Transport debate in Bristol stalled by train delays
The chairman of an MPs' select committee coming to discuss transport issues in the Bristol area couldn't make the meeting – because of train delays.
MP for Plymouth Alison Seabeck was supposed to be heading the first public hearing of the South West committee's new inquiry into transport.
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But problems at Reading meant she couldn't get to the meeting, held in Bristol yesterday.
The meeting itself heard a plea for less jargon when it comes to transport issues, after two hours of terminology such as 'appraisal methodology', 'opacity', strategic national corridor' and 'multi-area agreement'.
Jenny Raggett, of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: "I would plead for more straightforward language."
MPs, including Kerry McCarthy for Bristol East and Doug Naysmith for Bristol North West, quizzed two panels representing various groups.
They included members of First Group, the Bristol and Bath Campaign for Better Transport, Friends of the Earth and Sustrans.
First spokesman Nick Vane was asked about his company's alleged poor reputation in Bristol.
Miss McCarthy said: "Your written evidence suggests First is cost effective. Most people who use First buses would challenge that assumption."
Mr Vane said the key was to improve the highways network to make buses a more attractive prospect than the car.
He said: "One of the key problems in Bristol is the incredibly slow travel times. That knocks onto our cost base – the slower journeys are, the more expensive they become." Dr Gabriel Scally, the South West regional director for the department of public health, said cities such as Bristol needed to reduce private transport for health reasons including obesity.
Dr Scally said: "In Bristol, 22 per cent of primary school children who live within 800 metres of their school travel by car."
A number of speakers backed calls for a rapid transit system for Bristol.
Barbara Davies spoke on behalf of the West of England Partnership, representing Bristol, North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils.
She said: "We needed £1.1 billion, we have around £450 million. We feel the sub-region needs more investment."
The transport inquiry has received written submissions from more than 90 different groups, the largest response to any regional select committee.
13 Comments
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by ls314, in the west
Wednesday, October 28 2009, 10:12AM
“My point is Steve, that Bristolians are backward when it comes to using public transport. Most have no idea of advance purchase tickets, a concept that's been around for nearly 50 years. They faff about when getting on and off buses and trains, delaying everybody. They further delay late-running buses by asking the driver loads of questions despite information being readily available, sometimes in front of their faces. There's a saying about leading horses to water.....
Agree totally with Bob de Bilde. It's possible that successful governments didn't invest in Bristol's public transport as they saw it as a complete waste of time and money. I guess the perception is that most Bristolians would use a car for any journey longer than 500 metres. I remember one Bristolian telling me in the 1980s that he was proud to be in a city that had the most cars in the country. Now, you are living with those consequences.”
by Bob de Bilde, Bristol
Tuesday, October 27 2009, 9:06PM
“The reason why Bristol's public transport is so poor is that it has been starved of investment by successive governments.
Every single Core City in England has a mass transit system courtesy of central government, except Bristol.
It really isn't difficult to comprehend.”
by Bob de Bilde, Bristol
Tuesday, October 27 2009, 9:04PM
“The reason why Bristol's public transport is so poor is that it has been starved of investment by successive governments.
Every single Core City in England has a mass transit system courtesy of central government, except Bristol.
It really isn't difficult to comprehend.”
by Steve, Bristol
Tuesday, October 27 2009, 8:58PM
“Londoner,
What's your point?
That Bristol isn't London?
We know that.
Eh?”
by Londoner, in the west
Tuesday, October 27 2009, 6:17PM
“There's an issue of backwardness here. It's the attitude. When I first used Bristol's public transport in the 1980s, it seemed to me as if how it would've been in 1950s London.
Firstly, buses that go together to the same place at the same time. To be effective, you need to space the timetable out by about 6 mins between buses. Secondly, paying cash is so pre-world war 2. Swipe cards or tickets you buy before you travel - that will speed things up.
First, whatever their faults and there's far too many to list here , provide good route maps, fare information and timetables on their website and other media. When I travel in an unfamiliar place, I always find out information before I travel, not wait till I get on a bus then hold everyone else up.
I traveled yesterday from London. Due to the discovery of a body on the line at Taplow, all trains were delayed. I bought my ticket 4 days before I made the journey and got it for £21 single from Paddington to Bath. Had I bought it that morning, it would've cost £50 or so. The same as if I walked into an airport and bought a single to Mumbai, it would've set me back more than £800. If I bought the ticket a few weeks earlier, it would be half the price.
How can you expect public transport which has been in private hands since 1986 to work any differently? If you adopt a Transport for London approach, where the public authority rigourously oversees the private contractors, then you might get somewhere. Just putting Bristol's public transport in public hands without proper infrastructure in place will result in a return to the 1970s. That's when there were 2 hour gaps in some sevices. That's when everybody moved over to car use. You couldn't complain about Bristol's bus fares in the 1970s; they were the same as most other places. So there must have been other reasons, eh?”