MetroBus - a time to help make it a success?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I read quite a bit on this forum that's not supportive of MetroBus, with relatively little than talks of it being what's right for public transport users. However, the project is nearing completion, and I wonder if now it the time to stop sniping at it and "name calling" it, and to start feeding constuctive tuning comments to the people who will be running it.    Would it be too much to suggest that public transport advocates partner with the team behind MetroBus to help market, promote, and snag the new service.   It may not be what you wanted, but isn't it an improvement on nothing, and won't you have more input into future developements if you work with (rather than against) the team providing it?

Discuss

When will services start?

Services will start in Autumn 2017.

The MetroBus route between Ashton Vale, Temple Meads and the city centre will be the first to launch. This will replace the 903 Park & Ride service. This will be followed by the route between Cribbs Causeway and Hengrove Park via UWE and the city centre.

The route from Emersons Green to the city centre, originally due to start in the Autumn, has been delayed due to South Gloucestershire Council’s repairs to the Bromley Heath viaduct on the A4174 ring road. This service will now start once the Bromley Heath viaduct work has been completed in the summer of 2018.

[JayMac]

Simple answer to all that.

No.

[simonw]

The problem with Bristol Transport, and Metrobus in particular, is that to many congestion points exist, and too many buses link multiple ones.

Hence scheduled bus journeys that take 45minutes, can take 90+ minutes, and buses disappear from parts of the city as all the buses are stuck somewhere else.

The advent of Metrobus just alleviates aspects of this, but does not address it.

If Metrobus had been 6 primary routes that where were 'free', linking with train and bus interchanges, and all other bus routes where paid as normal. This would of encouraged people out of there cars, and to use reliable local buses that where frequent, say every 5 minutes to complete journeys.

The current plan will change my 45 minutes bus route to 37 minutes. As it stands, cycling and train takes 30 minutes!

So whilst Metrobus may be a success, it could have, in my opinion, have been so much better.

Finally, the game changer in Greater Bristol will be MetroWest I&II.

[bobm]

Simple answer to all that.

No.

I don't live in Bristol but visit the city fairly regularly.  As a result I have an open mind about the scheme.  I haven't had to put up with the undoubted disruption its construction has/is causing which may have coloured some city residents' minds.  I don't have the luxury of a car so anything which improves public transport is a bonus for me.

As a former resident of the area would you like to summarise your concerns with the scheme so I can see both sides?

[Red Squirrel]

Simple answer to all that.

No.

An understandable reaction, given the history of the thing.

I was one of the people who took every available opportunity to shout 'NO' when this chimera was being conceived - of course light rail would have been infinitely better; arguably nothing would have been better as it would have left the floor clear for a better option. There's an old joke about someone replying 'I wouldn't start from here' when asked directions; I'm sure few people would start here given the choice, but here is indeed where we have to start.

So here's my initial two penn'orth:  We need to start lobbying for 100% electric buses - not the hybrid ones we have a few of now, but 100% electric ones.

The problem with Bristol Transport, and Metrobus in particular, is that to many congestion points exist, and too many buses link multiple ones.

Yes. Bristol does not have a traffic problem - it has a planning problem; particularly in that part of Bristol currently known as South Glos.

The advent of Metrobus just alleviates aspects of this, but does not address it.

It won't alleviate it. Some motorists will 'shift modes' and use MetroBus, but the road space they vacate will soon be filled by others.

If Metrobus had been 6 primary routes that where were 'free', linking with train and bus interchanges, and all other bus routes where paid as normal. This would of encouraged people out of there cars, and to use reliable local buses that where frequent, say every 5 minutes to complete journeys.

I think this has been tried elsewhere. Again, any modal shift that this generates is soon soaked up by other motorists who see new road-based journey opportunities.

So whilst Metrobus may be a success, it could have, in my opinion, have been so much better.

I think we can all agree with at least part of that sentence!

Finally, the game changer in Greater Bristol will be MetroWest I&II.

Again, I doubt that it will achieve net modal shift. But it will be nice for those of us who like trains and can use it.

[martyjon]

Yes. Bristol does not have a traffic problem - it has a planning problem; particularly in that part of Bristol currently known as South Glos.

A typical example of this is a local high street, 28 foot wide kerb to kerb, 6 foot car parking bays marked both sides of the highway leaving just 16 foot for two 8 foot 6 inch buses to pass each other. Even the village idiot can work out that that isn't going to work, something the highly paid planners can't do, then they wonder why there is congestion.

[GBM]

A typical example of this is a local high street, 28 foot wide kerb to kerb, 6 foot car parking bays marked both sides of the highway leaving just 16 foot for two 8 foot 6 inch buses to pass each other. Even the village idiot can work out that that isn't going to work, something the highly paid planners can't do, then they wonder why there is congestion.
[/quote]
10 inches?  We're always taught to treat as 8 feet 10 inches for safety.

[Bmblbzzz]

Yes. Bristol does not have a traffic problem - it has a planning problem; particularly in that part of Bristol currently known as South Glos.

A typical example of this is a local high street, 28 foot wide kerb to kerb, 6 foot car parking bays marked both sides of the highway leaving just 16 foot for two 8 foot 6 inch buses to pass each other. Even the village idiot can work out that that isn't going to work, something the highly paid planners can't do, then they wonder why there is congestion.

This is Standard for Parking. Not a specific Bristol problem (though even the "green-tinged" red-trousered mayor's RPZs were too timid to touch it) but one general to the perceived need for everyone to park on their own street.

[Bmblbzzz]

To my mind the biggest potential problem of MetroBus is the roads that have been built specifically for it. Not the disruption they've caused or the allotments or nature reserves or buildings or whatever they're destroyed, but the fact that they are new roads which will almost inevitably in time be opened up to general traffic. Modal shift my arse!

[Red Squirrel]

To my mind the biggest potential problem of MetroBus is the roads that have been built specifically for it. Not the disruption they've caused or the allotments or nature reserves or buildings or whatever they're destroyed, but the fact that they are new roads which will almost inevitably in time be opened up to general traffic. Modal shift my arse!

MetroBus (or more specifically the MetroBus millions) brought different things to different interest groups. Bristol, for example, has long sought ways to squeeze motor cars out of The Centre; MetroBus has provided funding and given justification for a significant public realm improvement here. This is a rare example of how modal shift can actually work - it's getting harder for cars to go there, so alternative modes start to look preferable. Similarly, whilst not a MetroBus project, the simplification of the Temple Circus junction will make the area less permeable to motorists and more permeable to everyone else, so more modal shift away from the mobile death greenhouse.

As to the South Bristol link road - speaking as a north-central Bristolian, it has made getting out of Bristol to the south by car a lot easier, and has opened up a very useful cycle link. And it's hard to conceive that the bus-only junction on the M32 will not improve journey times for bus users.

So not all bad, really, is it?

[simonw]

The MetroBus budget has done several very good things, that are worth the money spent!

• South Bristol Link Road
• Stoke Gifford Bypass
• M32 Junction for UWE
• M32/Newfoundland Rd Bus Priority lane

but these do not make a transport system, or the backbone of one!

[Bmblbzzz]

MetroBus to increase house prices (after reducing them?) and boost house building.

MetroBus 'will add at least 10 per cent to value of homes on the route'
The £220 million bus lane project will 'transform where people choose to live in Bristol'

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BYTRISTAN CORK
09:00, 11 JUL 2017
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The council chiefs behind the controversial MetroBus project have claimed it will increase house prices along the route - just a week after revealing a scheme allowing people to claim compensation if it devalues their homes.

While councils in North Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire prepare to receive claims from people alleging that being right on the route has meant the value of their home has decreased, MetroBus and the very same council chiefs from across the area say experience in other cities with new mass-transit systems meant they could confidently predict a house price rise for those living along the route.

The Bristol Post revealed the compensation scheme last week - but this week MetroBus has come out fighting and predicted the opposite would happen when the buses start running in the autumn.

The scheme's backers pointed to what happened in Edinburgh along the route of tram lines that began running in 2014 – where average house prices have gone up around ten per cent in the three years since.

READ MORE
How you can claim compensation if you live near MetroBus route
And they quoted the examples of London, where homes near a tube station are on average much more expensive than places without easy access to the tube.

They said that in 2014, building society Nationwide reported that being near a tube station added £42,000 to the price of a London house, being near a Metrolink stop in Manchester adds £12,000, while proximity to a Glasgow railway station added £9,400. They also found that buyers in London would pay an average of 10.5 per cent more for a home within 500m of a tube station.


The MetroBus route being built near in south Bristol. The MetroBus stop here will serve the 184 residential units at Paxton Drive, pictured, and 120 new flats and 30 houses that are proposed for the nearby Ashton Station site.
But those examples quoted are of trams or trains – whereas the MetroBus is a bespoke bus lane, designed to connect north and south Bristol with a quicker bus service.

READ MORE
Bristol MetroBus costs increase by £16million in two years
MetroBus insisted that other places which had a designated ‘busway’ saw similar house price increases.

“MetroBus is expected to have the same effect as similar schemes in other UK^▸ (United Kingdom) cities,” a spokesman said. “Demand for houses along the Cambridge busway significantly increased since it opened in 2011 and earlier this year the Independent reported that 2016 house prices in Luton, where the area’s Fast Track scheme operates, have increased at double the UK’s annual price growth.”

MetroBus has also instigated a scheme where people can claim compensation if they can prove

The first MetroBus route to open will start later this year, and see Ashton Vale and the Long Ashton park and ride connected to Bristol Temple Meads with a mixture of a busway around Ashton Gate and a bus lane on the existing road network along Spike Island and Redcliffe.

Map showing the route of the Metrobus from Ashton Vale to Temple Meads
Map showing the route of the Metrobus from Ashton Vale to Temple Meads
Ashton Vale is already earmarked for large-scale housebuilding, and Metrobus said those homes will be much sought-after because of the good transport links.

READ MORE
New era dawns for Temple Circus as flourishing area's regeneration begins
“Academics at Portland State University examined schemes similar to MetroBus and discovered strong evidence that they had positive impact on economic growth by generating development, attracting higher-wage jobs and affordable housing,” said a Metrobus spokesman.

“Bus Rapid Transit schemes like MetroBus are designed to fit between local bus and rail networks and cater for trips of a length or stopping frequency less well-served by these modes.


Map showing the Cribbs Patchway Metrobus Extension (dotted line)
“They’re also faster and more reliable than traditional local bus services.

“Quicker journey times are achieved by less dwell time at stops, smart ticketing and dedicated lanes separated from traffic. BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit) routes are often longer but have fewer stops than regular bus services.

READ MORE
First Bus Bristol named as Metrobus operator for Ashton Vale to Temple Meads route
“The American study found that BRT routes encouraged office growth with employers choosing to relocate to areas on BRT routes. Areas served by BRT routes also performed better during the economic recovery that followed the 2008 recession and attracted more higher-wage and manufacturing jobs.”

Metrobus listed the new developments along the route – some of which are already being lived in, others are several years from being built.

Hengrove/Filwood 8,000 new homes

Wapping Wharf – 700 homes

General Hospital (Bathurst Basin) – 205 homes

City centre & Enterprise Zone (Temple Meads) – 7,400 new homes, 150,000sqm of new office space, new £300m University of Bristol campus which includes significant student accommodation, the forthcoming extensive redevelopment of Broadmead will include 150 residential units

Bedminster Green - Plans for 800 homes

Metrobus route in Ashton from the air
Metrobus route in Ashton from the air
Ashton Vale - Plans for 140 new homes, including 56 new council houses

Ashton Station - Plans for 120 flats, 30 houses and commercial space.

Emersons Green - 2000 new homes

Harry Stoke - 2000 new homes

Coldharbour Lane - 500 new homes

“We’ve known for a long time that communities benefit from improved public transport,” said Bristol city council’s deputy mayor, Asher Craig. “Bus networks, like MetroBus, increase the number and range of jobs accessible to people. This is especially critical for people on low incomes or who are less skilled, who are less likely to have access to a car.

“These people usually qualify for a narrower range of jobs, which are often scattered across a large area. MetroBus will make it easier for people to make those longer cross-city journeys that our existing bus services don’t cater for.”

READ MORE
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Metrobus said it will soon start to change the way the city runs, and where people choose to live.

“Easy access to public transport is an important consideration for more people when choosing where to live,” said a spokesman. "Demand for housing near public transport is rising, and especially amongst younger people. Recent studies reveal people under 30 drive less, walk more and are more dependent on public transport.

“Good public transport in cities increases connectivity, accessibility and helps create healthy and desirable neighbourhoods. High frequency bus and rail services reduce congestion, encourage economic investment and improve air quality.

“The economic benefits of transport improvements are already in evidence in Bristol where a hotel recently sold for more than £1.6 million because of its proximity to the South Bristol Link, a combined road and MetroBus route,” he added.

“MetroBus will make it easier for people to leave their car at home and choose public transport for more journeys,” said South Gloucestershire’s transport chief, Colin Hunt.


“We expect that MetroBus will have the same impact as similar schemes across the UK. Homes near MetroBus routes are going to be in greater demand as easy access to reliable public transport is now a key factor when choosing where to live. The great thing about MetroBus is that it has been designed to serve existing communities and many of the new housing developments that are being built across our region.”

Steve Pearce, Bristol’s cabinet councillor for transport, said the MetroBus would be ‘very different’ to a regular bus service.

READ MORE
MetroBus boss quits council job days after report reveals cost has gone up again
“MetroBus will transform public transport in the West of England area,” he said. “MetroBus is very different to the bus services we’re used to. The greater segregation and gaps between stops and higher frequency of service mean passengers will benefit from more reliable and faster services.”

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/metrobus-will-add-least-10-185194

[rogerw]

I think that the reasoning behind the predicted increase in property values is somewhat optimistic.  All the examples quoted related to rail based rapid transit systems which are accepted to be attractive to users than buses.  I don't know if there are any comparative figures for the Cambridge busway, although this is more of an inter-urban route so probably not a good comparison for Metrobus

[grahame]

Ashton Station - Plans for 120 flats, 30 houses and commercial space.

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/metrobus-will-add-least-10-185194

Ashton Station ?  Is that a railway station, or a bus station?

[Red Squirrel]

It is a potential site for a new railway station on the potential Portishead railway  line.