Sector spotlight: transport

Bristol is capable of packing an impressive punch on the global platform, recognised for its many attributes that catch the eye of investors, visitors and newcomers.

But this thriving city has an acute transport problem that is holding it back: watch the lights change for a third time while you sit in traffic, attempt to navigate your way around treacherous pavements on foot, or battle the roads by bike a few times and it doesn’t take long for the shine to fade.

Campaigner Seth Piper starkly outlined the scale of the situation in a recent article for Bristol24/7, where he called for bolder action from the city’s leaders to address a growing crisis that is putting lives at risk, with 300 deaths attributed to air pollution each year.

…………………………………………

Read more: ‘Bristol transport is in crisis and people are already paying with their lives’

…………………………………………

Arguably, the ambition is there to drastically shake things up, with plans on the table for a multi-billion pound Bristol underground, as well as the introduction of a congestion zone, possible parking levies and expansion of the rail network.

Bristol24/7 understands that there have even been high-level talks between City Hall and a company willing to build a cable car system in Bristol.

Parking in Bristol is a constant challenge for many

James Durie, chief executive of Business West confirmed that getting Bristol moving is a major priority for the business community.

“We are internationally recognised as one of the most liveable cities, a growth hot spot with a strong, dynamic economy and an increasing population,” he said.

“This is set to continue, but certainly requires a transportation, access and movement system that is able to support it.

“We have worked for many years at the city and region level to help deliver better transport and have consistently advocated the benefits of an integrated mass transportation system for Bristol.

“There is an increasing number of new and improved services being offered, such as My First Mile, Slide, YoBike, Snap and the Ultra Low programme. These all enable smarter, cleaner, greener transport to be used, but it does and will require a significant shift in behaviour to reduce the over-reliance on private vehicles with single passengers.

“Business remains impatient for progress, but also recognises this simply will not be delivered overnight. This is part of our shared challenge into the future.”

Mhairi Threlfall says the council wants to adopt a ‘transport first’ approach to new developments

Mhairi Threlfell, Bristol City Council’s cabinet member for transport, agrees that transport is one of the biggest challenges facing the city, but says the Labour administration is setting the right wheels in motion to make a change.

“The Bristol Transport Strategy (going out to public consultation in the autumn) is the first of its kind,” she told Bristol24/7.

“It lays out the key challenges we face, it will act as a “linchpin” policy document for our other mode-specific strategies, and it will set out the vision for transport in the city of the next 20 years.

“We want to establish a ‘transport first’ approach to new developments, which includes a ring of park and rides, rapid and mass transit and active travel.”

Meanwhile, the city centre is already undergoing major changes – as anyone who has to navigate the roads and walkways around the Temple Gate roundabout will testify – with the end result designed to ease congestion and improve the flow of traffic.

Of course, there can be few who have forgotten the building of the controversial Metrobus scheme, which met with months of delays and caused traffic chaos throughout the city centre that have taken their its toll on businesses.

But with the first two routes now up and running, transport bosses say it is already exceeding expectations in terms of passenger numbers.

The Metobus M2 route officially opened in early September

“After just two months, First recorded that 120,000 passengers used the M3 service, greatly exceeding forecast usage,” said Metrobus bosses in a joint statement.

“We have also found that approximately one in five Metrobus customers questioned at Lyde Green in the morning peak said they used to take the car and now they take the Metrobus. This suggests about 13,200 commuter car journeys a year will be taken off the roads from that stop alone.

“With the M2 route from Long Ashton Park & Ride into Temple Meads and the city centre now up and running, and the M1 route (from Hengrove to Cribbs Causeway & Aztec West) in January, plus more services and routes already proposed, Metrobus will play a significant role in reducing congestion and improving air quality by proving a high quality public transport option for people.”

£40m will be spent to renovate the historic roof of Temple Meads over the next five years

Network Rail bosses also appear prepared to make improvements to a system that is currently cumbersome and costly, as they promise that Bristol is seeing unprecedented investment in the railway.

A spokesperson said: “From next year, passengers will see improved journey times to London, further increasing capacity and improving services.”

Improvements being made to the rail network include Network Rail’s biggest ever re-signalling project, which took place over Easter to update the former “antiquated” system and doubling the railway lines between Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood to enable an increase in trains from 2019.

There will also be upgrades to Bristol Parkway that include electrifying the line, adding a new platform, a planned upgrade of the Severn Beach line and 14 new ticket gates due to be in operation at two new entrances to Temple Meads, which is also set to get a £40m roof refurbishment.

But while transport bosses peddle a positive message, campaigners say far more drastic action is needed to make sustainable modes of transport the obvious way to get around.

The Bristol & Bath Railway Path is a green corridor through the centre of the city

“We are currently facing a public health crisis, with over 300 people dying prematurely as a result of poor air quality in Bristol,” said Jon Usher of Sustrans.

“We need to see quick actions to reduce the number of vehicles on our roads and to enable more walking, cycling and public transport journeys to be made.

“When we say enable, we mean to make the alternatives to driving the obvious, most convenient and safest means of getting around our city. The council’s plans for walking and cycling will need to go beyond filling in the ‘missing links’, but to consider whether existing infrastructure is fit for purpose. This is crucial as our city is growing quickly, but we can’t build more space to move more cars around – we need to use the existing road capacity in a more efficient way.

“Walking and cycling are increasingly popular, but there are still large parts of the city where there is little or no infrastructure to enable people to make safe, healthy transport choices, where residential roads are rat-runs, pavements are full of parked cars and traffic speeds are off putting to anyone but the most confident. In order for this to change, for the city to improve our air quality and collective health and well-being, we need to be honest that we all need to drive less.”

Marvin Rees told Bristol24/7 that he considers himself to be a cyclist

There is one tried and tested means of getting around the city that avoids roads altogether.

The tranquil waterways are a far cry from their hectic, smog-filled, tarmac counterparts – and with miles water running through the centre, it is a viable means of transportation for many that is perhaps still underutilised.

Number 7 Boats operate at weekends and school holidays, providing a service from Hotwells to Temple Meads in their boats with sharp teeth painted on the bows.

From Monday to Sunday, they also run the cross-harbour ferry from the Harbour Inlet to the SS Great Britain in a Rotork Sea Truck – co-designed by James Dyson while he was still a student at London’s Royal College of Art.

Bristol ferries operate all year round

The distinctive blue and yellow Bristol Ferry Boats have been carrying passengers around since 1977 and operate rain or shine, 364 days a year, covering 17 landing stages, to a published timetable, between Temple Meads and Hotwells.

Co-owner Philippa Bungard said: “It is proven that spending time on and around the water is good for health and wellbeing. As well as being traffic free, our waterway is beautiful at any time of the year, so let’s make the most of this very special transport option.

“In the early 1990s, we built the first landing stage at Temple Meads which opened up an important transport link enabling passengers to alight their train and travel onwards to the centre and beyond by boat.”

Philippa added that the passenger experience could be greatly enhanced by shelters and better signage at landing stages, while real time information at stops and options for onward travel would all make for an improved integrated transport system.

Read more: ‘Transport in Bristol is a right royal mess’