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Proposed Portway Park And Ride Expansion.
So Bristol City Council want to expand the Portway Park and Ride in time for when Cabot Circus opens next September. Now remember this is a proposed project that is open for public consultation and the leaflet delivered to residents in Avonmouth and Shirehampton is very glossy and just says what the Council want you to know. There is 'hidden phrasing' and no explanations. There are many questions that need to be answered and clarified. Remember back in 2000 this began as a 550 car parking space Park and Ride. And after the 99 bus route was scrapped many years ago the Council were going to provide something that would cover this long forgotten and needed bus service for the locals. Now Bristol City Council couldn't get the additional land they wanted for various reasons but if they had would they still be making a proposal for expansion especially as they cannot fill the 320 spaces they already have, if it was a Park and Ride only with no local input?
I did go along the 'exhibition' and spoke to a Council Officer there and these are answers given so far that day. (I have also e-mailed other questions to the Local Councillors and the Environment, Transport and Leisure Department as well which will be put on the web site.)
Park and Rides have to be able to support themselves and dare I say it make a profit to survive and re-invest. Bristol City Council have already admitted "that the present site is not used to capacity" and "the Portway Park and Ride has fallen below our expectations and has been slow but there has been an 8% increase in usage in the past year". Now this is for 320 car parking places five and a half years after it originally opened. Questions on how the P&R is being financed and how it is being supported have been asked and await reply. Of course rush hour to and from the site means it is busy in the morning and early evening when people leave work/school/college/home, but in between time, the P&R buses run empty or have very few passengers. I asked what was the catchment area for the Portway Park and Ride? "Local people of course and people from across the bridge in Wales".
The "be ready for future projects" and "other city centre projects attract more journeys" quotes in the leaflet are in fact talking about the development of Castle Park (the buildings bit) and the Bristol Arena (which I wish the organisations would make a decision on and it is next door to Temple Meads railway station). I wanted clarification of these phrases. And with that in mind I was told "We may be looking at extending the opening hours of the Park and Ride". What extension would this be? Not midnight and gone surely if the Bristol Arena audience is included? And Christmas shopping extensions all year round instead? Are local people who live next to/across from this site in particular aware of this? No. Because it is not mentioned in the leaflet. It is hidden under the aforementioned phrases . And what is 'the new amenity building for staff and passengers' and where will it be built because it's not marked on the map?
New things always attract great interest and Cabot Circus will be a great curiosity, but once that dies down and interest levels out people revert to habit. There is plenty to choice for people these days, support your local shops, go to Cribbs Causeway, Gloucester, Cardiff, Swindon even London. Shop online, entertain at home. Society and consumer demand is continually changing that you cannot keep up.
So what if the Portway Park and Ride expansion went ahead? Where did their research information come from? Who did they ask? Say if the research they were given is incorrect? It has happened before. When the Government grants run out and the Park and Ride again falls below expectation with no money in the kitty to keep it running, what then? Does it go bust and the site is closed leaving people that use the service high and dry? Do they try and get someone else to take it over? Do they go cap in hand to the Council and ask the city (that's all Bristolians many of which won't be using the service for obvious reasons) for a hand out to keep it running because it expanded beyond the demand of the service? How long would that continue? And who would lose out? It's the people who are currently using the service. Why should they suffer? They didn't do the market research, were unlikely to be included in the current research that Bristol City Council have used so far in the leaflet, and were not responsible for the purse strings either.
People may not be interested in how a project or service is financed or supported now but when the money runs out and the service is withdrawn people then sit up and take notice. Only recently the 57 bus was withdrawn without public involvement in the decision.
And what about Public Transport being available to all? I know of people who use shopping buggies because they have to. Door to door due to restricted mobility and disability. Now I did question this and what facility was available to people who use such equipment to aid them with as much independence as they possibly can get. And I should clarify I know one or two people who would use the Park and Ride if they could get their shopping buggies on board. Don't they have as much right to get to Cabot Circus as and when they want to on the Park & Ride as the next person? "In fact none of our buses can cater for that type of facility, I think it would be a health and safety issue." the Council Officer said. So if that is a health and safety issue doesn't overcrowding and standing in the aisles of a bus come under the same 'health and safety' rule? If that is the case should all passengers be sat down before the bus sets off? Coaches don't allow standing and aren't safety belts in use these days?Ok. I don't use the Portway Park and Ride because it doesn't take me to where I want to go. Although I recently made a trip to Blackboy Hill on the bus (the P&R does not go there) and the service hasn't changed, not a great service, dirty, not value for money and so on. But I do use the local train service from time to time and it is a superb service. It gets me to where I need to go pretty fast and links in with the other trains with great ease or am I just lucky with that bit? However I do know people who use the Park and Ride and don't want to see them lose out on a facility that they use because the "Council got it wrong". Leave the Park and Ride as it is and work on it's weakness before even considering expansion. If this was a business it wouldn't happen. If this was a property you couldn't afford yet you still bought it and couldn't make the mortgage payments, it would get repossessed. Don't expand. Wait at least six months after Cabot Circus has opened then do a re-assessment and see what demand is like then. After all it can always go back to the Planning Committee eighteen months down the line if research is proved and it doesn't take that long to get the work done on the additional extension.
A lot of information, and facts will be put online concerning the Portway Park And Ride so please check out the web site for regular updates: http://www.myspace.com/portwayparkandride and there is also a discussion group that you can join and add your own views and thoughts: http://groups.myspace.com/portwayparkandride If you don't have a computer at home you can visit your local library and read the web site and discussion groups there, you can even join in.
So Bristol City Council want to expand the Portway Park and Ride in time for when Cabot Circus opens next September. Now remember this is a proposed project that is open for public consultation and the leaflet delivered to residents in Avonmouth and Shirehampton is very glossy and just says what the Council want you to know. There is 'hidden phrasing' and no explanations. There are many questions that need to be answered and clarified. Remember back in 2000 this began as a 550 car parking space Park and Ride. And after the 99 bus route was scrapped many years ago the Council were going to provide something that would cover this long forgotten and needed bus service for the locals. Now Bristol City Council couldn't get the additional land they wanted for various reasons but if they had would they still be making a proposal for expansion especially as they cannot fill the 320 spaces they already have, if it was a Park and Ride only with no local input?
I did go along the 'exhibition' and spoke to a Council Officer there and these are answers given so far that day. (I have also e-mailed other questions to the Local Councillors and the Environment, Transport and Leisure Department as well which will be put on the web site.)
Park and Rides have to be able to support themselves and dare I say it make a profit to survive and re-invest. Bristol City Council have already admitted "that the present site is not used to capacity" and "the Portway Park and Ride has fallen below our expectations and has been slow but there has been an 8% increase in usage in the past year". Now this is for 320 car parking places five and a half years after it originally opened. Questions on how the P&R is being financed and how it is being supported have been asked and await reply. Of course rush hour to and from the site means it is busy in the morning and early evening when people leave work/school/college/home, but in between time, the P&R buses run empty or have very few passengers. I asked what was the catchment area for the Portway Park and Ride? "Local people of course and people from across the bridge in Wales".
The "be ready for future projects" and "other city centre projects attract more journeys" quotes in the leaflet are in fact talking about the development of Castle Park (the buildings bit) and the Bristol Arena (which I wish the organisations would make a decision on and it is next door to Temple Meads railway station). I wanted clarification of these phrases. And with that in mind I was told "We may be looking at extending the opening hours of the Park and Ride". What extension would this be? Not midnight and gone surely if the Bristol Arena audience is included? And Christmas shopping extensions all year round instead? Are local people who live next to/across from this site in particular aware of this? No. Because it is not mentioned in the leaflet. It is hidden under the aforementioned phrases . And what is 'the new amenity building for staff and passengers' and where will it be built because it's not marked on the map?
New things always attract great interest and Cabot Circus will be a great curiosity, but once that dies down and interest levels out people revert to habit. There is plenty to choice for people these days, support your local shops, go to Cribbs Causeway, Gloucester, Cardiff, Swindon even London. Shop online, entertain at home. Society and consumer demand is continually changing that you cannot keep up.
So what if the Portway Park and Ride expansion went ahead? Where did their research information come from? Who did they ask? Say if the research they were given is incorrect? It has happened before. When the Government grants run out and the Park and Ride again falls below expectation with no money in the kitty to keep it running, what then? Does it go bust and the site is closed leaving people that use the service high and dry? Do they try and get someone else to take it over? Do they go cap in hand to the Council and ask the city (that's all Bristolians many of which won't be using the service for obvious reasons) for a hand out to keep it running because it expanded beyond the demand of the service? How long would that continue? And who would lose out? It's the people who are currently using the service. Why should they suffer? They didn't do the market research, were unlikely to be included in the current research that Bristol City Council have used so far in the leaflet, and were not responsible for the purse strings either.
People may not be interested in how a project or service is financed or supported now but when the money runs out and the service is withdrawn people then sit up and take notice. Only recently the 57 bus was withdrawn without public involvement in the decision.
And what about Public Transport being available to all? I know of people who use shopping buggies because they have to. Door to door due to restricted mobility and disability. Now I did question this and what facility was available to people who use such equipment to aid them with as much independence as they possibly can get. And I should clarify I know one or two people who would use the Park and Ride if they could get their shopping buggies on board. Don't they have as much right to get to Cabot Circus as and when they want to on the Park & Ride as the next person? "In fact none of our buses can cater for that type of facility, I think it would be a health and safety issue." the Council Officer said. So if that is a health and safety issue doesn't overcrowding and standing in the aisles of a bus come under the same 'health and safety' rule? If that is the case should all passengers be sat down before the bus sets off? Coaches don't allow standing and aren't safety belts in use these days?Ok. I don't use the Portway Park and Ride because it doesn't take me to where I want to go. Although I recently made a trip to Blackboy Hill on the bus (the P&R does not go there) and the service hasn't changed, not a great service, dirty, not value for money and so on. But I do use the local train service from time to time and it is a superb service. It gets me to where I need to go pretty fast and links in with the other trains with great ease or am I just lucky with that bit? However I do know people who use the Park and Ride and don't want to see them lose out on a facility that they use because the "Council got it wrong". Leave the Park and Ride as it is and work on it's weakness before even considering expansion. If this was a business it wouldn't happen. If this was a property you couldn't afford yet you still bought it and couldn't make the mortgage payments, it would get repossessed. Don't expand. Wait at least six months after Cabot Circus has opened then do a re-assessment and see what demand is like then. After all it can always go back to the Planning Committee eighteen months down the line if research is proved and it doesn't take that long to get the work done on the additional extension.
A lot of information, and facts will be put online concerning the Portway Park And Ride so please check out the web site for regular updates: http://www.myspace.com/portwayparkandride and there is also a discussion group that you can join and add your own views and thoughts: http://groups.myspace.com/portwayparkandride If you don't have a computer at home you can visit your local library and read the web site and discussion groups there, you can even join in.
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