BUS ROUTES & STATION OR HUBS -
SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE - All Link references to individual sketches have stopped working because Photobucket updates have messed them up. Just go to https://app.photobucket.com/u/Gyratory1 and find the sketches by clicking along in the bucket or on the A3 album.
20 March 2020 -- The introduction of the mini hub behind Dominion House has not been mentioned in the description below. The mini hub with waiting area and a Cafe uld be a very useful facility for shoppers headinhg for the market, Supermarket and the town centre. Incoming buses from Woodbridge Road and York Road would stop to set down passengers at this mini hub and pick up those wanting to go the bus station. Outgoing buses would connect the mini hub and then folloe their usual route. Of course not every bus need to do this - possibly alternate ones would do. However, it is up the bus operators to consider such changes.
5 December 2019
The current (December 2019) thinking is to locate the bus station either temporarily or permanently on Bedford Road car park site. The status of Mary Road car park site under the Local Plan is unclear to me. Please see sketches now included for my suggestion based on MVA report and GSoc idea modified for access from Onslow Street to Bedford Road.
ADVANTAGES OF MARY ROAD SITE AS THE RELOCATED BUS STATION
Friary Extension would have retained the Bus Station roughly in the same place but access to it would have changed from North Street end to Woodbridge Road together with York Road roundabout replaced by a signalised junction.
Friary Extension appears to be on hold and the question of whether the Bus Station could be relocated to give the developer more flexibility so that the extension could be made more attractive for the big stores to take up tenancy.
Sites owned by Guildford Borough Council where the Bus Station could be relocated but perhaps not ideally suited are:-
1) the old Farnham Road Bus Station currently a car park.
2) Bedford Road site but GBC had other plans for this site.
3) Mary Road car park where GBC also had other ideas.
Guildford Borough Council's website on Town Centre Area Action Plan describes these sites and their intended use.
There is a desire to improve the riverside areas and hence the inclination not to propose relocation next to the river. This leaves Mary Road car park as the only possible location. Access and exit to the gyratory at present are not good from this site and its location is not conveniently close to either the Town Centre or the Railway Station. The Railway Station as the Transport Hub would and could reduce car usage and hence reduce congestion. If buses go to both the Railway Station and the Town Centre then this would achieve the objectives even if the Bus Station is relocated on Mary Road car park site (albeit requiring some improvements to the access and exit routes). Not every bus needs to go to both - alternate buses could go to the Railway Statiion if that is operationally a better option. In order to maintain car parking spaces or even to extend capacity, a multi-storey car park above the Bus Station could be considered. Pedestrian access to this car park could be through the existing Bedford Road car park and connecting footbridges. Please see the sketch showing suggested bus routes in and out of Mary Road site connecting the two key bus stops in the Town Centre. These are now slide Nos. 11 and 12 (updated 0n 11 Dec 2014) showing the suggested enhanced bus stops in and around the Friary extension of the link below:-
http://s1130.photobucket.com/albums/m536/Gyratory1/
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Another option is being explored by others whereby instead of a central Bus Station the routes would operate from Depots outside of the Town Centre and these would intersect at the Hubs such as the Railway Station and the Town Centre.
Whatever solution is chosen, the interlinked question of the Bus Station and progressing the Friary extension should be resolved so that the haitus is ended as soon as possible.
Edited on 7 November 2011
Letter published in the Surrey Advertiser of 18 November 2011
My idea of relocating the bus station on Mary Road car park site rather than on Bedford Road site as proposed by Guildford B C was published on the 4 November under the caption "My plan would be a better one". I hastened to add that the caption was added by the Editor but I totally agree with its choice. Judging by the lack of any response to my letter, it seems to me that my ideas may not have been fully explained as these require an in depth consideration of the existing problems of the gyratory and the additional bus traffic on it that would be brought about by the relocation. GBC has chosen to terminate buses near the top end of High Street because the Bedford Road site is not large enough for all the bus routes. Clearly this would be unacceptable for the inconvenience of having to walk uphill on High Street specially for the less able bodied users and if carrying heavy shopping. My website, which can be found by searching for 'revamp guildford', in addition to explaining the problems of the gyratory, offers possible solutions and show the sketches drawn on the road layouts on many improvements to the whole question of traffic, pedestrian and cycle routes and of course the issues that really matter with the location of the bus station. The prime concern should be not where the bus station is located but how the buses deliver its passengers to the town centre and the railway station and how do they pick them up on their return journey home. GBC seems to have abandoned the idea of a Transport Hub they were promoting when Transport for Guildford was promised £29m by the previous government. We all know sadly that funding is not there anymore.
The two key bus stops - one in Woodbridge Road ('A stops') end of the Friary and the other in North Street('B stops') entrance to the Friary, as well as the railway station('C stops') are the three most important locations in this respect. The actual location of the bus station within 5 minutes walking distance of the core shopping area is not strictly relevant if the buses connect with these three locations.
Incoming buses from the south and the west would call in at the railway station and proceed to Mary Road bus station utilising the proposed link between Walnut Tree Close and Woodbridge Road. Those not connecting the railway station would go to the bus station via Bridge Street with a stop in front of Odeon Cinema in Bedford Road just after turning into it (edited on 8 August 2013). Thus Mary Road bus station would serve the same purpose as locating the bus station on Bedford Road site ie pedestrians will have a 5 minute walk to the core shopping area. Alternatively they could stay on and disembark at the bus station and proceed under cover to the Friary via Bedford Road car park or take a bus going east via the town centre. I have already outlined the advantages of Mary Road site over Bedford Road site in my previously published letter.
Incoming buses from the north and the east via York Road and buses from the east via Leapale Road would call in at the 'A stops' (redesigned with multiple stops and waiting facilities) before going to the bus station via York Road round about and then Leas Road. Of these bus routes, buses which would go to the railway station would stop on Onslow Street at a newly created stop ('D stops') in the access bay of the Friary.
The outgoing routes to the north and the east about half the number of buses would turn right from Leas Road on to Onslow Street and then go into Woodbridge Road. Here the buses would use a newly created right turn into the 'A stops', the new multiple bus stops bay incorporated in the Friary extension, and out again to York Road round about and beyond. The rest would exit via Laundry Road and proceed directly to the north or the east.
The outgoing routes to the east heading for Epsom Road and London Road would proceed on Onslow Street and then to North Street 'B stops' ( to include waiting facilities) by the Friary entrance.
The outgoing routes to the south and the west about half the buses would stop at the 'D stops' opposite Rodboro' Building. A new short 'buses only' lane on the approach to the Frairy Bridge would help buses proceed to either Portsmouth Road or the railway station in a similar fashion to the Ladymead into Woodbridge Road turning. The rest would leave via Mary Road, turn left and go over the new river bridge to Walnut tree Close (WTC) and then turn right into WTC. They will then turn left by the 'Jewsons' site and cross the railway over the replacement Yorki's bridge. They would then turn right to go through the University or turn left to proceed to Guildford Park Road.
Finally, a single lane bridge for buses only from Walnut Tree Close to Bedford Road, placed adjacent to Walnut footbridge would be essential to keep Bridge Street free of extra bus traffic. Pedestrian route(s) from the railway station to the town centre is a separate issue but should not be subjected to additional bus traffic in either Bridge Street or Bedford Road. and dealt with under the railway station redevelopment. A high level walkway is proposed from the railway station to the Fraiary along Bedford Road.
My website has sketches (using links to a Photobucket website) showing the above ideas and improvements to the gyratory for cyclists, pedestrians and of course for the motorised traffic.
The original letter is hereby edited (24 Jan 2014) to show recent modifications to earlier suggestions
Bibhas Neogi, BE, PhD, MIStructE, CENG
11 Nursery Road, Godalming
GU7 3JU
As cited above, the sketches can be found in :-
http://s1130.photobucket.com/albums/m536/Gyratory1/
Since GBC has proposed Bedford Road site as the location for the new bus station and if you agree that Mary Road is a better option, please do write to GBC at
planningpolicy@guildford.gov.uk
or comment accordingly on their Town Centre Masterplan consultation web form
http://www2.guildford.gov.uk/AF3/an/default.aspx/RenderForm/?F.Name=XAE4rqvx54c
Updated on 17 December 2011
