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BUS PLANS WON'T WORK |
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10:35 - 17 February 2007
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A Property expert claims plans
for showcase bus routes will not solve Bristol's
traffic problems.Andrew Hardwick, president of
Bristol Property Agents Association, said the £42
million grant awarded to the four former Avon
councils for 10 new routes would be better spent
on other projects.
Mr Hardwick, who is also a director of
Bristol commercial
property agents Williams
Gunter Hardwick, said he believed there was a
stigma attached to bus travel that could not be
overcome by new schemes to improve punctuality -
and says plans to give priority over other traffic
along the routes will just annoy other
motorists.
He said: "I think £42m for the
bus routes sounds like quite a big investment, but
I am not at all convinced it will give the
citizens of Bristol the transport system they
expect.
"At the moment I think the result
of the showcase bus routes will be the
penalisation of people in cars and it will
antagonise their view of public
transport.
"There is also the cultural
issue of bus travel - the fact is that it is not
'hip' and it is not what people see themselves
doing.
"I have learned a lot about bus
travel from my kids. They talk about the routes
and have confidence to use buses.
"But a
lot of business people don't have that confidence
- they are nervous about it.
"They have
heard the urban myths about strange people on
buses and I think there is a problem overcoming
that."
"We represent major companies in
Bristol. They are enthusiasts for what is going on
in the city, like the redevelopments.
"For
them, a priority is getting staff into work, so
transport and parking is crucial, and they are
saying the current transport plan doesn't
work."
Mr Hardwick favours a "multi-level"
solution embracing rail travel and improving
journey times for car drivers. He said: "What I
call the 'easy wins' have got to be achieved -
like opening up the rail line to Portishead, and
clearing traffic lights where junctions are
snarled up."
Dennis Brown, Bristol City
Council's cabinet member for transport and
development control, said: "Our experience is that
showcase bus routes have had a very positive
impact on business.
"It is true that if
no-one takes advantage of the buses, then they
will fail, but the way it is arranged is that in
Bristol they will be on major
arteries.
"Evidence says they work, and it
will create a substantial enhancement to the
transport system."
City council spokesman
Simon Caplan said the authority already supported
rail services, citing the subsidy recently agreed
for the Severn Beach line, and it was also working
to improve flows through traffic lights.
He
said: "The railway line to Portishead is not
necessarily something that the local authorities
can pick up because railway lines are ultimately
the Government's responsibility. The Greater
Bristol Bus Network can tackle congestion right
across the region. It will make buses a fast,
comfortable way of getting in."
Bristol
City Council is currently beginning work on the
city's second showcase bus
route.
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