Bristol mayor accuses MP of "scaremongering" over BRT

“I am compiling a small book of notable quotes, and have included this one:
"The BRT is seen as one of the key components in easing traffic congestion in the Bristol area"
along with:
"The Titanic is unsinkable",
Michael Fish's unforgettable:
"There isn't going to be a hurricane",
and Terry Kath's
"Don't worry, it's not loaded"

Any other suggestions?”

“One thing you can say for Dawn is that she has expensive taste; "Labour's Dawn Primarolo blew £2,175 on two black jackets and black dresses"
I'm not sure George's red trousers are quite so expensive or he classes them as expenses..

http://tinyurl.com/amnue6a”

“See Dawn is moaning again about something she didn't think of first”

“i seem to recall Central Government telling us that Bristol would be granted £1billion if we elected a mayor? where is this money? when do we get it? lol.”

“Sorry about the unintentional double post.

I agree with the views on "modal shift". Almost all the clever bits that would have made this different to just another bus route have been removed by value-engineering (or cost cutting as it is also known). The only entirely separate part of the route that remained was the stupid £50 million BRT2, which would have done more harm than good. Rail-based projects can't do this, so usually end up more like the first design. With a bus, you can cut the separate road, or make it open to all traffic, send it through a 20mph road with speed humps in a council estate - or remove the humps and express surprise when your "rapid" bus is the only vehicle doing 20mph - all to cut costs or add to the skimpy business case.

At some point, I reckon there will an inquiry into what went wrong. If WEP had listened properly 6 years ago, none of this would have happened. You trust flash consultants before your constituents at your peril. If this whole scheme goes tots up, I shall weep not for the lost £200 million, but for the cash wasted in getting so far, and especially for the £1 million Bristol City Council reportedly spent in trying to justify BRT2 at the first public inquiry. Same again at the South Bristol Link to Nowhere?”

“Brennus

"will not achieve ANY modal shift from the car, which was the whole point in the first place."

exactly! I recently saw a report that reckoned that LRT schemes can have a 7x greater modal shift than improved bus schemes.

Buses definitely have a place - but not for trans-city rapid services which is what Bristol needs.”

“matic-113,

Absolutely right. It was a bad fudge to start with, now it is so hopelessly diluted that it will not achieve ANY modal shift from the car, which was the whole point in the first place.

Therefore it won't reduce congestion, so really it's a total waste of time and money.

If motorists wanted to leave their cars at home and go to work on a diesel bus in Bristol they would have done so by now, but they haven't - so how will introducing some really, really expensive diesel buses make any difference?

I haven't heard any convincing arguements to this effect. The scheme's promoters seem to be relying on the 'we'll lose the funding' argument which is utterly fatuous.”

“This is a really sensible decision.
My problem is that if this not rapid and is not of high quality I will not produce a significant modal switch/shift. It will not bring about a change or address a huge traffic issues. It will not bring more money to our economy. We need a completely segregated metro system to unlock Bristol's potential.
This whole scheme is deeply flawed.”

“Presumably BRT will require a 'Transport & Works Act'. Has this already been obtained? If it has, they will require it to be heard again, should they tinker with the route too much!!!”

“Standing on the sidelines sniping while someone tries to clear up the mess they left behind is core Labour strategy.”