Routes 315 & 316 - Simply No Go?

User views on the loss of a vital bus service

Buses 315/316 provided a service between North Shields town centre and the New York and Moor Park areas, following a circular route (315 anti-clockwise, 316 clockwise). The service was changed in 2001. Less than 2 years later, the service disappeared completely. Both the change to the route and its subsequent expiry have caused severe problems for the communities affected.

The Moor Park Explore Club Route Assessor Report explicitly called for reinstatement of the old route. According to members of the local community, no consultation was undertaken by the bus operator prior to the decision to abolish the service completely. This seems to be a direct 'slap in the face' to the service users in the community, whose clearly expressed needs have been ignored.

Original 315/316 Service (italics show parts of route lost)		Changed service, from September 2001 (bold text shows new parts of route)
Morwick Road Devon Road Rake Lane New York Westminster Avenue Norham Road North Norham Road South Verne Road Balkwell Avenue Avon Avenue Waterville Road Coach Lane Prudhoe Street Saville Street Rudyard Street Bedford Street (North Shields town centre)		Morwick Road Devon Road Rake Lane Beach Road Broadway (Tynemouth) North Shields town centre

Mrs Betty Craig and Mrs Lilian McCann, two members of Moor Park Community Centre examine how members of their local communities have been adversely affected by the change to and subsequent loss of the service.

North Tyneside's Civic Mayor, John Carter, and his wife, Sandie, in discussion with Margaret Wright and Steve Little about transport issues affecting the local community. The Civic Mayor had been at Moor Park to witness children from New York Primary School participating in a 'community clean-up day' locally.

Issues voiced

Various members of the local community expressed their views on the change/ abolition of the services:

• loss of access to vital services, including doctors, shops, community centres, churches
• loss of access between neighbourhoods, eg for visiting relatives, friends etc
• more difficulty in accessing range of shops to take advantage of competitive pricing
• need to take 2 or more bus routes to reach destinations previously accessible by one route, resulting in greater costs in terms of money and time
• having to take longer section on circular route in order to avoid having to cross busy road
• less active lifestyle for many pensioners, now unable to make use of a route that previously enabled access to key services.

  See also 'Inclined to exclude?', a virtual journey around North Shields town centre showing how the location of bus routes and stops works against social inclusion for those with limited mobility.

  This page has been produced as part of the Odyssey Group Workshop 2003, as a contribution to an online symposium on ageing in the community. Comments are welcome via the Guestbook.

  Moor Park Explore Club was set up in 2001 to enable the local communities in the North Tyneside area to voice their experiences of public transport in the area. This forms part of the North East Action on Transport network.

  page last amended 17th July 2003