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Bristol Metro bus (Merged)


Pickle Rick

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12 minutes ago, Scrumpy said:

Looks like this wonderful idea has disrupted enough so far and is not looking like a popular draw for bus companies...

Further problems ahead so it seems.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-37167430

If you compare the Tube in London, it can carry huge numbers of people and (apart from the awful trade unions) provides a very good reliable service upon which people trust and have learned to depend. This Metrobus will not even be able to  service the new Arena or the two football stadia.  Not promising!

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7 minutes ago, Barrs Court Red said:

It will certainly be an improvement if you live in South Glos. not really sure what the majority of Bristolians are getting out of it though. Left traffic maybe?

I would have thought that the "acid" test would have been how the transport system could cope with the really big times of demand, like from the arena and stadia.  I read that they will run every half hour or so and only take 30 or 40 people at a time.  A big, late night concert, would still leave thousands stranded unless the public transport system can react. And what about commuters?  I understand that Bristol is difficult to plan public transport due to the steep hills and narrow roads - but if the people cannot depend upon it in all circumstances (like the Tube) then it will never solve the problems of the city and congestion will remain and grow.  This also needs to link up with decent rail services.  It is virtually impossible to get back to Taunton after a concert in Bristol - I have to drive there just to pick up my son.  This does not appear to have been thought through very well!

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3 minutes ago, Monkeh said:

so the scheme that the majority of Bristol said was a white elephant and the council/mayor ignored turned out to be a giant white elephant, who'd of thought it

In order to really be of use, there would have to be many dozens of metrobus vehicles to serve commuters, the school run, the Arena, the Rugby and City and rovers.  All this I addition to the normal shopping, sightseeing and day to day business.  Unless this links up really well to extensive train services linked to towns and villages outside Bristol, then it will be the white elephant that you describe.  The City really needs some visionary leadership.  Red trousers was a complete disaster - and the new chap has only just started, although he looks like more of a mouse than a man.  I hope that I am wrong because advancing age is making it more difficult to get to Ashton Gate - and deliver my circa £2000 per annum contribution to the Bristol economy.  A few tens of thousands of people like me, and that could be a dent in the wealth making capacity of the economy of Bristol.  Better availability of jobs due to excellent public transport could help to reduce welfare dependency and increase individual prosperity.  It really is a key area of concern!

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The solution is so obvious, it should not need Uncle TFR to explain.

Either ban cars from the centre of Bristol, OR introduce a punitive congestion charge to put an end no unnecessary car use in the centre.

Do it.

Stop pissing about and 'do it', and we can all stop moaning.

You can't ask folk politely to use public transport as1) they hate it and 2) itl's pretty shit anyway.

Someone needs to make a decision - like an 'all powerful major'. Oh we already have one of those .........

Jesus.

:grr:

Uncle TFR

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2 hours ago, Monkeh said:

so the scheme that the majority of Bristol said was a white elephant and the council/mayor ignored turned out to be a giant white elephant, who'd of thought it

While GF deserves some stick as he said he would cancel it. It was the Lib Dem's who rammed it through without any chance of change before GF took power. They simply saw the money on offer from central goverment and grabbed without any real thought of what's best.  I firmly believe in 10 years or so it'll be converted into a light railway/tram scheme. Just like every other failed guided bus route in the UK so far (maybe with the exception of Cambridge, which is massively overbudget and late - sound familar?)

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I'm just back from Edinburgh where their tram scheme is the same story: overrun on cost and time and finally delivered in a much reduced scale. However, as it starts at the airport, when used in conjunction with the conventional buses it is a real asset for the tourist - if not for the poor s*ds who live there and have to fund it.

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16 hours ago, Tomarse said:

While GF deserves some stick as he said he would cancel it. It was the Lib Dem's who rammed it through without any chance of change before GF took power. They simply saw the money on offer from central goverment and grabbed without any real thought of what's best.  I firmly believe in 10 years or so it'll be converted into a light railway/tram scheme. Just like every other failed guided bus route in the UK so far (maybe with the exception of Cambridge, which is massively overbudget and late - sound familar?)

Would there be room to have a light railway?  I should imagine that many of the roads are already going to be more constricted by Metrobus - and in London, the tube goes through chalk and clay, in Bristol, with its "gurt big hills" they are made of limestone and would be harder to tunnel through.  It could totally transform the city if a tube type system could be built - but the cost would be immense for a relatively small population compared with London.  As an outsider, my main concern is getting to the games and home again afterwards, and I feel that a great deal of thinking and planning has to be undertaken to make life easier for fans of all the professional clubs and the new arena, which will involve transporting thousands of people late into the evening.

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28 minutes ago, Bat Fastard said:

Would there be room to have a light railway?  I should imagine that many of the roads are already going to be more constricted by Metrobus - and in London, the tube goes through chalk and clay, in Bristol, with its "gurt big hills" they are made of limestone and would be harder to tunnel through.  It could totally transform the city if a tube type system could be built - but the cost would be immense for a relatively small population compared with London.  As an outsider, my main concern is getting to the games and home again afterwards, and I feel that a great deal of thinking and planning has to be undertaken to make life easier for fans of all the professional clubs and the new arena, which will involve transporting thousands of people late into the evening.

Presumably whatever bus eventually trundles over the Ashton Avenue Bridge when they kindly reopen it will haul fans to the Gate by their hundreds. Anyone know what the route of the bus will be?

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2 minutes ago, Renaissance Dolman said:

Presumably whatever bus eventually trundles over the Ashton Avenue Bridge when they kindly reopen it will haul fans to the Gate by their hundreds. Anyone know what the route of the bus will be?

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17 hours ago, Tomarse said:

While GF deserves some stick as he said he would cancel it. It was the Lib Dem's who rammed it through without any chance of change before GF took power. They simply saw the money on offer from central goverment and grabbed without any real thought of what's best.  I firmly believe in 10 years or so it'll be converted into a light railway/tram scheme. Just like every other failed guided bus route in the UK so far (maybe with the exception of Cambridge, which is massively overbudget and late - sound familar?)

I hope you're right. A tram system is exactly what we need, why we didn't put one on what's now the cycle track is beyond me.

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53 minutes ago, nebristolred said:

I hope you're right. A tram system is exactly what we need, why we didn't put one on what's now the cycle track is beyond me.

Fun fact. Avon Valley Railway did harbour plans to extend the track all the way to Bath again (90's) but pulled out when it became clear that they would have to open the line to other operators should they wish to run services! 

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1 hour ago, Barrs Court Red said:

Fun fact. Avon Valley Railway did harbour plans to extend the track all the way to Bath again (90's) but pulled out when it became clear that they would have to open the line to other operators should they wish to run services! 

They've been looking at it again, terminating at the old station (now sainsburys) but unfortunately gets complecated as some buildings on the original trackbed.

Swanage Railway has similar sort of problems where the last mile or so is owned by NR so makes it more than a bit headachy with mainline approval for locos etc.

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7 hours ago, nebristolred said:

I hope you're right. A tram system is exactly what we need, why we didn't put one on what's now the cycle track is beyond me.

The only tram that I can recall seeing in the UK was in Sheffield - and it looked very big.  Are you sure that it could fit into Bristol?

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Just now, nebristolred said:

Bristol used to have a tram system back in the day didn't it?

I don't know - I assume so. Even Weston had one many years ago.  My point is that the ones in Sheffield look very imposing - maybe they were smaller back in the day.  Maybe roads are more congested now and it may be harder to fit in the tramlines.  The Metrobus seems to cover onlt a fairly small part of the city - a useful contribution but a small contribution.  I don't know if the cycle paths could be used - but then where do the bikes go?

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40 minutes ago, Red Right Hand said:

Brunel must be turning in his grave the time it takes to get anything done in this city.

Tbf the suspension bridge took a while..

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3 minutes ago, Monkeh said:

he died before it was finished didn't he?

Yes, he never got to see his masterpiece. I think the failure of SS Great Eastern drove him to his death didn't it?  If it were now we'd probably be saying similar stuff about the time it take/took to build!

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The first bus operator to start running part of the MetroBus service is First Bristol. They will start running the MetroBus route from Ashton Vale to Temple Meads and Bristol city centre as soon as infrastructure works are completed and roadside bus facilities are installed.

Construction on the first MetroBus route to open is going well. The bus guideway and its traffic-free cycle and pedestrian path will be finished in the early summer. The skew bridge that guides MetroBus over the Bristol to Portishead railway line and under the elevated section of the A370 is nearly complete too.

 

MetroBus have recently finished their £3.8 million refurbishment of Ashton Avenue Bridge which has reopened to pedestrians and cyclists.

Construction work is also progressing on a second bridge at Bathurst Basin that will double the road space available to all vehicles and provide new space for cyclists and pedestrians. As well as constructing the new bridge, MetroBus is building new crossings that will make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists to travel between Cumberland Road, Bathurst Basin Parade, Wapping Road and Commercial Road.

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10 minutes ago, phantom said:

The first bus operator to start running part of the MetroBus service is First Bristol. They will start running the MetroBus route from Ashton Vale to Temple Meads and Bristol city centre as soon as infrastructure works are completed and roadside bus facilities are installed.

Construction on the first MetroBus route to open is going well. The bus guideway and its traffic-free cycle and pedestrian path will be finished in the early summer. The skew bridge that guides MetroBus over the Bristol to Portishead railway line and under the elevated section of the A370 is nearly complete too.

 

MetroBus have recently finished their £3.8 million refurbishment of Ashton Avenue Bridge which has reopened to pedestrians and cyclists.

Construction work is also progressing on a second bridge at Bathurst Basin that will double the road space available to all vehicles and provide new space for cyclists and pedestrians. As well as constructing the new bridge, MetroBus is building new crossings that will make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists to travel between Cumberland Road, Bathurst Basin Parade, Wapping Road and Commercial Road.

Oh dear, anything run by First is 1) shit, and 2) expensive.

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1 hour ago, JamesBCFC said:

Oh dear, anything run by First is 1) shit, and 2) expensive.

For sure.

I use the bus periodically and was shocked that in a year, maybe not much more- single fares rose from £1.50 then to £1.70. I got on one on Monday and found it was £2. Now while it's not much cash in real terms it's a rise of 1/3 in at most a bit more than a year.

The quality and reliability of services is also patchy- though in their partial defence, Bristol's roads are very clogged up indeed.

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4 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

For sure.

I use  the bus periodically and was shocked that in a year, maybe not much more- single fares rose from £1.50 then to £1.80. I got on one on Monday and found it was £2. Now while it's not much cash in real terms it's a rise of 1/3 in a year, maybe not much more.

I've been told in the past that they weren't selling a single ticket, and then been forced to buy a return, or dayrider.

I also had to get 2 busses in to my old job. The second of which was the very first of the day for that route. There wasn't a single day when that bus arrived on time.

Last year when they hiked the prices (Oct/Nov I think) I had to wait over an hour for a bus into town from Kingswood, a service that normally is 4 per hour, again when it was early morning (6am ish) I contacted First complaining about the service worsening but costing more, and got no response.

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On 25/08/2016 at 18:14, Red Right Hand said:

Brunel must be turning in his grave the time it takes to get anything done in this city.

The Council have scheduled the scoping meeting about planning permission for Brunel's grave, and we should have some idea after they have had the meeting about the arena.

You CANNOT rush perfection.

 

tfj

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34 minutes ago, JamesBCFC said:

I've been told in the past that they weren't selling a single ticket, and then been forced to buy a return, or dayrider.

I also had to get 2 busses in to my old job. The second of which was the very first of the day for that route. There wasn't a single day when that bus arrived on time.

Last year when they hiked the prices (Oct/Nov I think) I had to wait over an hour for a bus into town from Kingswood, a service that normally is 4 per hour, again when it was early morning (6am ish) I contacted First complaining about the service worsening but costing more, and got no response.

Wouldn't surprise me- I remember they stopped doing singles for a while, I think I remember anyway.

All of waht you say rings true- I remember getting a bus to my 2nd job a few months back and for successive weeks it wasn't a question of whether the bus would be late, more like how late. 17  minutes I think it was.

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