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Bus provision for Woodbrook (Brokerstown) urban extension, Lisburn, Northern Ireland

Bus provision for Woodbrook (Brokerstown) urban extension, Lisburn, Northern Ireland

The developer of the urban extension west of Lisburn (Carvill Group) was keen to get a good quality bus service in place, in order to avoid car dependence among the new residents. The existing bus service running near to the site was circuitous and with limited hours of operation. The aim was to improve the service in order to attract sufficient new custom to support a better service. It would require "pump priming" funding, which the developer was willing to provide (at least in part), but also a commitment to growing the customer base in the longer term. The operator (Translink) aspirations appeared to be constrained by short term financial considerations, and only a rudimentary service had started by December 2010. By 2021 a regular service to Woodbrook (Wood Brook on the timetable) ran hourly Mondays-Fridays and two-hourly on Saturdays. There was no Sunday service. A further 2 hourly service operated along Ballinderry Road at the southern end of Woodbrook.

It is important that public transport of sufficient quality to attract car owners is provided before residents move in. The mechanism to achieve this was not available at Woodbrook. The service provided is unlikely to tempt people away from their car, especially as the service finishes by 6pm.

Attempts were made to forecast the likely passenger demand, using different methods: see pdf.

LocationLisburn Northern Ireland
Date(s)2009
Client(s)Carvill Group, Belfast
Team(s)Tim Pharoah

keywords

Bus planning, public transport, Northern Ireland, urban extension, residential development, pump priming, Woodbrook, Brokerstown