Lincoln City Bus Station Open Day
Open Day at the soon to be open state-of-the-art bus station.
What is claimed to be a state-of-the-art bus station, it has automatic doors and a few display screens, part of a so-called Transport Hub linked to Lincoln Central Station.
A very cold day, barely above freezing and yet colder inside the bus station than outside.
The new bus station resembles a regional airport terminal building, absent the Duty Free and same shops find in any shopping centre.
Two Jobsworth from Lincoln City Council manning an Information Desk, did not know the cost of the bus station. Figures of £12 million have been bandied about. Although after several minutes looking on-line, they were able to give a figure of £30 million for bus station, car park and cosmetic changes to the railway station. This figure has been widely reported in the media, why did they not know?
A new road currently runs between bus and train station. Work having been done, this will be paved over and made pedestrian between bus and train station.
Pedestrianised as the farce in the town centre, where heavy lorries are allowed through after four in the afternoon, but take no notice of any restrictions and drive through before four as no enforcement?
The empty windswept plaza outside the train station has far fewer parking places for pick up and drop off than before, probably less than a quarter. Our helpful jobsworth could see nothing wrong with this.
There was no information at the Information Desk. Not even timetables.
The only bus timetable information was in a cardboard box by one of the bays, no one had troubled to place in racks. This information was a simple leaflet telling what routes if any had timetable changes, but no actual timetables.
Automatic doors open to allow passenger to board or disembark from their bus. This is going to be fun when it goes wrong.
A barrier acts as a deterrent to terrorists hijacking a bus and driving into the terminal building. Or maybe a safeguard if a driver goes crazy.
A state-of-the art bus station that lacks wifi.
Elsewhere in the country, not only do the buses have wifi, they have usb charging points.
Toilets on the first floor. Cheap and tacky. Will not withstand the wear and tear of a bus station.
It is not acceptable to have to pay 20p to use the toilet.
A so-called Transport Hub that lacks direct trains to either London or York. There should be direct trains on the hour every hour.
This is claimed to be part of a regeneration project. Why is it that local Town Halls always claim urban destruction to be regeneration? The same number of people will be travelling every day by bus and train. How is this regeneration?
The City Council in bed with the Coop, has destroyed Sincil Street, a once thriving street of independent thriving local family business.
Integral to the bus station a coffee shop, Grand Coffee House.
Work is still ongoing, heavy machinery at work.
The old bus station was a disgrace, demolition a step in the right direction.
Easier access between bus and train also an improvement.
All we now need is a reliable bus services, buses that run on time.
The irony is most passengers seem to prefer the temporary bus station the other side of the railway tracks. Quick access into and out of town, quick access into the High Street through a narrow alleyway or over the railway bridge into Sincil Street.
