Great Western Coffee Shop

Always a dilemma.  I arrive at BTM on a Sunday evening from Portsmouth, arriving at 16:41 (in theory, anyway!)

Do I get on the bus, wait for the train to Redland (at 17:23) or just walk?

I was travelling with two others today so we decided to see who could get to my home quickest (both bus stop and train station are 2 minutes walk from my flat).

First, the cost.  My bus ticket cost ^1.60, but the train only cost 75p (or ^1.50 without a railcard) and of course the walk was free.

Now the wait.  I was put off the train journey by the length of the wait.  The bus was scheduled to leave at 17:00, which it did but took nearly 7 minutes just to leave the station approach.  We were taken on the usual number 9 tour round town before having to change drivers.  I arrived at the bus stop at 17:35 and arrived home at 17:37.

The train had a longer wait, almost 40 minutes but the journey only took 10 so they were home at roughly the same time as me.

But the walk.  That took less than 45 minutes, so they arrived home at 17:25 - ten minutes quicker than the bus and train.

I think this proves a point.  Walking is far quicker than taking the bus in Bristol!

Like what has been said in a previous topic, the forecourt of Bristol T.M. needs to be renovated and modernised.  Easier access for buses and taxis in and out needs to be  introduced.

Also, a complete bus lane from Temple Meads to Cabot Circus would be appreciated.

hi all first post been sneeking around recently but fault i would add my views :)

any way the issue  at temple meads i feel has been made worse now not only do you have taxis first have invested in new bigger busses on the 8/9 which are going to get stuck more easily at temple meads.

i agree a bus lane from tm to cabbots would be brill not only for the 8 and 9 but park and rides and other services, also some kind of bus priority out of the station would be good. dont no if there would be a way to do this with out causeing traffic on the main road

Welcome to the forum matt_splatt  :)

Walking is my favoured option in Bristol. Trains aren't too bad as long as one of the stations you want to use is Temple Meads. Getting from say Parson Street - Redland is hopeless by train. Buses are unreasonably priced, unreliable and prone to stopping to admire the beauty of a red traffic light a lot. Cycling is dangerous due to the remarkable incompetence, impatience and ignorance shown by most drivers in Bristol, plus cycle lanes are pretty inconsistent. Shanks pony for me thanks...

For those who catch busses in Bristol, maybe the U-Link busses may be better alternative than First in certain areas as they are frequent and can be cheaper with a ^3 day ticket or ^2 flat fare for each single (even cheaper with the U-Link Smart card). The busses are generally newer and cleaner as well I find

Personally, I think that a flyover just down from Temple Meads would improve things greatly  !!  ;D :D ::)

Also the local hospital trust and Bristol University jointly provide a free bus service from BTM to the various hospitals and main university precinct.  I've never used it so I'm not sure if/how they check that you are eligible to use the service but is certainly free for hospital and university staff.

I wouldn't say getting from Parson St to Redland is hopeless by train. Hourly availability with 15min wait at BRI. Total journey time between 40-55mins. 80p cheaper for a return than the bus(es). And similar journey times.

And as for your 'most drivers in Bristol' rant...... you never seen an inconsiderate cyclist jumping traffic lights, dangerously weaving in an out of traffic or taking to the the pavement?  And as for pedestrians, some of their actions really get my goat: Moving left then right then left again without signalling just as I attempt to overtake (I'm a quick walker), Stopping dead without notice, gathering in groups to totally block your path. Crossing the road 25yds away from a Pelican crossing. Incompetence, impatience and ignorance are not the exclusive preserve of drivers...... ::) :P

i think its just a turn up and get on bus. the Ulink is good but i would recomend the ABUS 57 from the main road ^1 single to town

To be fair I should have said weekday evenings or Sundays are when I might want to go from Parson Street to Redland - and as the timetable is more irregular at that time it never suits me well.

I take your point about pedestrians and cyclists, but the difference is a moronic pedestrian or cyclist is largely a danger to themselves. A moronic driver has a ton of metal with which they can do some serious damage. The thing that really drives me mad is drivers who can't indicate when changing direction - I'm not a mind reader. It's not hard to flick a switch.

Well actually - it depends on the angle of the turn

There are a few r'bouts I go round where I cannot keep the turn signal on

because the angle needed to steer the r'bout is exactly the one that auto turns off the signal!

Bad news.  All the staff and students have ID cards.

The UHBT free bus is available to patients and visitors to the hospitals and visitors to the University of Bristol. So just say you are visiting!

http://www.uhbristol.nhs.uk/files/nhs-ubht/HospitalAndUniversityBusShuttleTimetableMay09.pdf

Re-indicate? Or just keep you hand on the indicator and drive with one hand on the wheel - sorry I shouldn't encourage bad driving standards!

I guess this begs another question- looking at the recent weather, do you really want to be tramping through Bristol in the pouring rain?  ;D

(In summer, I honestly think the walk would be best!)

Agreed. In the summer I am happy to walk from my home to Shirehampton Station (about 2 miles), but in the winter my route through the woods turns into a quagmire, so I reluctantly hand over more money to First Group and get the bus.

I have a few friends that live around the Montpelier area of Bristol... In the summer, a walk from their house down to town can save about 10 minutes by bus in the rush hour...

However, walking through Stokes Croft or waiting for a bus in Montpelier at 21:30 on a winters night in the dark is just asking for trouble... (Something i've had first hand experience of but fortunately the No. 70 turned up just in time to ;D )

Taxi me thinks... Costs about ^5 to get to the centre or about ^12 direct to BRI IIRC (assuming another 89p McDonalds Cup of Tea is not required ;D ;) ) But really IMHO thats good value if you consider the much, much lower risk of getting mugged/attacked etc...!

Also a similar journey time to walking. Whenever I've looked at connections to the Severn Beach line there's a 17 minute connection every 2 hours in both directions, which rarely fits my travel plans. If I'm going to Avonmouth I walk to Clifton Down (40 minutes) saving time and money.

I agree with Grecian, that walking is the only nice way to get around Bristol, even when it's raining (as long as you can avoid getting soaked by passing cars).