South Birmingham Bus Network Review

South Birmingham Bus Network Review Version two 3 rd July 2009

Background South Birmingham is set for a period of major redevelopment and change and two schemes in particular have triggered the need for a review of the area s already extensive bus network. First is the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham s first new acute hospital for 70 years, that will serve large areas of south and west Birmingham and employ over 16,000 staff. Then there is the regeneration of Longbridge, which aims to create 10,000 new jobs and thousands of new homes with access to excellent transport links. On top of these there is the Northfield Town Centre Regeneration, the Ley Hill and Egg Hill Housing Regeneration projects and the Pebble Mill site as part of the wider A38 Technology Corridor. These major schemes all have implications for existing bus services and a revised network is now needed to reflect the area s changing travel patterns, employment and land uses. There is also a requirement for improved bus services for key south Birmingham estates such as Pool Farm, Hawkesley and Primrose Hill to the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Links to education facilities such as Bournville College, Cadbury Sixth Form College and Birmingham University also need to be improved. Network reviews, such as the one proposed in south Birmingham, are a cornerstone of Centro s recently published document Transforming Bus Travel. Earlier this year, National Express West Midlands (NXWM) became the first operator to sign up to the vision which aims to deliver a modern bus network that transforms the quality of travel. This in turn will greatly contribute to tackling climate change, reducing congestion, sustaining economic growth and addressing social inclusion. Networks are modernised so that they are more relevant to travel patterns of existing and potential users (including car users). The quality of the bus travel is improved through clean, modern vehicles, secure and comfortable waiting environments, as well are good information, promotion and customer care. These reviews have seen Centro working closely with the local highway authorities to explore potential road improvements that compliment the wider bus network review. South Birmingham will be the third of what are likely to be 15 network review areas across the whole of the West Midlands which are planned for completion by the summer of 2013. The first two network review areas were Dudley and South Solihull. The Dudley network was implemented in April 2008 and has already resulted in a 4 per cent increase in passengers. It is too early to quantify any growth in the Solihull network review as it was only implemented in January 2009. This close co-operation between Centro, the local authority and bus operators signed up to Transforming Bus Travel gives greater influence in a de-regulated market. Since the de-regulation of bus services the operators do not have any legal requirements to consult with Centro or Birmingham City Council on bus changes. However, as part of the network review process, NXWM sees the potential benefits to parties in working in partnership on proposed services changes.

Overview The review takes place in an arc centred on Birmingham City Centre that runs from Warstock in the east to Weoley Castle in the west covering the Alcester, Pershore and Bristol Roads. Centro is now working with NXWM and Birmingham City Council on a review which is earmarked for launch on 25 October 2009. The new Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham starts to progressively open to patients from the middle of 2010. Over 16,000 staff will eventually work on the site, many being relocated from the existing Selly Oak Hospital site. Experience in other areas has shown that it is important for the public transport offer to be in place and to be as good as possible from day one, so more sustainable travel choices can be made as soon staff, visitors and patients need to access the new facilities. NXWM, Centro and Birmingham City Council have been working with the Hospital Trusts on the site over a number of years, to ensure they deliver as good a bus network for all of the hospitals on the site. This has included identifying where hospital users and staff are likely to be drawn from so that appropriate public transport can be provided where possible. It had been hoped that the regeneration of Longbridge would run in parallel with the hospital development, but the current economic downturn has slowed this process. However NXWM wants to create a bus network for the area which can easily be amended with short route extensions in order to improve access to the site once redevelopment starts and demand for bus services can be identified. Furthermore, as part of the process to reinforce sustainable travel habits and to promote public transport integration, Centro and Birmingham City Council are currently working on the creation of a bus interchange alongside the existing Longbridge rail station. Key Impacts of the Review To review and alter where necessary the bus network in South Birmingham to more fully meet the requirements of both current and potential users To maintain the current direct and frequent bus links to Birmingham City Centre along the Alcester, Pershore and Bristol Roads To maintain without any change Birmingham Outer Circle To ensure all NXWM operated and Centro subsidised buses are low floor wheel chair accessible (a network operated by around 250 buses) Comprehensive all operator pocket paper timetables for all bus routes in network review area. New area network maps. New direct bus links to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham from Pool Farm, Hawkesley, Primrose Hill, Kings Norton, Cotteridge, Bournville, Frankley, Holly Hill, Maypole, Yardley Wood, Billesley, Kings Heath, Selly Park and Bournbrook. The Longbridge area loses the current direct link provided by service 44 but direct train services are available at the local rail station. Links by bus can be made at Northfield and Cotteridge.

A direct bus services from Holly Hill Road to Birmingham city centre. Preservation of the current bus links to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham from Weoley Castle, Bangham Pit, Birmingham City Centre, Harborne, West Bromwich, Bearwood, parts of Warley, Quinton and Halesowen will continue. Service Changes The package of service changes that it is planned to implement from Sunday 25 October 2009 are described below; Summary of bus service changes Service 1 Acocks Green Five Ways Birmingham Town Hall unchanged. Service 2 Birmingham City Centre - Maypole unchanged. Services 11A/C Outer Circle unchanged. Service 12 Birmingham City Centre The Baldwin - Route will no longer serve the Baldwin (covered by service 5) and then is extended via Haslucks Green Road to terminate at the junction with Stratford Road, Shirley outside of Tesco to provide better access to shopping facilities. Service 18 Yardley Wood Garage Bartley Green route unchanged, but service will be operated by easy-access low floor buses. Service 19 Maypole Longbridge - new Centro subsidised service to replace services 634 and 635. Service 19 will operate from Maypole and current 635 route to Northfield then via South Road and Pamela Road (current 44 route), then current 635 route from Middle More Road to Longbridge Station. The replacement route will therefore no longer be a circular or serve the Hawkesley/Pool Farm Estates (see improvements to the 45, 49 and 84 services). Also these changes will leave Aversley Road uncovered though there will be high frequency routes at each end to meet Centro s accessibility standards. The terminal points of this service are proposed to be at Maypole and Longbridge Rail Station. Service 20 Birmingham City Centre QE Hospital Rubery, Great Park - new service to replace parts of current routes 44, 69 and 49. This new service will operate from Birmingham city centre via current 44 route to QE Hospital. The route will then operate to Weoley Castle Square via Gibbons Road, Weoley Park Road, Castle Road and Beckbury Road. From Weoley Castle, it will operate via Somerford Road, Gregory Avenue and then via the current 44 route from Middle Park Road to Northfield. From Northfield, the service will then operate via the current 49 route to Holly Hill shopping centre and then directly in to Rubery Great Park. The terminal points of this service are proposed to be Birmingham City Centre and Rubery, Great Park.

Service 21 Birmingham City Centre QE Hospital Bartley Green - The route between the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Birmingham City Centre is proposed to be revised to operate via the current 44 route between Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Church Road (where it currently crosses the route of bus service 1) and then via the service 1 route to Five Ways and then via Broad Street to current terminus in Colmore Row. Frequency of the route is reduced from every 12 minutes to every 15 minutes. There is no change to the route or terminus south of QE Hospital. Service 27 Kings Heath Hawkesley - will start from Alcester Lanes End terminus next to the Cocks Moors Woods Leisure Centre and run via current 50 route to the Kings Heath (avoiding All Saints Road) and then via the current route to Northfield. From Northfield the route will be via Woodland Road, Harper Road (current 44 route), Clunbury Road and then current route from Lilley Lane to Hawkesley. The terminal points will be Alcester Lanes End and Hawkesley. Service 30 The Roundabout Worlds End - the current Centro subsidised service 630 from the Roundabout estate (at Longbridge) to Worlds End via Northfield will be renumbered 30 without any change in route or times. Service 35 Birmingham City Centre Hawkesley - unchanged Service 44 Birmingham City Centre QE Hospital Longbridge (Thelbridge Road) - will be replaced The section of route between Northfield and Birmingham city centre via QE Hospital will chiefly be covered by new service 20. The link from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to the City Centre will be covered by both services 20 & 21. The link from Northfield rail station to Clunbury Road will be covered by the revised 27 service South Road/Pamela Road and the area to the south of Clunbury Road will be covered by the new 19 service. Thelbridge Road may be covered be service 47B subject to consultation. Service 45 Birmingham City Centre West Heath - will be diverted from Redditch Road via Masshouse Lane and Foyle Road in order to serve Pool Farm. The frequency and terminus of the service will be unchanged Service 47 Birmingham City Centre Cofton Hackett - will have two outer terminal points. Service 47A will continue to serve Cofton Hackett and service 47B will use the current service 44 terminus at Turves Green. Each terminus will receive three buses an hour. The overall frequency of service will be unchanged. (The single current 47A journey at 0520 from Rednal to Birmingham City Centre will be replaced by journeys at around the same time on both service 45 and 47). This service in due course could be further extended to provide improved links to the Longbridge regeneration area.

We would particularly welcome views on where the journeys will terminate in Turves Green The option is either Thelbridge Road (current terminus for service 44) or Edenhurst Road (the original 47 terminus before journeys were extended to/from Cofton Hackett a number of years ago) Service 49 Solihull Northfield - will be improved to operate a turn-up and go service operating every 10 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes between Maypole and Solihull. From Maypole, every other journey will be extended via the current route to Rubery and then into Rubery Great Park (maintaining the current 20 minute service on this section of route). The current hourly Monday to Saturday evening service will be increased from hourly to half-hourly, in line with the current Sunday daytime service. The Frankley to Northfield section of route will be covered by the new service 20. The new terminal points will be Solihull station and Rubery Great Park. Service 50 Birmingham City Centre Maypole - Druids Heath - unchanged Service 50A Birmingham City Centre Maypole Wythall - these peak hour journeys to and from Wythall will be withdrawn. Discussions are currently ongoing with Worcestershire County Council concerning a replacement facility. Service 61 Birmingham City Centre Frankley (Boleyn Road) - will be extended from current Boleyn Road terminus to terminate at Rubery Great Park. The frequency of service will be unchanged. Once the redevelopment of the Longbridge area starts this service could be further extended to and from the planned new public transport interchange at Longbridge. Service 62 Birmingham City Centre Rednal There are no plans to amend the route or frequency at the current time. However, when the road network allows at the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital the service is likely to be diverted into the site. At the same time the route is likely to be further altered to improve direct links to the hospital from the south of the city. Service 63 Birmingham City Centre Rubery Great Park - will be taken out of Rubery Great Park and will run via Ormond Road to terminate at Arden Road. The frequency of service will be unchanged. The new terminus of this service will be at Arden Road, Holly Hill shopping centre. The link from Callowbrook Lane & Rubery Lane to Great Park will be made by service 49. Service 69 Solihull Maypole - Weoley Castle - This service is planned to operate via the current line of route between Maypole and Selly Oak, and will then provide a new link to Queen Elizabeth Hospital instead of operating to Weoley Castle. The section of route between Selly Oak and Weoley Castle will be covered by the new service 20. The section of route between Maypole and Solihull will be covered by service 49. This service will now provide new direct links to QE Hospital from Maypole, Warstock, Kings Heath and Selly Park. The terminal points for this service will be Maypole and Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Service 76 Kings Heath Solihull - route extended back from Kings Heath to run via Brandwood Road to create a terminal loop (without a terminal point) to replace service 85. Terminates at Solihull and as a loop service around Dawberry Fields Estate (no terminus). Service 84 Hawkesley Cotteridge This service will be extended to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, therefore providing new links to the QE Hospital. The service will operate from the three estates via Foyle Road instead of Masshouse Lane (which is being served by the service 45) to Cotteridge. The route is then extended from Cotteridge via the outer circle route to Selly Oak to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The frequency of this service will be increased to every 20 minutes, and Centro is currently negotiating the introduction of and evening and Sunday service on this route. The terminal points are proposed to be Hawkesley and QE Hospital. Service 85 Kings Heath Bells Lane - route replaced by revised service 76. Service 86 - Rubery Great Park & Woodgate Valley South unchanged. Service 614 Selly Oak Northfield - there are no proposals to change the route or timetable of this Centro subsidised service, although the route number 614 may be be changed to 42. Service 627 West Heath & Frankley, Hollymoor Way there are no proposals to change the route or timetable of this Centro subsidised service, although the route number 627 may be changes to 43. Service 630 The Roundabout Worlds End - the current Centro subsidised service 630 from the Roundabout estate (at Longbridge) to Worlds End via Northfield will be renumbered 30 without any change in route or times. Services 634/635 Maypole and Northfield circular - This Centro subsidised service is replaced by a new service 19. Service 636 Halesowen QE Hospital no change.

Produced by the Strategic Planning Group of Centro 2009. This map is based upon Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Centro. 100019543 2009.

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