Bunbury City Centre and Bunbury Health Campus. Due to the increased frequency of route 830 travelling via the Senior Citizens’ Centre, deviations to the Senior Citizens’ Centre on route 828 would be withdrawn.

Route 829
A fairly major route change to straighten the route out. Most addresses are still within walking distance of a bus stop. It could be a problem that this service no longer travels via the Parks Shopping Centre, but passengers with limited mobility needing to do shopping can go to Bunbury City Centre. Anybody else (including workers) should be able to walk. It would continue to be coordinated with route 828 to provide a service every 30 minutes between Bunbury City Centre and Bunbury Health Campus. Due to the increased frequency of route 830 travelling via the Senior Citizens’ Centre, deviations to the Senior Citizens’ Centre on route 829 would be withdrawn.

Route 830
Routes 830 and 832 have been combined and straightened into this new route. It still is designed to serve homes not in a reasonable walking distance of routes 831 and 832 (currently 843), as well as the Senior Citizens’ Centre and College Grove but now does this via a more direct alignment. It would operate at a similar frequency to the current 832, and would be coordinated with route 831 to provide a service every 30 minutes between Bunbury City Centre, Minninup Forum and Usher (Crampton Av).

Note: On the return journey, the route would travel normal route until Picton Cr, then right Money St, left Parkfield St, left Stirling St, continue into Wittenoom St, right Symmons St and right Bunbury Bus Station.

Route 831
Only a minor route change to streamline the route. It would continue to be coordinated with route 832 (currently route 843) to provide a service every 30 minutes between Bunbury City Centre and Dalyellup. It would be coordinated with route 830 to provide a service every 30 minutes between Bunbury City Centre, Minninup Forum and Usher (Crampton Av).

Route 832
Route 843 has been renumbered and has had a major route change to form this new route. It provides a faster journeys for passengers travelling between Dalyellup and Bunbury City Centre and the shops on Spencer St, and serves areas near to parts of Parade Rd, Bussell Hwy, Blair St and Spencer St that were previously served by the indirect routes 829, 830 and 832. Passengers who travelled to Minninup Forum on route 843 to do shopping can still catch route 831, or they can go to the Parks Shopping Centre or to Bunbury City Centre. Workers previously travelling on the 843 to work at Minninup Forum should be able to walk from Parade Rd. It would continue to be coordinated with route 831 to provide a service every 30 minutes between Bunbury City Centre and Dalyellup.

A possible weekday timetable from 10:00am to 11:59am is displayed below. It would require five buses at any one time.
Timetable to Health Campus / Dalyellup. An ellipsis indicates that the time(s) is/are outside the sample period.
Timetable to Health Campus / Dalyellup. An ellipsis indicates that the time(s) is/are outside the sample period.
Timetable to Bunbury. An ellipsis indicates that the time(s) is/are outside the sample period.
Timetable to Bunbury. An ellipsis indicates that the time(s) is/are outside the sample period.
Note: As Google's software for calculating directions on Google Maps changes, the route plotted by Google Maps between the points that I have specified in the links may change with it. Although I have altered the points so that the directions produced reflect my intended alignment, note that these software changes may cause the maps in the links may become inaccurate over time.
Last edited by 102 at 1625 on Wed Oct 07, 2015 1:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: TransBunbury Service Ideas

Post by 900 series »

I'll leave commenting on the finer details to others as am not too familiar with Bunbury but it certainly looks cleaner and more legible than current services. Currently the map on timetable 2 is just horrible to try to read :evil:

Agree with 843-832, it fits better with the other numbers in the area. Perhaps 827 to 842 for similar reasons? Or 843 would be preferable but probably need to be staged a year or so later to avoid confusion (think 84 > 82 then 92 > 84 back in Perth)

Its outside the scope of those changes but I wonder if something could be done to straighten out the 841 milk run (so many deviations to nearly everywhere on that!) Would it be feasible to split the 841 into two similar to 600/604 and the 490/491 changes a few months ago? Maybe one running direct-ish to Leschenault and one to Kingston Drive taking in The Boulevard and Lucy Victoria Avenue

It will be interesting to see what happens when sWAn start their contract
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