Do you use buses
- Thread starter jaysay
- Start date
They are just too expensive. To the degree where the train is actually cheaper if you are staying local and even slightly further a field a taxi is cheaper for more than one of you.
I will get barracked for this but perhaps a way to offset fare rises would be a set fee for bus pass users, perhaps a £1 or 50p a journey, as these form the basis of bus users these days.
I understand the objections there would be to this, after all many have worked hard to earn the aforementioned pass but the other day I had to pay £5.60 for a single from Clitheroe to Burnley. £5.60 for a single bus journey!! Grating when you're the only person on the bus actually paying.
Bearing this in mind, 50p or £1 to go on day excursions to Skipton, Chorley etc is still excellent value.
There is no value in bus travel unless you are on your own and use them all the time. A new bus station is not needed. What is needed is the rent of shops on Broadway and in the Arndale to come down to attract investment and allow local companies to have premises in the town.
I will get barracked for this but perhaps a way to offset fare rises would be a set fee for bus pass users, perhaps a £1 or 50p a journey, as these form the basis of bus users these days.
I understand the objections there would be to this, after all many have worked hard to earn the aforementioned pass but the other day I had to pay £5.60 for a single from Clitheroe to Burnley. £5.60 for a single bus journey!! Grating when you're the only person on the bus actually paying.
Bearing this in mind, 50p or £1 to go on day excursions to Skipton, Chorley etc is still excellent value.
There is no value in bus travel unless you are on your own and use them all the time. A new bus station is not needed. What is needed is the rent of shops on Broadway and in the Arndale to come down to attract investment and allow local companies to have premises in the town.
I would also add that lovely as Burnley's recent multi-million pound bus station is ....it hasn't really halted the borough's continuing decline into one of the country's poorest regions.
Obviously I'm slightly biased in my objection to the bus station, but you really are widdling in the wind if you think anybody is listening
I have a bus pass, but I would be willing to pay a pound for a journey....and I think most bus pass users would be willing to pay something.
Never use them they cost to much for what they are. I can get a taxi from clayton to ossy for 4 pound straight from my door to my friends door. On a bus it might not be as much im not sure but it would involve going to hare n hounds bus stop waiting then going all way into accrington centre waiting there then off to ossy to eventually end up on thwaites road.
As i said im not sure on todays prices because there is no chance im getting on one so i dont check. Last time i got one i was sat there thinking 'i could have spend 2 quid more and been there by now but im sat here not even a third of the way there' and in my spare time i looked around the buss to have a quick look at how many people were on the bus and thought 'how have i been charged so much when theres 20 people on here it should be cheaper because it can carry so much more than a taxi'
As i said im not sure on todays prices because there is no chance im getting on one so i dont check. Last time i got one i was sat there thinking 'i could have spend 2 quid more and been there by now but im sat here not even a third of the way there' and in my spare time i looked around the buss to have a quick look at how many people were on the bus and thought 'how have i been charged so much when theres 20 people on here it should be cheaper because it can carry so much more than a taxi'
Last edited:
I use the bus regularly, not much choice as I don't drive. Spot on are expensive but you can get a weekly pass, mine is £9:40 for the week, so a damn sight cheaper than paying daily. Bus station doesn't need moving, it will be to far from the market for anybody with a lot of shopping plus there are hardly any shops where it is going to be sited. Complete waste of money IMHO
there are bus stops on blackburn road you just cant see them because of all the taxis etc parked over them
I'm not in Accrington, but I did the poll anyway.
I've used a bus 3 times in the last year-when I'd stayed at somebody's house unexpectedly, twice to get back to where my car was parked-and another time to get to the next town. I usually drive or get taxis.
I do think buses work out expensive for what they are and it's a shame. I much prefer travelling on buses compared to trains, I don't like train stations and find trains uncomfortable.
I've used a bus 3 times in the last year-when I'd stayed at somebody's house unexpectedly, twice to get back to where my car was parked-and another time to get to the next town. I usually drive or get taxis.
I do think buses work out expensive for what they are and it's a shame. I much prefer travelling on buses compared to trains, I don't like train stations and find trains uncomfortable.
At one time Burnley had a good lively town centre and a first class market, just like Accy, to me the only town that still has that pull in this area is Bury from what I hear, with them still having a thriving market
Burnley is still a good town centre and the inside market is thriving. Agree about the outside market, was one of the best around, now nosedived in to oblivion
Well didn't know what it was like nowadays Dave but in the 70s it was brilliant, used to go to the Broad Swords every lunchtime then a look round the shops and market, sad that the Market has gone the way of lots of others
I agree with Post 15 - Jay has got it spot on. Bury Market, inside & outside is always busy and good value - many things cheaper than the supermarkets and a pleasant attitude from the stallholders, no bad smells in the meat and fish market, a pleasure to shop there.
In addition they have built the mall type complex adjacent to the market, all in all a well thought out, carefully planned complex, yet still retaining the atmosphere that I remember from long ago.
Accrington - well the Market Hall is still there despite the councils attempts to improve it, but what a pale shadow of what it was. The outside market, well, I ask the question - Is it as good as it was before the Wilkinson/JJB etc complex was built?
I used to look forward to visiting the market on my infrequent visits back home, but now a visit to town - usually a couple of times a week, I am sorry to say that the market only receives a cursory glance.
Could the council (whichever colour), not have sought advice and guidance from people who have experience in running and promoting a successful market area?
In addition they have built the mall type complex adjacent to the market, all in all a well thought out, carefully planned complex, yet still retaining the atmosphere that I remember from long ago.
Accrington - well the Market Hall is still there despite the councils attempts to improve it, but what a pale shadow of what it was. The outside market, well, I ask the question - Is it as good as it was before the Wilkinson/JJB etc complex was built?
I used to look forward to visiting the market on my infrequent visits back home, but now a visit to town - usually a couple of times a week, I am sorry to say that the market only receives a cursory glance.
Could the council (whichever colour), not have sought advice and guidance from people who have experience in running and promoting a successful market area?
That's 40 years ago, if people wanted to shop in markets still they would all be as busy as they used to be.
It's not just shopping habits that have changed, peoples whole lifestyles have changed.
Looking at the shops in Accrington will tell you what the shop owners think about Accrington shoppers. Its all charity and pound shops - that says to me that the big shops know there is not much money in Accrington so they stay away or pull out and blame things on the high rents in the Arndale etc because they don't want to say they can't make money out of the shoppers Accrington attracts.
Its ok for our retired members to keep saying Accrington used to be busy and the Council should attract more big names but it wont ever happen. Younger people like to shop for their day to day things in Asda/Tesco etc, many of them do it online in the evening while the kids are in bed to fit in with their lifestyle.
Even someone of my age (43 before you ask) likes to pop over to the Trafford Centre with my wife in the evening after work, do a little shopping, have something to eat and a bit of peace and quiet from the kids.
All town centres are fighting to stay alive, smaller ones will disappear which will in turn help out the larger ones.
Accrington will in my opinion disappear and you will have to catch the bus to Blackburn to do you shopping. Accrington cannot support a big shopping centre and must shrink to fit the shops, if it doesn't I think the decline will be even faster. Empty shops looking a mess with put off many shoppers and they will start to go elsewhere sooner. Less people means less trade so more shops will close sooner.
I am sure the Council know what is happening and that they can't stop it. Blocking plans to expand retails parks wont help, they will just build one outside of Hyndburn. The Council have no money to redevelop the town, they can't persuade shops to move and redevelop the empty areas and that is what is needed. I don't suppose it helps that many of our Councillors fit into the older and retired bracket either.
Sorry for the long rant
We go to Bury as well, they were big enough to get the investors to revamp the centre, they are now pulling shoppers from Accrington as they have shops that Accrington never will have.
Blackburn's extension to the Mall and the other work is their attempt to stop the shoppers disappearing somewhere else, it is also a nail in Accringtons coffin.