West Of England Partnership Proposes 9 Guided Bus Routes

[whole diary]

[Lee]

Welcome to the forum, Monmouth.

[Monmouth]

Thanks!

Some of the WoEP plans are a sore point with me, so sorry if I'm sounding off there!

[Lee]

The Malago Greenway, which runs through south Bristol from the city centre, could form part of the controversial Bus Rapid Transit network (links below.)
http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=144913&command=displayContent&sourceNode=231190&home=yes&more_nodeId1=144922&contentPK=20806074

http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=20805528&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922

The scheme to create a BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit) route to Hengrove Park and Whitchurch could involve parts of the Malago stream being covered with a concrete culvert and part of the stream being artificially diverted.

Residents are mounting a campaign to save what they say is an important corridor for cyclists, pedestrians and wildlife.

The scheme would also require a new bridge for buses, pedestrians and bicycles across the River Avon and to link Wapping Road to St John's Road. It would then run along Lombard Street to cross East Street at the shopping centre, before crossing a green at Providence Place and passing under the railway line. After running alongside and over the Malago, it would join up with Hartcliffe Way, across Hengrove Way and down Whitchurch Lane towards Whitchurch.

"This route will assist in delivering the regeneration of South Bristol... The route uses much of the alignment previously identified through the design of the LRT (Light Rail Transit) route to Hartcliffe, and will implement some significant new infrastructure, including a new bridge over the New Cut before entering the city centre from Prince Street."

[eightf48544]

What we need to do is is get concerted action from all areas affected saying no to guided busways. We should make no attempt to amend individual schemes as otherwise "they" will pick of the opposing groups one by one. Just say "no" to all such proposals.

The more I read of this scheme the more I think that we should all say no to BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit).

If we start giving indivdual objections to each route it is very easy for "them " to put in a few modifications and and say "there there, we've listened to you" and plough ahead route by route.

A blanket "No" at the start without even raising specific objections doesn't give "them" any leverage.

The main argument being it isn't  environmentally friendly and sterilises too much land for little gain. 

 

[Lee]

Its "time to get cracking" with the BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit) plans, according to Mark Bradshaw (links below.)
http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Bus-scheme-copied-Bristol/article-358083-detail/article.html

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Transport-supremo-says-let-s-moving-rapid-transit/article-357490-detail/article.html

[bemmy]

The last bit of the Evening Post article says it all really.

They plans were presented by Sharon Daly of London-based transport consultant Steer Davies Gleave, which has been hired to explore the options for rapid-transit routes in the Bristol area.
She said that rubber-wheeled buses proved to be the cheapest and most appropriate option for the first Bristol route, but did not rule out trams or light rail for the other routes around the city.

A lot of things that we are promised definitely will happen don't happen, so when they say something hasn't been ruled out, that's a 100% nailed on guarantee that it won't happen.

She said: "This will be a real alternative to the car ^ fast, direct and with environmental benefits.

Ask 100 car drivers if they'd rather travel by bus, and not one of them will say yes. Buses are buses are buses, and no amount of spin will change this perception, even if you keep throwing in the words "cutting edge" and pointing out that they have these special buses in America (so what, they have Taco Bell, anyone fancy a soggy 69 cent refried bean burrito?).

"In our opinion, Bus Rapid Transit should be pursued for the Ashton Vale to Temple Meads rapid-transit route as it best meets the rapid-transit scheme objectives; is the most cost-effective and flexible; and can be delivered within the current programme and available funding."

Exactly. Buses are cheap, and perfectly adequate for a rustic village like Bristol.

[eightf48544]

Hopefully the Cambridge to St Ives scheme will prove to be such a disaster that guided bus ways will be dead in the water.

It's interesting that the Leeds one has gone very quite and Edinburgh are have started building a tramway which will run run straight down Princes Street.

Every time a consultant mentions a possible scheme you should ask about the sucess of Leeds and Edinburgh, plus Cambridge. when it flops.

Does anyone know if the bus companies have to pay access charges to a busway like track charges for heavy rail or is it out of the road fund licence?

[bemmy]

Basically as far as the Village of Bristol is concerned, it's buses or cars. In which case, we would prefer them NOT to waste 1.4billion of our money on a slightly less crappy bus service than the one we already have.

Imagine, they could just give every household in the city ^7,000 each and we could all buy a new car.

If they genuinely want to promote public transport, they could use the money to re-quadruple Filton Bank, re-open the Portishead line, open a few stations such as Ashton Vale and Ashley Down, and/or build a tram network. But they don't want to. They actually want everybody to drive everywhere and pay for it twice over.

[Lee]

Campaigners for a tram service in Bristol staged a demonstration at the end of Prince Street Bridge today (link below.)
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Protest-Bristol-transport-plans/article-384683-detail/article.html

The Transport for Greater Bristol Alliance is against plans for Bus Rapid Transit between central Bristol and the Long Ashton park-and-ride site.

The Alliance - which represents 26 different organisations, with a total of more than 2,000 members - wants the idea dropped by the West of England Partnership of local councils later this month.

The proposed BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit) route might involve a new bridge running parallel to Prince St Bridge, say the campaigners.

They want to route the tram across the existing bridge.

[Lee]

FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways) article against plans to build a BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit) system on the surviving stretch of the Bristol harbour railway (link below.)
http://www.fosbr.org.uk/Infrastructure.htm

[Lee]

A disused railway route in South Bristol is being targeted as a possible route for a high-speed bus link (link below.)
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Plans-new-Bristol-bus-route/article-398183-detail/article.html

It runs from Brislington to Arnos Vale, from the Tesco roundabout at Callington Road up to the Sainsbury's at St Philips Causeway.

Proposals are at very early stages as yet, although five options, including road, bus rapid transit and cyclepaths and a pedestrian route, are currently being tested and assessed.

These options could go out to public consultation next year.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Hmm.  I used to live in Brislington, and from what I can see, they're trying to use some of the remaining bits and pieces in Brislington of the old Radstock line (which used to go out through Whitchurch).  I'm not convinced it will work - a lot of it has been built on, or had roads cut across it.

[bemmy]

It's only a short section, about a mile long. When they built the Spine Road (officially St Philips Causeway) it was obvious from where it turns right at the roundabout near Sainsbury's that they were expecting to continue the road along the old railway southwards, one day.

So it's not surprising it's being talked about as a "guided busroute". My suspicion is that at some point (when costs escalate, they always do and it's always unexpected), they will decide the only way of funding these bus routes is by also making them toll roads to relieve congestion, especially as they will find that the bus routes themselves will have very little impact on congestion.

So what is being sold as a Rapid Transit system is just a way of getting toll roads built.........

[Lee]

Colin Knight, head of Bristol City Council's transport operations, has poured cold water on calls for a light rail or tram system through Bristol city centre, claiming that BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit) is "the only show in town" (link below.)
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Bristol-rapid-bus-option-town/article-413711-detail/article.html

People will be urged to put forward their views on plans for a BRT link from Ashton Vale to Temple Meads from next month.

It could be in place by 2013.

There had been calls for other options ^ such as a tram or a light rail system ^ to be looked at more closely before a decision on the type of system was taken.

But speaking to a meeting of the West of England Partnership of all four councils in Greater Bristol, Mr Knight said these ideas were too expensive and not yet proven to work.

And he said that, with the Government requiring a bid for the funding to be submitted early next year, ^72 million was at risk if progress was not made this year.

[eightf48544]

The comments attached to the article are almost entirely against the scheme and in favour of trams and/or light rail.

Suggest users of this board add their comments in favour of trams as well.

I still think Bristol is ideal for dual voltage tram/trains serving Portishead, Severn Beach and Tytherington via Avonmouth to start and then on the old Midland alingement plus at future date Bath on the cycle way. I know it's contentious but I think you could get a single track tramway with loops and a bike path on the old formation.

Heavy rail portions to be 25KV and inner city 600 DC^▸ (Direct Current).