New Bristol bus route revealed
Details for a high-speed bus route through the city centre have been revealed – but so has news of spiralling costs.
A Rapid Transit bus link from Ashton Vale to Temple Meads was initially expected to cost £35 million and be complete by 2013.
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But a report going before the West of England Partnership (WEP) on Thursday shows that the scheme is now likely to cost £47.3 million – £12.3 million or 35 per cent more than planned.
And up to 10 per cent of the final cost which had been expected to come from the private sector could now have to be met by taxpayer, as the recession hits developers who were due to contribute.
The economic downturn means that funds pledged by developers in return for being given planning permission – legal deals known as "section 106 agreements" – may no longer be forthcoming as building projects are cancelled.
So the funds, which could have totalled £4.73 million, will instead need to come from the transport funds of the WEP – council taxpayers' money from Bristol, South Gloucestershire, B&NES and North Somerset.
In early December the city was given its first view of the kind of vehicles which may run along the high-speed route.
Now further details have been released about how the bendy buses will travel through the city.
The preferred route will involve an anti-clockwise loop around the city centre, after crossing the Floating Harbour over a new bridge by Prince Street.
This would take the buses, which will travel along guided busways for much of the route but can also ride on normal roads, along The Grove, up Redcliffe Way and on to Temple Circus.
Planners are still discussing the possibility of creating a new transport interchange next to the existing Temple Meads Station, on a piece of land by the Friary known as Plot 6.
From there, the most likely route is along Temple Way and Bond Street, down the Haymarket, Rupert Street and Colston Avenue, to Broad Quay and back up Prince Street.
Alternative options which could involve travelling through the Cabot Circus development or going through Broadmead at Union Street, are still being considered.
The bus would be given priority through the city centre to ensure fast, reliable services but the exact nature of these measures are still be worked out.
The report will be presented to the WEP by Bristol City Council's head of transport operations Colin Knight on Thursday.
It says: "The estimated cost of the route is £47.3 million with contingencies.
"Of this, a minimum of 10 per cent has to be funded locally.
"Originally this was envisaged to be entirely achievable through section 106 contributions, but the economic downturn may impact on the timing of some developments.
"It may be appropriate for authorities to underwrite any possible shortfall through the Joint Local Transport Plan Integrated Transport Allocation."
The councillor in charge of transport in Bristol, Mark Bradshaw, said the increased costs were the result of changes made to the scheme after public consultation was carried out towards the end of last year.
He said: "These changes include an integrated plan for the route to serve the proposed stadium for Bristol City Football Club, additional works for services to run via Redcliffe to Temple Meads, increased provision for environmental mitigation works such as vegetation planting and a new and improved interchange at Temple Meads Station."
Mr Bradshaw said work to plan the possible routes the BRT system would take through the city centre was still being done but there were a limited number of options. He said there was a possibility measures to give public transport priority over other traffic, already in place in the form of bus lanes and devices to give buses priority at traffic lights, could be expanded.
Mr Bradshaw said he was working to ensure the scheme, first mooted more than three years ago, was up and running as soon as possible.
He said: "I can understand the impatience of many people keen to get BRT in place and making a difference.
"As Executive Member, I'm grateful for the hard work that's been put into getting the proposals to this stage and for the constructive comments received during the recent consultation.
"Above all, I'll do all I can to secure this much needed public transport investment for Bristol and the city region."
The Rapid Transit services are due to run through the city every five minutes, following a course from the Long Ashton park-and-ride site, past Silbury Road, across the railway line from Portishead via a new bridge, next to Cumberland Road and alongside the Floating Harbour. Plans are also in the pipeline for an extension leading to Bristol International Airport. Work on the route, the first of several to be created across the Bristol area, is due to start in 2010 and should be complete by 2013.
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by Nigel, Steve
Wednesday, January 21 2009, 10:34AM
“No Liverpool doesnt have an existing tram scheme but it does have Mersey rail, which is a urban rail network, the biggest in the UK outside London. This rail system runs in a system of underground tunnels in the city centre which act like an underground loop with underground stations like London. This is a transport executive for Merseyside and they can raise captial themselves against existing services, its Merseyrail that is proposing the tram lines to compliment the rail network.”
by ABP, Bristol
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 11:05PM
“Perhaps Leonard Nimoy can open this proposel monorail!”
by Steve, Bristol
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 9:26PM
“Nigel,
I take your point that it's far easier to attract funding to expand existing schemes, but the fact remains that Liverpool was invited to resubmit its proposal for a tram late last year by the DfT - they don't have an existing scheme.
If the only thing we can do is bang our drums and moan, then that's what we should do, in addition to acting through the ballot box.
Our city has had the roughest of rough deals with regards to transport for decades - the worst of any major UK city. To accept these useless First-driven proposals would be the final surrender and will do nothing to alleviate congestion or make public transport more affordable.
For these reasons alone we should resist them.”
by Matt, Bristol
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 6:43PM
“A tram would be better, but why not a monorail? Then you don't have to find room on the ground to shoehorn it in, which would allow a much greater choice of routes. It could go right through the Centre. A monorail can handle hills that leave trams struggling - useful in Bristol! It's also one of the safest forms of transport there is - it can't derail or hit ground traffic.
They've had commuter monorails for years in a number of cities in Japan, new systems are being built in India and Korea.
If Brunel was alive today I'm pretty sure it would be his solution to the problem, so why are we being fobbed off with this half-baked rubbish?
You can put lipstick on a pig...”
by Simon, Bristol
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 3:48PM
“Steve: "trots off like good little mice". Maybe it was Bradshaw spotted in McD's...”
by Nigel, North Bristol
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 3:24PM
“Steve.
Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Nottingham all have existing services which generate revenue, its easier to get funding against schemes that have cash rolling in. NO new schemes have been approved since Notthingham. Edinburgh is being funded through the power of the scottish government, NOT London.
We can all bash drums and moan on and on, we are not a metroplotian authority with all the power that comes with it, the Gov will not pay for a tram scheme here. WEP are not unified enough to demand such big amounts of cash. If WEP was one unitary authority [Greater Bristol] then we would have a better chance of securing funds for big schemes.”
by Steve, Bristol
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 2:24PM
“Oh dear.
Another wasted opportunity. Nobody actually wants these damn things - why? Because they aren't trams and don't have the 'feel' of trams - they are very simply diesel buses with bodykit.
Those that think that this is "excellent news" clearly don't know anything about the scheme itself.
They will be segregated from the rest of the traffic for less than 40% of the route. They don't even serve a major centre of population - that new town ('Yanley') won't be built for another decade or so.
Anybody who believes that First won't be involved in running them is sadly deluded.
This is because First are the only UK transport operator that is promoting these schemes - Arriva, Stagecoach etc won't touch them with a bargepole. The bus itself is a Wright Streetcar which has been rebranded as 'ftr' by First.
I've ridden on one of these on an existing BRT line in York and believe me, they do not feel like a tram, they feel, sound and smell like a diesel bus, which is exactly what they are!
Incidentally, First increased their fares by an eye-watering 20% on the day of the BRT launch. If they do this in York, I shudder to think what they'll do to us in Bristol.
Yet again, Bristol loses out and gets a third rate cheap(ish) transport system, still run by the rapacious First, with us as council tax payers now seemingly liable for the ever escalating costs.
Apparently, they'll run every 5 minutes from Long Ashton Park and Ride! Every 5 minutes! During the day, you'll be lucky if they carry 1 person each - guess who'll then pay for the resulting rise in fares!
These proposals really do smack of desperation and shows the poverty of thinking at Bristol City Council and especially in the Transport Department. It's the wrong mode, along the wrong route, run by the wrong operator.
We need a tram system running along a North-South axis through the city for starters with further lines added in the future.
Those that say that the Govt will not fund tram schemes are also wrong. The Manchester Metrolink is being expanded (despite their rejection of TIF), the Nottingham Metro is being expanded - they've just received £400 million from the Govt. to do so. Tyne and Wear Metro has been given another £400 million. Edinburgh has just started building the 1st line of their tram system - funded by the DfT, not the Scottish Parliament. And to cap it all, Liverpool have just been invited to resubmit their proposal for their Merseytram by the DfT.
BCC, WEP and First like to make you think that trams are not on the agenda, but that's complete nonsense. Our problem is a supine and useless local government, which sheepishly accepts the first answer they're given by the DfT and trots off like good little mice and comes up with rubbish BRT, just to please the Govt. and First.
The reason they do this, apart from being spineless, is threefold:
1, We do not have a powerful Transport Authority
2, First enjoys a near total monopoly
3, BCC and WEP are Labour dominated, so they do exactly as their Westminster masters tell them to.
BRT on this route run by First is not the answer.”
by Nigel, North bristol
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 1:45PM
“Jolly blogger.
Your right of course but who will pay for it, in the UK we build very expensive trams routes. There is no government money in the pot to pay for it, Nottingham was the last english city to beneift from central fund. Liverpool, Leeds and South hams all have had there scheme rejected, even London schemes are being scrapped through cost and all are looking at cheaper alternatives. Our UK government will NOT support local tram schemes. So we have no choice. If we were in France, German or Spain then it would be built by now.”
by The Jolly Blogger, Bristol
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 1:34PM
“Nigel,
Yes you say the BRT can be converted in the future to a proper tram route but the combined cost of the BRT plus conversion would be considerably more than just building a tramway to begin with. Also the rising cost of the BRT is rapidly heading towards the original quote for the tram so why bother with the pretend tram and go with the real thing. Time and again these BRT system have shown to be inferior to trams but will the quangos and central government listern? Of course not! They just see the initial cost and not the future ones which show overall trams are the cheaper (and better) option.”
by Nigel, North Bristol
Tuesday, January 20 2009, 1:07PM
“To Forest Pines.
Ashton park and Ride facility will became a very important and bigger transport hub for that side of Bristol. It will problably be the vital route to the airport, and provide a quality transit service to TM, centre and harbourside. Tram style articulated units like the ones proposed have proven so much more popular in many cities in the world, the general public do not like ordinary buses.
Also keep in mind that these proposed seperate track ways are good foundations for convertion into full electric/hybrid trams routes in the future when funds became available. One day dirty smelly diesel buses will became a thing of the past ... hopefully.”