Consultation - Bus route changes through Acocks Green

CENTRO/Network West Midlands are reviewing some of the bus routes that currently operate through Acocks Green. You can find full details of their proposals affecting all routes here, but in summary, here are the ones around Acocks Green:

2/3 - City Centre - Yardley Wood - Warstock - Maypole - Shirley - Acocks Green
Problem/Idea: It has been suggested that instead of travelling into the City Centre via the Stratford Road, one or both of these routes should operate via Wake Green Road
Options: Either or both services could operate on a changed route via Moseley. Replacement local services would then operate between the City Centre, Stoney Lane, Showell Green Lane and Sparkhill. Route changes between the City Centre and Sparkhill.

3 - City Centre - Yardley Wood - Slade Lane - Gospel Oak - Acocks Green
Problem/Idea: Only a small number of people travel to Acocks Green on this service and it only touches the edge of the shopping area in Shirley
Options: Change the route so that the 3 serves more of Shirley High Street instead of Acocks Green. The route could then serve the Green Business Park (off Dog Kennel Lane) or extend to Solihull. By making this change to the 3, they could introduce a new express bus service between Shirley, Gospel Oak, Acocks Green and the City Centre. This route could be operated via Yardley Road and then the Small Heath Highway. Alternatives would be via Kings Road or Golden Hillock Road.

31/31A - City Centre - Stratford Road - Acocks Green - Shirley/Solihull
Problem/Idea: They are looking an option to change these services so that all buses operate through to Solihull - every 15 minutes during the day.
Options: Would it be better for all buses to operate via Stratford Road between Robin Hood Island and Shirley (like the 31A) or via Streetsbrook Road and Olton Road (like the 31). We would also like to know whether our customers would like a faster service between Gospel Oak and Birmingham City Centre.

If you have views on this, you can either submit them through the web page; by email or by attending one of the exhibitions:

Sat 2 November 9am - 3pm - High Street, Birmingham city centre

Tuesday 12 November 12pm - 6pm - by Marks and Spencer in Solihull town centre

The consultation ends on the 15 November 2013 and any agreed changes are likely to start in February 2014.

Feel free to copy me in on your views too. A little more detail would be helpful, but the implication of these proposals is that 3 would cease to serve Acocks Green, but that a new route would be created running from Shirley, past the Gospel Oak, through Acocks Green and on to the City Centre on a fast route.