Service Changes 4 March

Service 7 will run via Mythop Road once more from 4 March. Here Excel 214 heads to Saltcotes Road along Mythop Road on 7 March 2005

Sunday 4th March sees some minor service changes. The objective appears to be to achieve further efficiencies and a two bus saving has been deduced from the timetables. More interesting is the apparent interworking of services, especially in the evening.

According to the timetables and maps on Traveline, three route changes take place:

• Service 7 will now run via Station Road and Mythop Road between Lytham Square and Saltcotes Road
• Service 11 will continue from East Beach terminus via Preston Road to Saltcotes Road and return from there to Lytham Hospital and as now via Warton Street to Lytham Square
• Service 14 will serve Langdale Road in both directions in Mereside.

It is understood that the 7 and 11 were interwork at Saltcotes Road with a roster of 21 vehicles, saving one on the current allocation. This will bring back memories of Fylde's complex network to Saltcotes Road in the 1970s when buses either ran out via Mythop Road an in via the Hospital or vice versa but usually changed route number at Saltcotes Road. This ended in 1982 when the installation of a mini roundabout allowed buses to turn round in the mouth of Saltcotes Road/Mythop Road junction and Mythop Road itself was no longer served. This was addressed in 1985 with local route 4, and from deregulation by service 165 (Lytham to Preston) which later became the 167 and today's 68. The 7 served Mythop Road from November 2004 until February 2010 when the 68 replaced it.

With the 7, 11 and 68 all serving Saltcotes Road every 15 minutes, this will provide 12 buses per hour from there to Lytham Square.

Also changing are the times on route 1, which is accelerated between Starr Gate and North Pier and will now require seven buses. Unfortunately the evening departures from Fleetwood continue to be exactly the same as those of route 14. The 14 itself has minor timing changes.

Route 9 is also retimed with the Sunday service reduced to every 30 minutes and this appears to interwork with route 7 at Cleveleys Bus Station.