Macclesfield’s streets have been getting dug up again and it’s a reminder of what was going on around this time last year when traffic light renewal was under way. About that time, there seemed to be some gas works ongoing too and it is gas mains renewals that are causing the disruption at the moment. The powers that be seem to have focussed their attention around the roundabout at the intersection of Churchill Way and Cumberland Street/Hibel Road. So far, that doesn’t seem to having much effect on the buses that I use though services to Kerridge (the bus used for that service now displays its destination and the vehicle has gained a cherished registration mark too; what was wrong with the standard issue 54 one?), Bollington and Upton Priory surely can’t have escaped the build up of traffic caused by temporary traffic lights. Of course, it would be best if this sort of thing went away for a while but that might be why signs have appeared about a few weeks work lasting for eighty years afterwards. Only time can tell if that promise comes to pass with the rigid plastic pipes that they seem to be using.
Tag Archives: 4
Gas works
Posted on March 5, 2010 in Happenings, News, Observations
Tags: 10, 11, 4, Arriva, Bollington, Buses, Cheshire, England, Kerridge, Macclesfield, Road Works, Timetables, Traffic, Upton Priory
Still waiting on complete clearance
Heavy rain might have been visiting Macclesfield this morning but bus travellers between Macclesfield and Buxton still are being diverted around by Whaley Bridge. Of course, what is rain at lower levels can become sleet and snow up higher on those hills. With that there was last night, you wouldn’t have imagined that heavy rain lay ahead but such is the British weather that big changes like that often happen quickly. What does take a while is the melting of any ice that has formed and the rain only makes it more slippery in the interim period. The result is that I have tended to walk on the carriageway where the footway looks very suspect. Speaking of roads, buses are able to travel and the usual complement of buses serving routes 4, 10, 11, 21, 27 and 130 were out and about. So, while the snow hasn’t departed us yet, milder (and wetter) weather lies ahead. Quite where all the water locked up in snow and ice is going to go is anyone’s guess but rivers and streams could get very full and the next complaint that we get to hear could be about flooding. Well, there’s always something but we have little choice but to get through it.
Posted on January 15, 2010 in Buses, News, Observations, Timetables
Tags: 10, 11, 130, 21, 27, 4, Bollington, Buxton, Cheshire, Derbyshire, England, Kerridge, Knutsford, Macclesfield, Manchester
Calming down?
Yesterday proved to be a very busy day on this part of the web with the site statistics showing it was the busiest day that it ever had. In contrast, it is a much quieter place this morning with visitor numbers being more usual. It would seem that the same could be said for buses around Macclesfield. There was a very late 130 but that can happen on any day with Knutsford, Bollington and Macclesfield town services being out and about. Only for the snow that was on the ground in places and the need to clear and grit some areas, it could have been any other day. Of course, another dump of snow could change things and the A537 between Macclesfield and Buxton remains shut, resulting in a diverted service 58 (it’s not the only alteration to Bowers services in Derbyshire). A weekend foray into the hills remains tempting but transport considerations come into play as does the need for items like snowshoes. We’ll see what comes next.
Update @15:40: Service 58 between Buxton and Macclesfield now seems to be running as usual so the A537 must have been cleared to facilitate this.
Posted on January 8, 2010 in Buses, Happenings, News, Observations, Site news, Timetables, Trains
Tags: 10, 130, 27, 4, 58, Bollington, Buxton, Cheshire, Derbyshire, England, Knutsford, Macclesfield, Manchester
Subject to delay
From what I have seen this morning, buses are running around Macclesfield though there are delays. For one thing, I had a longer than expected wait for my bus to work but the 130 (Manchester) is running as are the 4 (Upton Priory), 10 (Bollington), 11 (Kerridge) and 27 (Knutsford). All of them were sighted around Churchill Way while I was waiting. As I write this, fog is cutting down on visibility and the air is cold enough to freeze the ears off you but you can move about with a spot of due care and attention. Saying that, it seems that the A537 between Macclesfield and Buxton is impassable with the 58 being redirected to connect with the 60 at Whaley Bridge, even though the road around by Kettleshulme and Rainow has its own problems according to the information that I have.
Update 1: You’ll find updates on Bowers bus services and the same for other Centrebus operations on Twitter and Facebook. Seeing the effectiveness of this, it might be an idea for Arriva to do the same with the current sluggishness of their bus company website. Being a multi-regional operator means that they are under siege from all directions when we the sort of weather than we are having.
Update 2: On the way home, things seem to be going like the sort of weekday with no snow about. Yes, there were delays with the 130 but the 27 ran near enough to time so travelling was no ordeal.
Posted on January 7, 2010 in Buses, Happenings, News, Timetables
Tags: 10, 11, 130, 27, 4, A537, Arriva, Bollington, Bostocks, Bowers, Buses, Buxton, Cheshire, Delays, Derbyshire, England, Kettleshulme, Knutsford, Macclesfield, Manchester, Rainow, Road Conditions, Weather
More snow
East Cheshire got a deep blanketting of snow overnight and that’s on top of what was there already. Bowers seem to be unable to travel again so there is no 27 or any other of their Cheshire bus services. Macclesfield town services seem to be running with my spotting the 4 and the 10 going about and the 130 is running on some sort of timetable. Cheshire East Council is pulling out its gritting lorries and snow ploughs so there is some chance of road clearance after the amount of snow that I have never seen falling in Macclesfield before. The cold white spell continues and we’ll just have to deal with it for as long as it is around. It might be a good idea to use more appropriate than the shoes that most use on a daily basis; speaking for myself, I have pulled out hillwalking boots for going to and from work with shoes being carried rather than worn.
A Word of Warning: The Real Time Bus Tracker is not so hot when it comes to missing out cancelled bus services. The 27 isn’t running between Macclesfield and Knutsford but bus services are still being shown on there. Well, I suppose that there’s alway room for improvement with everything. Saying that, it would be better if folk weren’t being mislead…
Posted on January 5, 2010 in Buses, Happenings, Journeys, News, Timetables
Tags: 10, 130, 27, 4, Arriva, Bollington, Bowers, Cheshire, England, Knutsford, Macclesfield, Manchester, Road Conditions, Road Safety, Weather