Today is decision day for Metrobus plans which pass through the edge of Greater Fishponds. As we have shared before on a few occasions the Greater Fishponds Neighbourhood Partnership board, voted overwhelmingly against the plans to build a Bus Only Junction on Feed Bristol and Stapleton Allotments when the issue was first raised by the Transport Sub Group chaired by Mr Mock in 2012. The way that Neighbourhood Partnerships have been set up are similar to Parish Councils, so citywide infrastructure projects arent empowered to local communities whereas local green spaces are which is why the Greater Fishponds NP board saved all of our green spaces from being sold off in 2012. If this plan by Metrobus is passed today, we will see a 200 million pounds bus system run from UWE Frenchay Campus to Stoke Lane and then access the M32 on a 17 million pound bridge (bus-only-junction) and race in and out of the city centre. From the city centre people can then travel across South Bristol to Hengrove where for example the cinema is up to 50% cheaper than it is at Cribbs Causeway at certain times of the week. The bus only junction plans have upset 1000s of local people and 100s have written against the plan to city planners, actually only one person in the entire city wrote in support of the scheme as a whole system but Planning Officials have recommended the scheme anyway. If the Bus Only Junction is built then the threat of a Park & Ride system off the M32 will always exist across the rest of Feed Bristol, Stapleton Allotments and Plant Nurseries on some of the best growing land in Britain thanks to the ancient desert which lays beneath the soil. The Mayor George Ferguson is also against the scheme but contracts were signed before his time in 2012 and if he scrapped the project without it going to planning, then Bristol would be fined Millions of Pounds by South Glos and North Somerset Councils. The Metrobus team has dismissed the idea to run the bus to Frenchay Park Road and through Park Road, Stapleton to access the M32 at Junction Two, the same route as the 46 bus from Yate. Instead 17 Million Pounds will be wasted on a bus only junction and we could see the No.46 from Yate using that instead of serving Stapleton once its built. In fact we could see all kinds of public transport changes which will further deprive Greater Fishponds services once this is built because the scheme duplicates the No.18 from Emersons Green, it will take trade from the No.48, 49 and 319 services and more.. This new system will destroy amazing community projects right here in Greater Fishponds for the benefit of South Gloucestershire commuters and although the system runs through the edge of Greater Fishponds, local people who live here will only be able to access it at the bus only junction and theres no guarantee that will happen either so people living in places like Ridgway Road, Greenbank, Muller Road and all other areas at the Eastville Ward end of Greater Fishponds can watch the system race up and down the M32 but theyll never be able to access it and instead of a pleasant walk through Eastville Park to access Metrobus, local residents will have to catch two a three buses to reach the same destinations. This evening we will know if the bus only junction gets the rubber stamp which is needed to deprive us all of a better public transport network in the future and possibly lead to services being cut which currently serve Greater Fishponds as showcase bus routes.
Posted on: Wed, 27 Aug 2014 10:44:45 +0000