Comments on: Top Ten Bristol Transport Debacles

By: onthelevelblog

onthelevelblog — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:28:45 +0000

absolutely Peter- thanks for posting this- providing for single bus journeys to access Temple Meads directly from all over town is critical–everyone should sign the petition at:

http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/view/templemeadshub

By: Peter Goodwin

Peter Goodwin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:46:15 +0000

11. Plans to build flats on ‘Plot 6′ immediately outside Temple Meads ‘Digby Wyatt shed’ – which is to become a huge ticket hall/ real time information/ travel centre/ waiting area for the railhead. Why not bring buses, coaches and bikes there to let the rest of the city share the benefits?

Petition at http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/view/templemeadshub

By: onthelevelblog

onthelevelblog — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:12:37 +0000

Des- Glad to hear your support. Maybe you should look again at the cycle expressway project- far from destroying habitat, it could actually improve it if done right, open access to open space and in so doing build a constituency who would defend it if there were any future threat to it.

By: Des Bowring

Des Bowring — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:01:44 +0000

…although I like buses more than you do….

By: Des Bowring

Des Bowring — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:00:57 +0000

Blimey I agree with most of this post. Shurely shome mishtake?!

By: WestfieldWanderers

WestfieldWanderers — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:54:08 +0000

An excellent post. Well done.

By: David Hembrow

David Hembrow — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:05:39 +0000

And, further to my last comment, I just looked at the local paper for Cambridge and see that the P&R that my neighbours used to use has now been moved a little further from the city. So, their drive and their bus ride will both now be a little longer.

But it’s OK because it’s an “environmentally-friendly site”:
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/cn_news_home/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=366291

It also goes into detail about how regular these special buses are and how cheap. If you are a driver, you get better buses, a more regular service and a lower cost than if you rely on public transport.

I went to some “stakeholder meetings” over this a few years back. The people promoting it were keen to make sure that it _didn’t_ have good cycle links, even though it’s in a position between settlements and could have been an excuse to build such, as they dreaded the idea that people from far away might park and cycle and therefore “undermine the bus service”. I think that tells you all you need to know about the motivation for this. It’s all about profits of the bus companies.

Sorry for going on about somewhere other than Bristol, but British “cycling cities” seem to have quite a lot in common.

By: Will Parbury

Will Parbury — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:55:49 +0000

Great post. Keep up the good work.

By: David Hembrow

David Hembrow — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:50:12 +0000

Park and Ride doesn’t impress me either.

I once had an amusing discussion with neighbours in Cambridge. I just happened to ask where they were off to with their grandchildren in their car. They were driving to the Park and Ride, of course, to get the bus into the city.

So, I asked why they didn’t simply take the bus from around the corner into the city. They had a very good answer. It cost twice as much to take that bus as the subsidized park and ride bus.

Instead of a simple 2.5 mile ride to the centre, they were driving 2.5 miles in the wrong direction, and taking a bus journey of around 3.5 miles from there.

This would be counted by the council stats department as yet another success for Park and Ride.

Cycling with the grandchildren didn’t come into it. Conditions were just too horrible to contemplate that.

However, cycling with grandchildren is quite a popular passtime for grandparents in this country because it’s a very very pleasant thing to do here.

By: Bristol blogosphere united by the meme that cannot die… All hail CARBOOT CIRCUS! « Bristle’s Blog from the BunKRS

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