In the lead up to the opening of the upgraded tramway in 2009, the trams played second fiddle to the number 1 bus service for much of
the time. This was a common sight, a number 1 bus loading up at North Pier and delaying the tram service in the process. The cynic in
me would suggest that this was done on purpose and the subsequent delays, turning short of trams and consequent reduction in the
number of trams serving the outer ends of the tramway was probably seen by the public as the fault of those old unreliable trams, which
would of course be solved by the introduction of new ultra-reliable trams. Of course, what actually solved this problem was the seggregation
of the tramway from the road here, and the introduction of signalled crossings elsewhere. So here we have the bizzare situation of a 622
647 being held up by a number 1 bus, which of course is operated by the same company as the trams.
Date: 11 April 2009
Manipulation Notes: None