Delayed 216s

Ok Remember that these roadworks are both ways and add so much time to service in peak times.
This first picture is the Junction of Great Ancoats Street and Old Mill Street. In the evening traffic is backed up to Oldham Road because of this bottle nect. You normally get through these roadworks when you are supposed to be leaving Manchester City Stadium

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Just afer you turn onto Every street you are hit with these lights. This too is backed up to Great Anoacts street at peak times and normally costs another 3-4 minutes. By now the bus should probably be at Edge Lane.

Lets not forget why we are driving up and down this road.. This is the bus stop at the botom of  North road.
On some mornings there can be 20-25 people at both these bus stops. On a Monday morning this can add considerable time due to it being the main day for megariders being issued. We would never moan about having a busy bus but this does add time to the journey

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This is the next set of roadworks. 3 minutes are lost here if you missed the lights. This is a long stretch and is at the Junction of Canberra Street and Ashton New Road. By now the bus Should be in Droylsden.

 Further up the road is the roadwarks outside Aldi. Currently no lights, However!! They tend to put some on and narrow it now and again depending on what they are doing that day. Without the lights Speed is reduced to approx 15-20 due to the width reduction.

These Three show the farce that is the junstion with Edge Lane. Pic 2 shows a waggon getting stuck on the right turn which is the middle section of the chicane. Doesnt help with cars parking on the corner slowing everyone down. Last weekend 4 way lights were put up here causing delays of up to 5 minutes. When you come through here the bus should prob be passing Snipe Retail.

 These two are more narrowed roads which have both seen lights on in the past few weeks. These are outside the Buxton and the Jolly Carter Pubs.

 

Crazy Woman time!! Ok for the time being lets imagine the car parked in the middle of the Droylsden main bus stop is a bus. The second you pull up people cannot wait to get round you and cut you up. I have had to be over generous with the brakes on a few occasions here because of cars being in the right turn lane and cutting in front. This is also one of the busiest stops on the route. You can lose a good 5 minutes unloading and loading passengers here. Then you have to battle to get out of the stop and through the lights without getting flashed by that camera. We have had many drivers given tickets here because of that camera. Mainly at very low speed. This is because as the bus sets off you get to a point of no return. Either you slam on or try to power out of it before it goes red. Its a tough call here and you have to be very cautious. None of our people ever deliberatly go through on red but because the bus has just set off you are still going through after is changes at low speed.
Ok!! Crazy woman didnt like me taking a picture of her car sitting somewhere it shouldnt.
As i was passing Ryecroft the car came along side very closly and this mad lady asked me why i took a picture of her car. I giggled to myself and carried on riding. She carried on shouting abuse at me along side me so i giggled a little more at her and i stopped. She decided that shouting was the limit today and drove off.


So there you go thats the 216 problem areas. Lets not forget Snipe retail on a Weekend when there are queues to get in or the large amount of people that use the service. All in all though its a great well run frequent bus service that works well. Little miss or Mr Moany arse in the Tameside advertiser is welcome to get the 219 instead. but until the bus grows wings or the tram is finished, this is how it is.