Bristol Railway Path still under threat?

[captain nemo1701]

Some of you may recall that back in 2008, the local authority here in Bristol thought it would be a great idea to convert the cycle path into a road for diesel buses as part of the Bus Rapid Transit or BRT as it was known back then.
Well, it’s now called Metrobus and the West of England Partnership has put online their report for a transport vision for the region. But have a look at page 8 of this document:
https://www.jointplanningwofe.org.uk/gf2.ti/-/757442/23234053.1/PDF/-/Joint_Transport_Study__Transport_Vision.pdf
There is a suspicious dashed line on the drawing, which does not correspond with the M32, Fishponds Road or Two Mile Hill/Church Road that lead to the city centre. Although it states that the route is to be decided, it more or less is aligned with the Railway Path.
Constructing a Metrobus style of road down here would ruin one of the first cycle paths in the country, be very environmentally damaging and also people living in Clay Bottom where there is a lovely S-bend, would probably lose their homes as buses can’t generally do S-turns.
Those of us who campaigned back in 2008 to save the path have always thought that the idea wasn’t dead.....

 

[mjr]

The price of cycling freedom is eternal vigilance for motorist throwback planners reviving old oil-era road plans.

Locally, there are persistent rumours of bad old urban relief road schemes being revived, ignoring the developments which have occurred since. Not only are there cycleable greenways now occupying parts of those routes (built fairly cheap and rarely-maintained, so probably delivering a benefit:cost ratio far above the 5:1 of recent Cycle City Ambition Grants) but there are also listed landscapes and other motoring developments across the routes, meaning that any motoring scheme would be compromised into uselessness by bottlenecks unless millions (possibly billions) more are spent on a sequence of demolitions, flyovers and tunnels.

Anyway, I use the BBRP when in the area, so please keep us informed and send Sustrans and Bristol Cycling Campaign messages to make sure they're aware.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I rode that path from Bath to Bristol a couple of weeks ago. I'm not normally a fan of segregated paths because they're normally (the ones I've used) not great but that one was absolutely lovely.

 

[StuAff]

I rode that path from Bath to Bristol a couple of weeks ago. I'm not normally a fan of segregated paths because they're normally (the ones I've used) not great but that one was absolutely lovely.

+1.

 

[Bollo]

I rode that path from Bath to Bristol a couple of weeks ago. I'm not normally a fan of segregated paths because they're normally (the ones I've used) not great but that one was absolutely lovely.

+2 I'm also not usually a fan of segregation but that doesn't mean other cyclists shouldn't have the choice.

 

[Seevio]

+2 I'm also not usually a fan of segregation but that doesn't mean other cyclists shouldn't have the choice.

I'm not sure I'd describe it as a segregated path as it is a separate route rather than just mirroring the nearby road. This probably makes it even more important to be vigilant.

 

[captain nemo1701]

What's even more concerning is that we now have a Tory Metro Mayor.

 

[Floating Bombus]

I don't think that line is intended to align with anything at all, it's just a straight line. But that means we don't know what the planners and councillors have in mind, or whether they have anything in mind at all; that makes it all the more important to start pressing for a different route now! (not necessarily a specific different route, just lobbying to make sure it doesn't go down the cycle path).

Not only for our sakes (and the residents of Clay Bottom) but there are at least two other reasons: bus route there would destroy any hopes of reopening the railway (which would serve many of the same places to Yate and beyond), and that the MetroBus scheme is, in effect, a road-building scheme by stealth. Witness the new road extending from Baldwin Street as a small evidence, and the 'bus bridge' across the M32 – which is only guaranteed to have bus services for three years; after that it is highly likely it will be opened to cars.

 

[Floating Bombus]

So what do people think of the local campaigning possibilities? Who's best at speaking to the council? And to planners? BCyC? CTC?

What's even more concerning is that we now have a Tory Metro Mayor.

I think MetroBus is actually purely a Bristol City Council project; but I don't have much faith in Marvin on this score.

 

[captain nemo1701]

I don't think that line is intended to align with anything at all, it's just a straight line. But that means we don't know what the planners and councillors have in mind, or whether they have anything in mind at all; that makes it all the more important to start pressing for a different route now! (not necessarily a specific different route, just lobbying to make sure it doesn't go down the cycle path).

Not only for our sakes (and the residents of Clay Bottom) but there are at least two other reasons: bus route there would destroy any hopes of reopening the railway (which would serve many of the same places to Yate and beyond), and that the MetroBus scheme is, in effect, a road-building scheme by stealth. Witness the new road extending from Baldwin Street as a small evidence, and the 'bus bridge' across the M32 – which is only guaranteed to have bus services for three years; after that it is highly likely it will be opened to cars.

Not to mention some daffy motorists who 'mistake' guided bus ways for roads:
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/two-cars-drove-onto-cambridges-12464828
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/cars-keep-driving-guided-busway-12331845

They also 'mistake' segregated cycle lanes for roads:
http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/l...ing-london-segregated-cycle-lane-video-289399

 

[mjr]

They also 'mistake' segregated cycle lanes for roads:
http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/l...ing-london-segregated-cycle-lane-video-289399

And cycle tracks:

Basically, if it's physically possible to drive there, some motorists will - and if it's not, some motorists still will (as pictured). We should build no more roads until they learn to behave

 

[rivers]

I really hope not as that is my commute to work (I cycle most of the B2B path, coming off in Saltford). With the amount of daily cycle traffic on it, they would be foolish to transform it into a bus route.

 

[Banjo]

I would support rebuilding the railway line but a bus route is too easilly turned into yet another gridlocked road.

 

[User16625]

Is there actually a worse form of transport than "the bus"? You will be lucky if you can get somewhere 20 miles away in under an hour. In my area, a 20ish mile journey by bus takes about 1.5 hours so I'm told. I remember having to use a public bus as a kid, the dam things used to make me feel nauseous. Wouldn't even travel a mile before having to stop again, FFS! Plus there's the waiting around for one and timing your commute to coincide with stupid schedules. Most buses don't operate at 02:30 Sunday morning which is about the most useful time to operate public transport to and from the city center.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

I rode that path from Bath to Bristol a couple of weeks ago. I'm not normally a fan of segregated paths because they're normally (the ones I've used) not great but that one was absolutely lovely.

The B2B s great. Not wishing to be a pedant, but it isn't a segregated path but a shared path which have their own issues. Not ideal but we have to start somewhere. The NL has got segregated paths just about right.