Noteeth, sorry for leaving early on Tuesday.
As I see it, much depends on getting hold of the base information on which the case for Cumberland Road was calculated. That’s the best (financial) reason for challenging.
The loss of greenspace is a good non-financial reason, but whether that will work is a question.

As I see it, much depends on getting hold of the base information on which the case for Cumberland Road was calculated. That’s the best (financial) reason for challenging.

Absolutely – StopBRT2 did a good job of taking apart what was originally submitted to the Public Inquiry. As I understand it, their transport consultant is waiting for Atkins/BCC/WEP to release the figures, but they seem to be stalling.

Green space: I take it as a given that WEP/BCC don’t give a fig for how/why people value the area. The picnic thing is simply a means of raising awareness – & something of a last stand, tbh.

sorry for leaving early on Tuesday

No need to apologise – besides, it wasn’t an evening for sitting indoors. 😀

I guess that maybe this has already been covered, but I’ve noticed when riding over the bridge that there’s no signage about StopBRT2.

Given that chuggers were doing good business there in the past, would that maybe be the way to target people – eg those that actually use it and point out that it’s going to change quite significantly.

would that maybe be the way to target people

A few of us have done stints handing out leaflets on the bridge… I’ll be there again this weekend. You soon develop an instinct for who will stop & who will simply run you over. 😯

Yeah, I’m thinking something more overt that doesn’t require human interaction as we don’t like that in general – too reminiscent of chuggers/beggars probably…

Maybe big signs over the bridge ’20 buses an hour will soon be running over here’, etc. Let people get the message themselves and do something if they choose – maybe an organised tweet to the Mayor – people have their smartphones with them – get them to tweet to him directly but make it easy by giving his name (@GeorgeFergusonx) and a suggested short message that makes clear their feelings…

Maybe big signs over the bridge ’20 buses an hour will soon be running over here’

I’ve been putting up laminated posters (albeit not so readable at strava-commute speed) – they get torn down pretty quickly, either by officialdom or kids. Somebody has pasted more on the bridge’s superstructure.

You’re right, though – many people are simply unaware of what’s happening. That said, a fair number have emailed/tweeted the Mayor about it, though it’s nothing like the tidal wave of discontent about RPZ schemes!

too reminiscent of chuggers/beggars probably

In a faded Bontrager top, I am fairly reminiscent of a beggar. It’s given me new respect for chuggers, mind. 😀

Don’t know if it’s already been said, but I’ve just been looking at the leaflet for Bristol’s Biggest Bike Ride this Sunday and 4 out of the 5 routes go back into town over the bridge. I would have thought this would be a huge opportunity to reach thousands of cyclists from all over the city who may not be aware of the scheme.

A good point and exactly the sort of thing that should be targeted with signage making clear that this lovely bit of the route won’t be so lovely in the future…

Of course, I guess I’m a classic case in that I’m going to be busy riding the event and don’t have the time to help. Apathy, eh… 😳

a huge opportunity to reach thousands of cyclists

I’m away that weekend, but there should be some StopBRT2 people out leafleting on the day – any volunteers welcome, of course.

On a related note, it’s pretty frustrating that Sustrans aren’t being more vocal about this, although I guess they are constrained by a politically-sensitive relationship with BCC. It’s clear that the original BRT2 plans give minimal consideration to foot/cycle traffic, and any concerns are likely to be batted back (“there’ll still be a cycle path, blah blah”)… except that sharing a 3 m cycle path becomes a good deal more imposing when it’s immediately adjacent to a busy bus lane!

I’ll be busy on that day leafleting for Bristol Cycle Festival, but might be able to help some other way (I’m still thinking some sort of giant placard in the shape of a bus might attract attention. Also a good way of recycling the bike box in the loft).

It looks a lot like prep work is already starting – Stop BRT2 seem to think so. https://twitter.com/StopBRT2/status/343141871415066624

Edit: Ah, you’re well ahead of me I see.

I’m still thinking some sort of giant placard

Indeed – on the day of the Biggest Bike Ride, there needs to be a big fug-off sign adorning the fence, something readable at speed.

I’m not about on the 16th but if you (or anybody else) are happy to craft something out of said bike box & secure it to the fence, that would be great (it could also carry some advertising for BTG… 😀 ).

Was there again leafleting today – as usual, a good 70% of people had no idea about the current plans.

Just a thought – has anyone approached the organisers of Bristol’s Biggest Bikeride to ask if NOBRT2 could hand out flyers before the start, ie at Millennium square? Better to approach people before they’re riding + the organisers must surely realise that the BRT2 plans will affect future events.

at Millennium square

Good point – I will suggest it.

I’d pop down to help leafleting but don’t think I’m in Bristol next weekend, that and PR not being a skill I possess. Will try to make the protest picnic next month, weather permitting.

Cheers wordnumb. Weather was on our side for the photocall, so crossed-fingers…

More drilling activity at the Chocolate Path end of the Bridge today… I guess it’s exploratory/ground survey work, but even so, it’s still pretty cheeky of the council to be keeping schtum about what is actually going on.

StopBRT2 email update as follows – sorry for the gurt maaassive cut n’ paste:

___________________________________________________________________

Hi all,

A lot is going on. The campaign continues against the Cumberland Road route with its segregated section which runs over Ashton Ave bridge (near Create) to Ashton Vale fields and the Park and Ride site with its six sections of guideway (one on the bridge) four bridges and three embankments.

We continue to need your help with the campaign.

Sunday 16th June (this Sunday) 11.30-3.30pm We need volunteers to help hand out leaflets for an hour or two between these hours. We will be at Ashton Ave bridge and riders from Bristol’s Biggest bike ride will be returning over the bridge. Please let us know if you can help and at what time.

Saturday 6th July We will be holding a walk along the proposed BRT2 route from the bridge to Ashton Vale fields and back. Starting at 2pm from the bridge. We expect to get back at about 3.30pm. And 3.30pm to 6pm we will be holding a Protest picnic on the green space to the side of the bridge. Please come, bring food and volunteer to help if you can. We need musicians and artists who can help supporters produce artwork which can be pinned to the bridge or nearby fencing. We have a poster to advertise this that we can send you as a PDF. Also a leaflet A5 size.

Inspector’s report

The Transport for Greater Bristol Alliance wrote to the Department for Transport asking what is happening to the Inspector’s report.
The reply from the Department told them they could not request it under a Freedom of Information request and that it would not be published until after the Secretary of State’s decision on the Transport and Works act Inquiry.

Another member of the group has made an FOI request to find out what ground surveys the consultants have done and the results.

Mayor’s review recommending Cumberland Road

A member of the group is pursuing the issue of when the details of the Cumberland Road route and the consultants’ report recommending it, will be published by the Partnership. We were originally told it would be 23rd May. The transport consultant who acted for residents at the Inquiry has asked on our behalf for a meeting with officers and consultants to discuss the review and its findings. He has requested a list of information from the consultants so he can assess the decision but none has yet been received.

The group has a meeting arranged with the Mayor on 1st August. Six members of the group will go along. If you represent any particular group that use the bridge and would like to be included, please let us know.

Work is going on updating the website which takes some time and will be done next week so please bear with us.

Next meeting Our next meeting is on Tues 23rd July 7.30pm Hen and Chicken, North St.

Best wishes and thanks for your continued support

Stop BRT2

_____________________________________________________________________

As ever, thanks for reading. 🙂

Whoever painted those ‘no bus’ signs on the path, nice work! 😀

There’s a Bedminster neighbourhood forum blog keeping tabs on the drilling work.

StopBRT2 have a link to the Council report on the BRT2 options – official decision to be announced soon.

What an utter waste of money this whole thing is – and certainly not worth the sacrifice of a major vehicle-free route from south Bristol.

“Cycling City”, my arrse. 👿

The final decision about BRT2 is to be formally discussed at a Council Cabinet meeting on the 27th June. The report (see above) makes, umm, interesting reading.

The benefit-cost models used to justify the Ashton Vale route seem to be based upon the apparent economic ‘dis-benefits’ of improving bus infrastructure on the Hotwells road. In other words, they don’t want to interfere with existing highway (i.e. car) space – not when there’s a vehicle-free route they can annexe for their godawful scheme. It’s not in the least bit radical, will do nothing to grip Bristol’s daily traffic gridlock and is being largely driven by the need to retain capital funding. As transport planning goes, it’s pathetic. There is also no mention in the report of the strong local opposition to routing buses over the Ashton Avenue Bridge, or the impact upon cycle and foot traffic (not least given that it screws with the junction between a number of busy cycle/pedestrian paths).

Anybody who has concerns can submit a statement to the Council, to be read at the meeting. These need to be sent to democratic.services@bristol.gov.uk by noon 26th June. StopBRT2 also suggest sending them to the Mayor and Cabinet members, email addys as follows:

mayor@bristol.gov.uk

mark.bradshaw@bristol.gov.uk

simon.cook@bristol.gov.uk

geoffrey.gollop@bristol.gov.uk

gus.hoyt@bristol.gov.uk

barbara.janke@bristol.gov.uk

brenda.massey@bristol.gov.uk

“Cycling City” and European Green Capital, my arrse. 👿

Brilliant isn’t it? Out the back of Temple Meads they put two fancy new bridges in, about 109 meters apart.

The only traffic free route in and out of the City to the South West meanwhile they want to annex for some insane scheme.

Brilliant isn’t it?

It’s stunning, even by Bristol City Council’s usual standards.

Leafleting on the bridge yesterday at around the school run/commute time really brought home to me how pished off people are about this – those with kids especially so.

When I lived on the Mendips this was the first choice route into Bristol Via long Ashton

first choice route

For many commuters, it’s not just the first choice – it’s the only [vehicle-free] choice, short of crossing the New Cut much further down.

There’ll still be a cycle-path, of course, but it will now be in immediate proximity to a steady stream of buses (double-lane funneling into a light-controlled single-lane over t’bridge – they’ll be backing up fast, IMO). Given how many people in this country are scared witless by cycling on the road, infrastructure like the Festival Way is invaluable. You don’t have to contend with vehicles – and it’s a pleasant run into the city.

Everybody who walks and cycles over that bridge is already doing their bit to resolve Bristol’s dire transport situation. This isn’t the way to encourage ’em. 😕

I know it is ,seems bloody stupid to want to take it away just after North Somerset council complete festival way.AS many others I dont get the mayors stance on this with Bristol supposed to be a cycling city and his traffic free Sundays thing and connections to sustrans

just after North Somerset council complete festival way

Excatly – a stupid move & entirely counter to all the “cycling city” rhetoric. The Mayor seems sold on it, though.

I might have to move back to Mendip, just to escape all this nonsense. 😀

I’m assuming that this is all a big wheeze so that they can look good in 2015 when they rip it all up and make it peds/cycle only just in time for Euro green capital.

Well I can hope can’t I? :-/

I’m assuming that this is all a big wheeze

The EGC thing is the icing on the cake…. what a joke!

Sorry for another huuuge cut n’ paste – but for those not on their contact list, here is the latest email from StopBRT2:

_____________________________________________________________________

The Council’s Cabinet meeting is receiving a crunch decision report on the route options for BRT2 on Thurs 27 June (at http://www.bristol.gov.uk/press/mayor/mayor-consider-new-metrobus-proposals). The report makes no reference to the strong opposition to BRT2. We are asking as many people as possible to send short statements objecting to the Cumberland Road option for BRT2 to the cabinet members. It is anticipated that this meeting will be the final Bristol City Council meeting to decide on the preferred BRT route so it is vital that the Cabinet know the full extent of public opposition to the consultants current recommendation that the Council proceed with the Cumberland Road option. After that the Council will go back to the Government to progress the chosen route and a lot more money will be spent on it.

The statements need to be sent to democratic.services@bristol.gov.uk by noon Wed 26 June. Keep your statement as brief as possible and definitely to one page as it will be copied by officers and included in the papers for the meeting. You can ask to speak if you wish to as well if there is time(in your email) but the most important thing is to do a statement as Residents Parking is also on the agenda and probably there will be little time to speak. Please also send them copied into an email direct to the Mayor and Cabinet members. Their email addresses are at the bottom of this email. Also worth copying your local councillors who you can find at https://www.bristol.gov.uk/councillorfinder/?Task=contact_detail

For those of you who do not have the time to read the report: we contest the findings of the consultants in it. On the instruction of the Mayor after he turned down the Prince St bridge section and after a request by us which he agreed to,they have undertaken a review of two options Hotwell Road (existing route improved) and Cumberland Road (this contains the same segregated section with six guideways, four bridges (including one over the Portishead rail line) and three embankments.

It is absolutely no surprise that they have designed and costed a scheme that trashes Hotwell and promotes Cumberland. They have done this by over-engineering the Hotwell option with bus lanes along Brunel Way and then calculating the delay for motorists of doing this as disbenefits that they can then take off the Hotwell benefits. This gives Hotwells a low score on the BCR (benefits v costs ratio) and Cumberland has been given a higher score which allows them to go back to the Government and get the funding already agreed. The cost of the original scheme has gone up by over £3m. The cost of Hotwells is not mentioned.

Our transport consultant has asked for the information he needs to assess exactly what they have done with the BCR so we can advise the Mayor.

So far, this information has not been forthcoming.

We are planning a protest and photo-opportunity outside City Hall at 5.30-6pm on 27 June (Thursday). This will take only half an hour max.
______________________________________________________________________

It looks the RPZ stuff will push BRT2 down the agenda (and further under the radar…).

Once again, anybody who has concerns about the Ashton Avenue Bridge, email the council at democratic.services@bristol.gov.uk. Keep it short & to the point – but give ’em both barrels. 😈

I’ve emailed again.

If anyone’s after a starting point, this is what I wrote:

I wish to voice my strong opposition to the proposed BRT2 route that crosses Ashton Bridge.

The consultation has not been conducted fairly or openly and the conclusions drawn are inaccurate and misleading.

Ashton Bridge is a key point for people commuting, walking and generally enjoying the area. The proposal will destroy this for no real benefit to the city, its inhabitants or users of the area.

I strongly request that you reject these findings and review them further.

Yours faithfully

Clubber

this is what I wrote

Nail -> Head, clubber.

Well clubbed. 😀

Ta. Sadly I think that this is a done deal which is really disappointing. Given that George has generally done a good job in my view, I don’t really understand why he supports this – possibly there’s stuff going on in the background that we don’t know about…

I have asked him directly on Twitter but no response.

Oh, just to add, put your address on the email – I have a feeling that comments get discarded if not (or at least filtered IMO).

So have clubber and again no response.

really disappointing

Indeed it is. Moreover, many local residents & commuters still have no idea what’s coming their way…

I don’t really understand why he supports this

Retaining the capital funding is driving much of this, IMO (i.e. entirely the wrong driver for an integrated transport system) – but some people are muttering about future developments at that end of town. Local politics being what it is, it’s hard to know what is cock-up & what is conspiracy. It being Bristol, it’s probably 50/50. 🙄

This is what I wroted to themz:

I wish to strongly oppose the proposed BRT2 route that crosses Ashton Avenue Bridge.

Ashton Avenue Bridge is a very very popular commuting and walking route into and out of the city centre. My son and I use this route to commute to nursery by bike three times a week and we both enjoy the completely traffic free nature of the route.

If we wish to encourage people out of their cars and onto sustainable forms of transport such as feet and cycles then destroying the only traffic free route from the SW of the city into town is frankly ludicrous. Steamrollering over green routes like this flies in the face of the claim of Bristol of being a future European Green capital. I assume that this part of the BRT2 route was not a key point of the 2015 bid?

I strongly hope that you reject this insanity and put buses where they belong, on roads not pedestrian/cycle paths.

Yours faithfully

Me

Nice one Sammy – & yes, when they were buttering up the ECG bid, I bet themz kept quiet about how BRT2 stomps on the newly-opened Festival Way!

we both enjoy the completely traffic free nature of the route

Absolutely – TravelWest can wibble on asmuch as they like about how BRT2 will “save” the Bridge & “safeguard” cycle/pedestrian access… it still means putting walkers, cyclists, runners, kids & dogs in dangerously close proximity to buses. People value that route precisely because it is vehicle-free – & BRT2 utterly changes that. And yes, it was once a [top-tier] road bridge (in addition to the railway), but we now have a bleedin’ great big flyover – so keep the buses on that!

Whether it’ll do ough… I also copied in the Green Capital people.

I wish to strongly make known my opposition to the proposed BRT2 route that crosses Ashton Avenue Bridge.

In light of Bristol being nominated the European Green Capital, I find the continued push for BRT2 an absolute disgrace. In a city with so called green ambitions, the recently completed Festival Way route and the general Bristol Harbourside area are what many consider to be the green heart of the city. The only thing BRT2 will achieve is to rip that green heart out.

This route is the only refuge for people wishing to move in and out of the city by non-motorised means from the west and wider southern regions. I myself use the route daily and often tow my son by trailer. The Ashton Avenue bridge in particular cannot sustain bus traffic and the cyclist and walkers and it’s obvious the later will lose out.

As a Pill resident I am not governed by Bristol City Council and you may wish to discount my views, but I do work in the city and have done for the last 8 years (and lived in Bristol for 4 of those).

Festival Way is one of only a few true pieces of decent pedestrian and cycling infrastructure in the city. Please don’t steam roller over this with a scheme that appears to be poorly thought out, and offers no real benefits – it only serves to make a mockery of the European Green Capital award we’ve just been given.

Kind Regards

Gary Lake
<Address removed>

And what are George Fergusons proposed variations out of interest? https://twitter.com/garylake/status/347713716004978688

it only serves to make a mockery of the European Green Capital award

Amen to that, thanks Gary. The scheme is so ludicrously about-face, it’s almost funny.

I’m off to lurk on the Bridge, inna sandwich-board-prophet-of-doom stylee… 😈

If you’re there at about 5:15pm I’ll stop and say hello!

Bright Green Orange Gyro…

Good to meet you GaryLake (& various other commuting STWers…).

Stand there long enough & I guess most Brizzle mountain bikers will ride past. 😀