MetroBus

[whole diary]

[Noggin]

...beginning to go way off topic there.

As was I, of course.

Or were we? Although the thread title is 'MetroBust' (which has its own thread elsewhere on this forum), the content of the OP^▸ (Original Poster / topic starter) was about Bristol's new mayor, and his attitude to public transport. Since we don't have much evidence for this, I thought it useful to see if we can deduce anything from the published opinions of his new right-hand man. I'm not sure we have strayed very far off topic!

I think it is worth discussing migration into Bristol, because it does change the demographic composition of the city and thus affect patterns of and demand for transport.

Lots of the inbound migration is young professional people in IT, media/marketing and professional services, who whilst working in Bristol, have employers, clients, or work for companies with clients in London and around the rest of the country. I know a number of people who work for London companies, either directly or indirectly, and spend a couple of days a week in London, then otherwise work at home, at a rent-a-desk or with clients. For most of them, their companies will quite happily to have them live in Bristol and pay the train fare to London (or wherever) they are needed, as they are valuable employees who are billed out to clients at hefty rates. It might sound crazy, but there are plenty of them around if you look in the right places.

For companies and individuals, Bristol has a great quality of life, great pools of talent, it's far less expensive to live, work and get things done than in London, young talented workers are happy to live here, people with families find (relatively) affordable houses, good schools, childcare etc. There are great rail services, a good airport, London, Heathrow and the rest of the country are easy to get to, there's some lovely countryside etc.

Now in some ways that's great. Middle-class (for want of a better label) professionals play a huge part in urban regeneration, they bring money into the community, they restore and maintain their houses employing builders, they take part in the community, they drive higher standards in schools, they use local shops, support the arts, go to concerts etc., they have cleaners, nannies, childminders, pay their council tax etc.   

But the downside as Paul Smith says, is that can lead to shortages of properties and risk ghettoising groups like social tenants. I'd argue that public transport is key to defusing that as firstly, it means that incomers will diffuse, for example, upgrading the Severn Beach line, building the Portishead line, building stations at Saltford and St Annes would all greatly help this. Secondly, it can connect cheaper, under-developed areas to the city and jobs. For example, there are lots of warehouse jobs being created in places like Avonmouth and food/retail/cleaning jobs in the city but they are difficult/time-consuming to get to if you live somewhere like Hengrove. To that end MetroBus might be a good thing and actually improve a lot of people's lives, even if it seems a bit excessive to others.

[simonw]

The problem that Mervin has not yet recognised is that Bristol population is the highest it has ever been, over 441K, whilst provided homes is very important, there is no space in Bristol that the council can use to to provided 10K homes.

Private developers can redevelop areas, for example Wapping Warf and Redcliffe Quarter but there target audience will be young professions.

The most important issue facing Bristol and the surrounding areas is transport, and this must be addressed as the No 1 priority!

MetroBus, MetroWest and trams are all needed to allow people to live and commute in this area

[Bmblbzzz]

Homes don't have to be houses, mind.

[Red Squirrel]

...and trams...

Depressingly, it is difficult to imagine any set of circumstances under which trams will come to Bristol this side of The Rapture.

[TonyK]

The Rupture, more like.

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

Has Bristol considered implementing Work Place Parking Levies now that central government has approved their use? As far as I know Nottingham is the only major city to do so and the large amount of funds generated is being used to pay for trams services extensions. ^500 per vehicle per annum wopuld raise (gross) some ^25M a year that could finance capital spening of some ^500M on a major public transport project. In addition to fund raising the work place levy encourages a greater use of public transport by reducing the cost differential between private car use and much higher transport fares whilst also helping to reduce road congestion because fewer private cars are on the roads.
Here in Oxfordshire the County Council has mentioned the possibility of introducing the WPL but only on a very low profile. I think the members are afraid of the heavy opposition they would face from current road users, of whom there are many throusands who have free access to the thousands of private parking places in central Oxford, many within the Oxford colleges.

[simonw]

Sounds like a brilliant plan, BUT

• Most car drivers commute from outside Bristol. Would Bristol be minded to spend the money collected outside Bristol to help these commuters, or would it divert the money for other schemes, say housing
• Would businesses move to other areas, SGC or BANES, to avoid this tax?

For this to work it must be across the whole Avon area and be used as revenue stream (a long with a local tax)  to a local Transport Authority to implement a public Transport System for everyone.   

[Red Squirrel]

For them as likes this kind of thing, here's a timelapse of the installation of the new bridge (for the MetroBus bus-only junction) over the M32:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTDCzrXbVk4

[Bmblbzzz]

I hear some people were so impressed by the M32 closure they've requested it be done every year as a street party. I'm not sure of Mayor Marvin's response...

[TonyK]

There are others who would want to de-trunk it, so that the hard shoulder can be used by MetroBust.

[trainer]

There are others who would want to de-trunk it, so that the hard shoulder can be used by MetroBust.

You mean Six Lanes, Now?

[ellendune]

There are others who would want to de-trunk it, so that the hard shoulder can be used by MetroBust.

Don't think it would need to be detrunked to have a bus lane - the M4 Near London had one for a time. 

[Red Squirrel]

There are others who would want to de-trunk it, so that the hard shoulder can be used by MetroBust.

Don't think it would need to be detrunked to have a bus lane - the M4 Near London had one for a time. 

Google 'm32 detrunking' and you'll see that this idea appears to have been pretty much put to bed back in 2007.

[Bmblbzzz]

The old M4 bus lane was in L3, just like the current bus lane immediately after the end of the motorway section of the M32 IYSWIM. So no need for any use of the hard shoulder, and presumably therefore no detrunking required; though BCC^» (Bristol City Council - about) would probably be more likely to install a bus lane than the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about).

[ellendune]

The old M4 bus lane was in L3, just like the current bus lane immediately after the end of the motorway section of the M32 IYSWIM. So no need for any use of the hard shoulder, and presumably therefore no detrunking required; though BCC^» (Bristol City Council - about) would probably be more likely to install a bus lane than the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about).

On large parts of the motorways the hard shoulder is being converted into a running lane for use in busy times, so the M32 would not have to be detrunked for the hard shoulder to be used.