Great Western Coffee Shop

STATEMENT BY FRIENDS OF SUBURBAN BRISTOL RAILWAYS (FOSBR) for the State of the City Debate  January 2008

^ There needs to be a serious attempt to improve all types of public transport system in Bristol, not just buses

^ At present Bristol City Council's attitude towards local rail transport seems that it is out of their hands:- the responsibility of First Great Western, Network Rail and the government. However, with the will and determination improvements can be made. The line from Ebbw Vale to Newport is about to reopen after investment from local authorities.

^ Councillors should be more proactive: they must pressure local MPs and the government to ensure that the area gets a fair deal for rail: more investment, more train carriages and more services.

^ Most importantly the council needs to make transport a REAL priority: ensuring that the previous support for an increased service on the Severn Beach line is implemented and action is taken to ensure moves towards a half-hourly service cross-city rail service.

Our expensive, unreliable bus service is condemned on the BBC discussion forum linked to this debate. The harmful effects ^ time wasted in traffic jams, at bus stops and lost at work and school, losses to business, pollution, accidents, parking in the wrong places, an excuse for raising bus fares, all of which make it impossible to benefit from improvements to the city and our need to earn a living, study, shop and enjoy entertainment, cultural and communal activity.

But the problem is on the roads. The City Council is facing it with one arm tied behind its back if it will not take urgent action to make use of the priceless assets we have in the railways. We applaud the Council^s decision to increase the frequency of services on the Severn Beach line (although not enough), but there is also the Avonmouth - Henbury ^ Filton line, the freight line to fast-growing Portishead, stations at Parson Street, Bedminster and on the main lines in East Bristol. A half-hourly service is essential. Several of these aspirations are in the Local Transport Plan and the Bristol Development Framework but only in the long term.

We welcome the Council^s call for a Great Bristol Public Transport Authority which must give the democratically-elected authorities the power to plan, co-ordinate and regulate routes, timetables and fares of buses, trains and ferries. The case for this has recently been strengthened by the Examination in Public adding it into the Regional Spatial Strategy. While being sensitive to the varying needs of the other local authorities, this needs to be pursued urgently.

We recommend reforms in the Transport Manifesto published by Transport for Bristol and endorsed by a host of local community groups, businesses and the Leader of the Council. Leadership by Bristol City Council will inspire other authorities in the area.

Julie Boston (Secretary)

Julie Boston, of Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways, wanted to know why it was taking so long to put in place a more frequent rail service on the Severn Beach commuter line.

It was costing jobs because people living on the outskirts could not easily get into the city, she said.

Councillor Mark Bradshaw (Bedminster), who is in charge of transport, said the council was still committed to the Severn Beach line improvement.

And he said a new transport authority including neighbouring councils was needed for major transport improvements in Bristol.

He reported an announcement made by ministers in Parliament yesterday that Bristol was being given ^600,000 towards the cost of making a bid for funding from the Government's transport innovation fund.