Bristol businessman: "Build underground car park in Clifton"
BRISTOL businessman Tony Miles has unveiled an ambitious plan to build a huge underground car park in the heart of Clifton Village.
It is one of the first projects to have been put forward in a competition which has been launched to try to tackle Bristol's chronic traffic problems.
As has been reported in The Post, the Federation of Small Businesses is offering a £5,000 prize to the best idea for tackling the problems of Bristol's clogged streets.
Mr Miles, a radio personality turned business campaigner, came up with a scheme to build a car park under open land between the Suspension Bridge and The Mall pub in Clifton.
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Mr Miles, who is best known as Radio 1's Smiley Miley, is chairman of the Clifton Village Traders' Association and has long campaigned to help shops and businesses prosper in the village.
He said: "One of the biggest problems facing Clifton is the parking and every year it seems to get worse.
"It is one of the city's major attractions and tourist areas but it is impossible for visitors to find anywhere to park in the village.
"We are talking about losing out on money and investment because visitors to the city cannot find anywhere to park."
Mr Miles added: "Building an underground car park may seem like an extreme step to take but if you think about it most major cities on the continent have gone down that route.
"I already have a major investor on board and I am convinced that this would make a massive difference to the city.
"The whole idea of the competition is to evoke the spirit of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
"He had the vision to come up with the Suspension Bridge – which is now a world famous symbol for the city."
Guy Kingston, from the Federation of Small Businesses, came up with the idea for the competition.
He said: "Small businesses are a vital part of Bristol's economy.
"Some are shops, some are in the service industries but we all need to be able to get around the city easily if we are to keep the economy going."
He added: "I ride a bicycle when I can, I walk if it is possible but I also need to be in my car for some meetings in Bristol.
"We hope that this competition will help people to realise that transport is vital for everyone and that every mode of transport needs to be supported in a modern, successful city."
Mr Kingston added: "Actually, I'm a bit surprised no one has done this before.
"There are a lot of really brainy people in Bristol and together I'm sure we can come up with some truly fantastic ideas."
Comments
by matic_113
Thursday, November 22 2012, 11:08AM
“If they Build it by the top of pembroke road they can open up the train tunnel and people can get the train to Clifton. I'm not sure how he is planning on getting funding for this”
by SlotBoy
Thursday, November 15 2012, 4:59AM
“Sorry Mate, this project has got to work to a RiFix solution. We just need one single 300m underpass to make BRT 3 have any chance of working. Any underground car park takes a lot more structural clout, compression engineering. Great idea but there IS NOT THE MONEY at the moment. Now get the public of Clifton to pay for it then.....well
Rich Fisher _ Independent and still up.”
by dickpuller
Wednesday, November 14 2012, 4:50PM
“which planet is this guy from ?”
by mismanaged
Wednesday, November 14 2012, 4:40PM
“Where do we get these lunatics from! Yet another scheme to ruin the Downs, an area valued by Bristolians for hundreds of years. What would this do to the trees, birds and plants which live and breathe and enrich our lives? You only have to look at the Avon Gorge to see that this area is rock, not farmland, and any scheme like this would be disastrous.”
by macadam212
Wednesday, November 14 2012, 3:31PM
“Yeah that will sort out congestion lol - more car park spaces. So I guess the road are staying the same size - or why not put them underground too. Crazy idea.”
by FredTs
Wednesday, November 14 2012, 3:15PM
“I doubt that the geology of Clifton Village is suited for hollowing out a large space. its built on rock not compressed earth or clay. To me, its incredible that most of the local rail lines have been converted, for 100's of million, to roads to funnel even more cars into the city while, at the same time, getting rid of a fairly good city owned bus service and replacing it with an awful privately owned company.”
by Morrissey9
Wednesday, November 14 2012, 3:09PM
“Nice idea but it would probably take as long and be as much hassle as just parking in one of the streets nearby and walking to Clifton... There are usually plenty of spaces if you go a little further away from the shops and bars.”
by tomcribb
Wednesday, November 14 2012, 1:15PM
“Ummm... West End car park on the trianagle, Clifton Down shopping centre, but lets build a large underground car park beneath hundreds of listed buildings with heavy machinery and lorries to-ing and fro-ing for years so that cars can actually migrate to it along roads that are already chokker.
Stick to Radio 1 road shows mate.”
by PJ1979
Wednesday, November 14 2012, 1:06PM
“Basically the public sector should not fund this, but if some private firm wants to build this underground car park and then charge people to use it then good luck to them.
Not sure if faced with paying to park or a free space on the street, many would choose the swanky car park? I'm guesing Tony's next idea is a residents parking scheme, so visitors all have to use his car park!
Its a slightly futile idea as inevitably it will just encourage more people to drive and park in Clifton so the streets and car park will fill up again. No public money for this idea!”
by PaulInShire
Wednesday, November 14 2012, 1:05PM
“Good idea for Clifton, but doesn't really address the issue raised in the competition, i.e. how to ease congestion in the city as a whole.”