Agenda item

SB raised with the forum the two key issues which have come up often in discussions around the new bus interchange; namely the size and the location of the bus station. SB assured that the current Northgate site however is the best possible solution out of the proposed sites for the future bus station. Furthermore, it will be a brighter and more modern space compared the Grey friars.

SB described the way that the routes will work:

-       Any buses going to the South will depart from the eastern side of the Drapery.

-       Any buses going to the West will depart from the west side of the Drapery.

-       Leicester, Peterborough, Kettering and Bedford buses will be departing from the interchange

-       Milton Keynes buses will depart from the drapery.

SB stated that there are difficulties with the Northampton road system when moving from East to West. In the short term, some routes have been planned to approach the Drapery via the town hall. This may face problems with unloading vehicles on that road, however this has been discussed with NCC and a solution for the long term is being sought. 

The decision of where buses would depart from was ultimately a decision made by NCC. There is a geographical basis to the decision, and furthermore the split of bays has been down to discussions around queuing space, size of vehicle and the times of services for maximum utilisation. It has been ensured that, as far as possible, only one operator is on each bay, but similar routes have been grouped together.

Long distance coaches will now be departing from Victoria Street as there is not room for the coaches in the interchange. Furthermore, up until now National Express tickets have been available from the Travel Centre in Greyfriars. National Express tickets will not be available to buy from the new travel information kiosk in Northgate, but National Express are making arrangements for these to be sold elsewhere.

In order to ensure there is not overcrowding in the Northgate and the Drapery, there will be a maximum of 8 buses departing from a bay every hour. One bay does have 9 – but this is the exception, and most bays have much less. Some areas of the station have larger queuing space than other areas, so where possible Stagecoach have tried to place the services appropriately again to avoid overcrowding.

Action: SB agreed to send AM the interior and exterior plans for bus locations to be circulated to the forum.

A forum member raised that the pedestrian crossings outside Northgate could create congestion due to the huge amount of traffic that will be going through. SB said that it is appreciated that the area will be slow for buses to get through.

There is no route where there has been a reduction in frequency as a result of the new bus interchange. The only changed to the frequency of services are actually improvements.

A Forum member asked for clarification over the figure of 25 years which was given to the site as to whether this was a 25 year lease. SB advised that operators were not aware of a 25 year limit on the lease or any fixed time period on the use of the station, and that this was possibly the estimated amount of years until some refurbishment is needed.

The forum discussed the future housing developments proposed by Daventry District Council, and how this may impact on bus services and infrastructure. Cllr. Oldham told the forum that the joint strategic plan between DDC and SNC is not supported by NBC and NCC. Not a point where the detail can be discussed, however there is still a consultation process going on. SB advised the forum that in order to adapt to growth and demand, Northgate still has more space for utilisation, and that not all 22 bays are to their full capacity. Furthermore, Stagecoach has timetable reviews every 18 months – 3 years in order to adapt for growing congestion.

Facilities within Northgate include a convenience store, a travel information kiosk run by Stagecoach, a small open plan café facility and toilet facilities.

Communication – the forum asked that information and updates are made available for those that don’t have computer access. SB advised that Stagecoach are producing leaflets and timetables to give out to passengers, and that notices will be put on buses.

NB – it was advised that if there are any concerns with the bus shelters and bays around the town, that these need to be fed back directly to NCC.