Bristol's transport system working? Transport chief says we're making progress

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Bristol Post:

Is Bristol's transport system working? Transport chief Peter Mann says we're making progress

The last five years have been a turbulent time for Bristol's roads and railways. But the man attempting to steer us through all the arguments, train delays and roadworks thinks he has made good progress.

No, it's not our famous mayor, it's Bristol City Council's transport services director, Peter Mann.

It has been five years since the council advertised his job ^89,205 a year for a person with enough vision to solve Bristol's congestion problems, commanding a budget of millions of pounds.

Today is he defending the changes he has made to the roads, and he said his biggest concern is the controversial Metrobus.

The ^200 million scheme will see a bus service running from Avonmouth to Temple Meads. It has been slammed for costing too much money and slicing through prime allotments.

But Mr Mann's message is that now the decision has been made, people need to accept it - and work is due to start within weeks.

He said: "If we want to see a city that is growing in a sustainable way, we have to invest in our infrastructure. As with everything, there will be benefits and sacrifices, but the greater good of the scheme far outweighs the pain we'll have to go through to get there. Yes , it's not a tram and it's not heavy railway, but this scheme has merit under its own right. The Metrobus is where most of my energies are being directed at the moment because it is such a big project."

And on the subject of local rail stations, he is enthusiastic. But he issued a warning that with the coming of electrified tracks into Temple Meads, there will be limited space for extra services in that area.

Electrified tracks will mean double the number of trains to other cities ^ which could squeeze out local services.

He said: "Temple Meads to Filton is currently two tracks, and there is a commitment to make that four. When that happens, the local services will be able to operate alongside inter-city services."

The real controversy in our residential streets in the past five years is the continued roll-out of RPZs. Mr Mann admitted they were part of a "carrot and stick" policy, and when faced with the accusation that the council has not consulted homeowners and traders adequately, he was defensive.

He said: "I am aware that people who don't support schemes will claim they have not been consulted effectively. We have bent over backwards to talk to people, and we have done way more than we are legally required to do."

Unreliable buses are another common complaint. Mr Mann said he cannot force companies to put on more services, but a code of conduct has just been signed by various companies which should avoid roadworks being undertaken all at the same time in future.

He said: "I manage roadworks and bus lanes to keep things on time as much as possible."

[Oberon]

Bristol is a classic urban environment that would hugely benefit from modern rapid transit technology instead of buses, electric buses and endless cycle lanes. Not to mention commuter generated road traffic, of course. It is not a happy thing to say but if Bristol was in Germany or the Netherlands it would be treated with more respect by governments, then the hapless bloke in charge of it all wouldn't have to justify himself in the manner quoted..sigh

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks very much for posting, Oberon - and welcome to the Coffee Shop forum. 

[Red Squirrel]

Welcome, Oberon!

I think we're more or less unanimous here in agreeing that Bristol needs better public transport; most of us (I think it's fair to say) would like to see more of it run on steel rails. Interesting though that you should mention:

...endless cycle lanes.

Like many British cities, Bristol is struggling to reverse decades of planning policy which put motorism in first, second and third place and left what we would now call 'sustainable alternatives' far behind - if they were considered at all. That process is now, happily, being reversed - but there are many battles to be fought, and we can't expect everything to go the way we'd like (Metrobus, anyone?). However one area where things are shaping up pretty well is cycling policy - and the demographics auger well, as this article confirms: http://www.bristol247.com/2014/07/30/majority-bristol-commuters-40-leave-car-behind-61765/

Incidentally, if the cycle lanes were endless I for one would be very happy; sadly a lot of them end in silly places at the moment - but there are real signs now that a sustained modest investment is transforming Bristol into a much more cycle-friendly city.

[Richard Fairhurst]

Exactly that. If "Bristol was in Germany or the Netherlands" then there'd be many more cycle lanes than there are now!

[stuving]

Exactly that. If "Bristol was in Germany or the Netherlands" then there'd be many more cycle lanes than there are now!

Though of course if Bristol was in the Netherlands cycling would never have dropped to such a low level post-war, because it would have been much less hilly.

[Red Squirrel]

Exactly that. If "Bristol was in Germany or the Netherlands" then there'd be many more cycle lanes than there are now!

Though of course if Bristol was in the Netherlands cycling would never have dropped to such a low level post-war, because it would have been much less hilly.

I think the effect of hills is overstated. What had far more impact was the effective 'designing out' of cycling as an option - the removal of the cycle paths on the A38 at Filton when the dual carriageway was built, and the initial prohibition of cycling on the Spine Road viaduct are just two of very many examples I could list. It has always been possible to avoid most of the hills, and even in the days when 'gears' meant 'Sturmey Archer 3-speed' you could always push your bike as a last resort.

Nowadays, with 27-speed derailleurs and electric bikes, hills come very close to being an irrelevance.

[trainer]

Nowadays, with 27-speed derailleurs and electric bikes, hills come very close to being an irrelevance.

Not to some of us, I fear!

As I have noted before, the main problem in comparing the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) with most of the rest of Europe in regards to cycling, is simply space.  We do not have the streets with the widths so often seen 'over there' and we have very dense populations in our cities.  Cycle lanes are not compatible with bus lanes (and vice-verse) but we insist on putting them together because, on paper, they look good.

The 'war' on the private car sometimes ignores essential travel needs (those with limited personal mobility, for example) and the half-baked public transport plans satisfy only partially, often only during mainstream working hours.  Getting a realistic grip on what mostpeople will actually leave their car for is essential. IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion) the LRT's of other major cities combined with imaginative and complementary ordinary bus services prove beyond doubt that space can be freed up for pedestrians and cyclists and lure many car-loving people into foregoing their vehicles for at least part of the journey.

Is Bristol getting there?  The jury is out and may be stuck in a traffic jam before it gets back.

[Richard Fairhurst]

Though it's easy to overstate the physical constraints of our city streets. One cycling campaigner did a very good job of debunking Boris's claims on the issue: http://aseasyasridingabike.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/the-physical-constraints-of-londons-streets/

By and large, the narrow streets aren't the biggest problem: in such places, the grid is dense enough that "quietways", "fietsstraats", "fahrradstrasse" (or whatever you want to call them) can be established on certain roads to permit safe passage. It's the wide arterials, and the junctions on them, which are essential for high-quality cycle commuting and which are the biggest problem right now.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Though of course if Bristol was in the Netherlands cycling would never have dropped to such a low level post-war, because it would have been much less hilly.

During the war, of course, the Germans did their best to flatten most of Bristol.

[Red Squirrel]

Though of course if Bristol was in the Netherlands cycling would never have dropped to such a low level post-war, because it would have been much less hilly.

During the war, of course, the Germans did their best to flatten most of Bristol.

The damage done to the built environment by the Luftwaffe was more or less repairable. The damage done by post-war planners and highway engineers was at least an order of magnitude worse, and will take much longer to heal!

[JayMac]

Main roads built across College Green and Queen's Square for example. At least those two wounds have been healed.

[Rhydgaled]

Like many British cities, Bristol is struggling to reverse decades of planning policy which put motorism in first, second and third place and left what we would now call 'sustainable alternatives' far behind - if they were considered at all. That process is now, happily, being reversed - but there are many battles to be fought

Wandering off the topic of Bristol, I'm afraid one of the battles still to be fought is getting those in power to stop putting motorism first and try to live up to their claims of being in favour of sustainable alternatives. The Welsh Government's transport minister has even had the cheek to describe the second M4 plan as 'sustainable'. Maybe that justifies a topic of its own.

[Oberon]

I think it's as well to remember that cycling comes in many forms, from boy-racers, who, along with taxis "own the road," through families out for a spin, old dears going shopping and finally commuters using bikes instead of cars. As much as I regret bitterly the closure of Bristol-Mangotsfield as a rail route, anyone using this for the purpose of commuting gets my support. The rest of them..well, I'm not sure how important they are honestly. Bristol prides itself as being some sort of cycling mecca but only those who mean one less car on the road should perhaps be actively encouraged. Or is this heresy?

[sprinterguard]

Watch out for the cycles at rush hour within Temple Meads station. Such is the priority to be first on the 0822 to Bath, the 0834 to Avonmouth et al, you are guaranteed to be ploughed down; be it by someone dashing through the crowds or running with it wrong way up the down side of the stairs.