Bristol Undergound

[whole diary]

[Red Squirrel]

According to my sources, two tunnels are being considered:

One would go under Temple Meads station, as a way of linking the station to a reopened St Philips Marsh-Brislington-Whitchurch rail line (possibly this could be a BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit) scheme), with the option of then going to Bath via the A4, or to South Bristol on-road via Callington Rd-Hengrove Park; or both.

Another would go from Brabazon (North Filton) to ‘Montpelier’, there to link into central Bristol. This would involve about 4 km of tunnel and one or more stations, e.g. (presumably) Southmead Hospital.

Some initial costings should be available later in the spring.

[TonyK]

Hopefully there would be some services in east and south Bristol too.

I think the chances of some services in east and south Bristol are as good as the chances of underground services within the rest of the city and surrounding area.

Looking at the history of transport in Bristol and surrounds can be a dispiriting thing. Modern day trams were proposed and lost thrice at least. The decades long saga of Portishead shows little sign of resolution. Portway station has started to rise from the ground, some 12 years after I remember Tim Kent telling us it would be up and running by 2013. MetroBust's business case had the eye-watering sums borrowed by the councils for their share of the cost being repaid by access charges ponied up by the many different operators eager to run services on the infrastructure. Not only has that not happened, but yesterday's Bristol Live reported that a subsidy is being offered in a tender exercise, to find an operator to run the first buses on the South Bristol Link Road since it opened four years ago. First Group haven't said yet how much they want to be paid to bring lots of fresh air from Hengrove to the city centre, but I am sure they will. Against this backdrop, I can see absolutely no way in the world that underground tunnels of any significant size will ever carry traffic of any kind through Bristol unless old railway tunnels are returned to their proper use. It is the fantasy of a mayor who may soon not even have a job to fight to hold on to, and will have to resort to becoming a MP^▸ (Member of Parliament).

The search for proper public transport throughout the greater Bristol area is more urgent now than it ever has been. This is because so far, all transport schemes have had the overarching aim of reducing air pollution caused by traffic. By the time this particular saga has run its natural course and been dropped as unfeasible, many, many people in the area will have followed the admirable example set by Red Squirrel, and bought an electric car. That means the end of the pollution argument, and it won't be easy telling voters who have paid tens of thousands of pounds on an emission free runabout that they can't have roads to drive on because they are needed for more MetroBust routes.

There are obvious routes that could be used for light rail above ground, shifting crowds of up to 400 behind a single "Drive" if Manchester's model is followed. I'm sure the price would be huge, but compare favourably with that of tunnels below Temple Meads and elsewhere. More importantly, it would actually work. Talk of pods or underground buses isn't helpful, and nor is Marvin's oft-repeated mantra of "mass transit". That sounds like more buses, but whatever it is, he needs to make his mind up and come out with specifics, before the post of elected mayor is unceremoniously Colstoned by his loving electorate,

[Bmblbzzz]

...before the post of elected mayor is unceremoniously Colstoned by his loving electorate,

Giving Marvin Rees the honour of being the most often elected Mayor of Bristol? 

[Red Squirrel]

The search for proper public transport throughout the greater Bristol area is more urgent now than it ever has been. This is because so far, all transport schemes have had the overarching aim of reducing air pollution caused by traffic. By the time this particular saga has run its natural course and been dropped as unfeasible, many, many people in the area will have followed the admirable example set by Red Squirrel, and bought an electric car. That means the end of the pollution argument, and it won't be easy telling voters who have paid tens of thousands of pounds on an emission free runabout that they can't have roads to drive on because they are needed for more MetroBust routes.

Cars don't work as a form of transport in cities.

This has been known since Buchanan did his origin and destination studies in the early sixties. Ever since then the problem has been political - how do you tell people who've invested heavily in motoring that they have been sold a pup? Cars take up a ludicrously disproportionate amount of space, and ruin cities. Compact, liveable cities require good public transport and limited access for private cars.

Maybe one day someone will find a way to get people to digest the awful truth that cars are actually a form of pollution. Until then perhaps clean air and security are convenient excuses for increasingly excluding cars. 

...before the post of elected mayor is unceremoniously Colstoned by his loving electorate,

Rees, as you will know, won't be standing for re-election. I am pretty sure he'll be the last person to hold the position, which was anachronistic from the outset - other cities were supposed to elect for mayors, but didn't, leaving Bristol on its own.

The West of England is now the Transport Authority, albeit not an Integrated one, and any meaningful decisions will increasingly be made at that level.

[TonyK]

The West of England is now the Transport Authority, albeit not an Integrated one, and any meaningful decisions will increasingly be made at that level.

Indeed so, but wasn't it supposed to be the case during the mayoralty of the previous Western Super Mayor, and prior to that the Joint Transport Committee of the Local Enterprise Partnership? If the idea was to smooth out disagreements and get stuff actually done, it hasn't worked yet.