Liverpool Docks Transportation: Current Status and Suggested Improvements - Essay Example

?Liverpool Docks Transportation: Current Status and Suggested Improvements   Situated on the coast of the River Mersey, the Liverpool dock area is a very busy place for tourism. The area attracts visitors from all over the world. While the local business reported in 2004 that 58% of all tourists came from the UK, 36% of them came from abroad (Digest of Liverpool and Merseyside Tourism, 2004). Liverpool as a whole has enjoyed higher rates in revenue from tourism that that of other popular areas, such as Sefton and Wirral. In 2002, Liverpool’s revenue from tourism was ?341.52 million (Digest of Liverpool and Merseyside Tourism, 2007). It rose 9% by the following year and by 2007 it was up to ?551.85 (Digest of Tourism Statistics, 2008). The area leaders have set numerous goals for the area with the expectation that there will be continued growth. By 2015 they hope to have an annual visitor spending rate of ?2 billion, a top 100 place in the International Congress and Convention Association, 30,000 tourism supported jobs, a region that is in the top 20 European city region destinations for tourism and a 25 % growth in ‘bed nights’ (Destination Management for the visitor economy of the Liverpool City Region, 2008). A vital part of obtaining these goals is to ensure that the transportation system is convenient, affordable, comfortable and reliable for all the cities tourists and tourism supportive workers. Currently, the Liverpool dock area has a transportation system that allows tourists to access the major attractions, accommodations, and restaurants that can be found in the area. The existing transportation systems are enhanced by the fact that the businesses to which the tourist would desire access are all closely located. In many areas a tourist need but walk from one place to the next. Indeed, there are many tourists who will enjoy a short local walk through the area while they are visiting. It was reported by the Mersey Partnership that the highest number of first time tourists, 86%, came to visit Albert Dock. This tourist attraction also has experienced the highest rates of repeat visitors who came from outside the UK at 73% (Digest of Tourist Statistics, 2008). The current transportations system has been sufficient enough to allow for the growth that the area has experienced in the past. However, our company would like to ensure that the increasing volume of tourists can continue to be adequately supported as the area’s popularity grows to meet the goals of the region. We also would like to take into consideration the comfort and convenience of the Liverpool residents who work at and frequently visit the Albert Docks. A few slight modifications in schedule and capacity can be employed to optimize the already highly efficient system. As well, although the layout of the area is great in terms of business location for the tourists who do not mind walking a bit, improved accommodations for those who would prefer not to do much walking should be sought. The tourist attractions along the dock area include Tate Liverpool, The Beatles Story, Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum. As well, there are numerous restaurants in the area, including Gusto, the Blue Bar and grill, Circo, Portico and PanAm. Visitors to the area also can lodge at a number of very nearby hotels including  Perimeter Inn Albert Dock, Holiday Inn Express, Ibis Liverpool City Centre, Hilton Liverpool, and Hampton by Hilton Liverpool City Centre; just to name a few. Also there is a wealth of shopping locations that can be enjoyed by tourists such as Tate Shop, Beeartistic, Quay confectionary and Nauticalia. All of these locations also serve as employment for Merseyside residents. Map 1 features the Albert Dock area as well as some of the popular Liverpool attractions. Using the map, we can view several of the attractions and get a general idea as to their closeness. Map 1 The area is currently served by the Merseyrail, The train system that serves all of Merseyside. Two of the closest train stations to Albert Dock can be seen on the map above; Lime Street train Station and Central Train Station. Overall, the Merseyrail system boasts serving over 100,000 passengers per regular weekday by running over 800 trains a day (About Us, n.d.). Since Merseyrail is known as the most reliable system in UK, rating the highest in punctuality and customer satisfaction, there is a confidence inherent in the usage of this system to transport tourists and support tourism growth throughout Liverpool that might be lacking in other tourism focused economies. In fact, usage of the Merseyrail system may be perceived as adding to the tourist’s overall experiences. In 2002 and again in 2008, Mersey rail conducted a survey. They included both users and non users of the rail system. Their goal was to assess how the public viewed the improvements that they had made over the past five years, identify the general opinions about current services, understand the public’s priority for the train and stations, identify any reasons why the train system is not used more often, and solicit suggestions for future developments. Of those who regularly use the Merseyrail system, there were 2080 respondents to the survey. The results were that 52.6% of the respondents reported that they use the train as their transportation system for getting to work, 20.4% of the group reported just using the train to go shopping and 14.6% said that they just like to ride the trains for leisure purposes. The complete listing of the closest stations to the Albert Dock area is as follows: The Lime Street Station, the James Street Station, the Moorfield Station and the Liverpool Central Station. Map 2 shows the Merseyrail system. Map 2: Merseyrail System Map   Of the four stations nearest to the Albert Docks, the James Street Station is the closest. Passengers can reach the docks by completing a walk of about five minutes. This station underwent recent improvements in 2008 which improved its entrance and concourse. The station offers no car parking, but neither do any of the other stations that are close to the docks. However, there are cycle racks available and it is handicapped accessible. The station is only served by Wirral Line trains. Passengers coming from other areas would have to switch from either the Northern Line at Liverpool Central Station or from the City line at the Lime Street station to access the Wirral line and emerge at James Street Station. Some passengers may choose to simply walk from the Lime Street station to the Albert Dock area. This is a walk that will take them about 20 minutes to complete. This is most likely the option of those who do not want to bother with catching another train. As well, they may opt to walk from the Liverpool Central Station, that is about ten minutes away, or from the Moorefield station, which is a 15 minute walk. The position of the stations relative to the Albert Docks is demonstrated in the diagram below. None of the stations have space for car parking     Both the Moorfield Station and the Liverpool Central Station are connected to the Northern Line. The Lime Street Station is connected to the City Line. All three of the stations are connected to the Wirral Line. However, the James Street station is the only one whose sole access is for trains on the Wirral Line. Passengers who opt to use the train system to navigate their way around Liverpool and throughout Merseyside will find the train system reasonable convenient. The general hours of operation for the tourist attractions, such as the museum and the docks are in the range of from 9a.m. to 5p.m. The trains that can be used to access the area run from about 6:20 am to 12 a. m. on weekdays. On average, a train arrives at the station every 15-30 minutes. Longer wait times are usually only experienced on the weekend, when many trains are not even in service. While some tourist may find that they do not enjoy having to transfer, the option to build an expansive station that would connect all the train lines is not recommended. A project of this size would be very costly and it would be difficult to maneuver pedestrian traffic so as to avoid huge crowds and much confusion. The train stations, as they are currently situated, are sufficient for allowing access to the tourist attractions at the docks and spaced out enough to maintain a reasonable capacity at each station. The only other improvement that this firm suggests in the functioning of the train system is the extension of weekend hours. Having the trains to maintain the pace that the run through the weekend that they due throughout the week is one way that growth may be encouraged in the area, as well as throughout Merseyside. The extended hours will cause more jobs to be created, both in the transportation systems and in the surrounding businesses as more companies will follow by example and have extended hours to serve the tourists. The weekend slow-down is more a matter of tradition than it is a profitable business function. Tourists now would like to have more freedom to engage in activities and travel about at the time of their leisure. Such extended hours would make the area more welcoming and attractive. The Liverpool dock area is also served by a bus system. The nearest bus interchange to the Albert Docks, Paradise Street Interchange, is right across the street from the entrance. There is also the Queen Square Interchange, which is a 15 minute walk away and the C4 city bus, which goes from the Queen Square Interchange right to the Albert Docks. The C4 route is serviced by Cumfy Bus, an independent contractor. The buses that the company runs on this route are small and hold much less passengers that the larger city buses that are normally employed. While this company’s services have been sufficient in past years, the continued growth in tourism rates that are expected in the area may demand the usage of either much larger buses, or buses that run more frequently. The current C4 schedule calls for the bus to arrive about every 30 minutes from approximately 7:30 to about 8:30 pm. Limitations on weekend transportation can also be found in the bus schedules, which need to be adjusted for growth. \ There is one other bus system that visitors of the Albert Dock area may opt to use. This is the Liverpool City Explorer line that is ran by Maghull Coaches. The line is a sightseeing tour bus that connects some of the major tourist attractions. It features double decker buses whose top deck is roofless to allow tourists a greater view of the area. At a rate of ?7 it is more expensive than catching the local city bus, but that rate is for the whole course of the tour and there are discounted rates available for those who wish to board or exit at one of the many stops along the route. This bus primarily serves as a mode of tourist transportation; a method by which they can view and become familiar with the area. It is not as attractive for those who work in the area because of the higher rates. Yet, due to its regular running times of every 30 minutes and the scope of its route, workers in the area may opt to use the Liverpool City Explorer as their mode of transportation through the area. The map 3, found below, shows the route that the City Explorer takes. Map 3: Route Map and Attractions The Liverpool Docks will continue to grow as a popular tourist area as it has in the past. Businesses such as hotels, restaurants, bars, shops, and museums are so closely woven into the area that a tourist can find what they are looking for without having to do extensive traveling. It is possible for an overseas guest to come to the area and not need to make use of any further transportation systems once they arrive. For those who do wish to use transportation, the area features a nice variety of systems from which they may choose. The system that is currently in existence has been sufficient enough to support the growth in tourist population volume that the area has experienced over the past five years. Not many improvements need to be made. However, it is recommended that considerations be made for the future growth that is projected by adjusting the schedules to include more night and weekend hours. As well, the bus system should be upgraded to have a larger capacity of passengers. Overall, the system is highly rated and will most likely experience success in the future. Works Cited About Us. Merseyrail. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 July 2011. . Destination Management Plan for the Visitor Economy of the Liverpool City Region 2008-11. The Mersey Partnership. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 July 2011. . Digest of Liverpool and Merseyside Tourism. The Mersey Partnership. N.p., May 2008.Web. 19 July 2011. Digest of Liverpool and Merseyside Tourism The Mersey Partnership. N.p., Oct. 2007Web. 19 July 2011. . Digest of Liverpool and Merseyside Tourism. The Mersey Partnership. N.p., Oct. 2004. Web. 18 July 2011. . Liverpool. Map. "Travel to Liverpool: What to Do & See in Liverpool- American Express." American Express Travel Planning - Travel Guides & Vacation Planning. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 July 2011. http://www.amextravelplanning.com/destinations/liverpool#/map/static Merseyside Maritime Museum. Liverpool Museums. National Museums Liverpool, n.d. Web. 18 July 2011. .\ Route Map and Attractions. City Explorer and Your Ticket to Liverpool. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 July 2011. . Read More