The Bradley Stoke Journal

First Group has announced that the route of the limited stop X73 bus service between Bradley Stoke and Bristol city centre has been extended to Stoke Lodge. The changes come into effect today (Monday 29th September).

The service previously started and finished at Woodlands Lane in Bradley Stoke but has now been extended to the Gloucester Road (A38) stop in Stoke Lodge.

The route is also changing to operate along Brierly Furlong and New Road near Parkway Station to allow buses to take advantage of the new bus link from New Road to Brierly Furlong.

Minor changes to the timetable have also been introduced, which First says will “improve reliability and punctuality” and “see buses departing more evenly”.

The X73 buses run at peak hours on work days only (no service on Saturdays, Sundays or Bank Holidays). Timetabled journey times between central Bradley Stoke (Kemperleye Way North) and Bristol city centre range from 29 to 38 minutes.

Related links:

• Bus Services in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)

An exhibition has opened in Bradley Stoke Library to show plans of new cycle routes being proposed as part of the Cycling City project in South Gloucestershire.

Greater Bristol (the area governed by Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire Council) was named as England’s first ‘Cycling City’ in 2008 and has received £11.4 million of government funding, matched by an equal amount from the two Councils, to promote and encourage cycling through better infrastructure, training and promotion.

Infrastructure changes being proposed under the scheme include a number of long distance routes linking centres of employment, education, shopping and housing.

Sections of two of the proposed long distance routes are set to be implemented within Bradley Stoke:

• Route 3 – linking Parkway Station to Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre
• Route 4 – linking Bradley Stoke to Cribbs Causeway via the Aztec West Business Park

Route 3 follows North Road and Mead Road through Stoke Gifford before crossing the Winterbourne Road at the existing pedestrian crossing. The route then follows the ‘Saxon Path’ between Watch Elm Close and Pursey Drive, crossing Arden Close before emerging onto Baileys Court Road.

A ‘level’ crossing on Baileys Court Road then takes the route on through Sherbourne Avenue and The Bluebells and down into the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve. After passing under the Bradley Stoke Way bridge the route runs north between Bradley Stoke Way and Champs Sur Marne and on to the Leisure Centre.

Route 4 runs from the Willow Brook Centre along the west side of Bradley Stoke Way as far as Primrose Bridge. Then it runs up the ramp into The Common (East), across Brook Way and into The Common.

The route then continues via the existing A38 subway into Hempton Lane and onwards to the Aztec West Business Park and then Cribbs Causeway via the Patchway estate.

The exhibition in Bradley Stoke Library runs until Monday 5th October. The consultations close on Wednesday 7th October.

More information and related links:

• Consultation on Cycling City Route 3 (SGC)
• Consultation on Cycling City Route 4 (SGC)
• Walking and Cycling in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)

The Journal Comments

We had heard that the much-ridiculed disappearing/reappearing on-road cycle lanes along Bradley Stoke Way (see example pictured left) were to be removed as part of this scheme but were disappointed to find at least one of them still present on the plans.

While we do wonder how much demand there is going to be for ‘long distance’ cycle journeys along these fairly tortuous routes between Parkway Station and Cribbs Causeway via Bradley Stoke and Aztec West, the proposed works will undoubtedly bring welcome improvements for residents making shorter journeys in our town.

We welcome the proposed widening of the shared footpath/cycleway on the west side of Brook Way near Bradley Stoke Surgery  – a notorious pinch point, where cyclists and pedestrians regularly come into conflict.

The extension of the path running up the east side of Bradley Stoke Way from the crossing between Snowberry Close and Champs Sur Marne up to the Savages Wood Roundabout also makes a lot of sense.

Bradley Stoke Town Council’s efforts to get utility companies to provide faster broadband connections in the town have come to nothing according to Town Clerk David Chandler.

Back in February, the Council’s Planning Committee instructed the Clerk to write to telecommunications giants BT and Virgin Media demanding a “21st Century service for a 21st Century town”.

The move was followed by a huge leaflet drop in the town by local Conservative activists, in which Mayor Mayor Forsyth was quoted as saying:

“Access speeds endured by some residents are very poor due to the distance to the BT exchanges. Without cable connections or the new Fibre to Cabinet technology there is little chance of improvement.”

The issue even featured on the West edition of the BBC’s Politics Show in June, where Cllr Robert Jones was interviewed in one of the town’s broadband ‘slow spots’.

When asked at a recent Council meeting if anything had come of the Council’s demands, the Clerk reported that no reply had been received from either of the companies.

Frustrated Councillors now say they have run out of ideas on how to achieve an improvement in broadband speeds in Bradley Stoke.

Similar efforts made by South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) have also ended in frustration according to Cllr Jones. A motion agreed in March by the Conservative-led Unitary Council called on the Council Leader to write to BT “requesting that South Gloucestershire is made a top priority when super-fast broadband is rolled out”.

In contrast to the Town Council, SGC did apparently receive a reply to its letter, but Cllr Jones says its content was “disappointing”.

The Bradley Stoke Examiner’s campaign to urge Virgin Media to complete its cable network in the town has so far attracted 226 supporters, but the firm says it will only “consider” doing the work if 1500 people sign up.

Further Information:

• Broadband in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)
• Bradley Stoke Cable My Street Campaign (The Examiner)

South Gloucestershire Council has announced that it has scrapped plans for a bus priority scheme on the A38 Aztec West roundabout, saying that the work is “no longer viable” after First Group made changes to the route of its 73 bus service.

The earlier proposals have now been abandoned in favour of a northbound bus lane on the A38 Gloucester Road between the Little Stoke junction and the Aztec West Roundabout.

Consultants working for the Council say that traffic studies suggest that the new scheme could save buses an average of 10 minutes at peak times.

The original scheme also included a number of improvements on the section of Bradley Stoke Way between the Aztec West Roundabout and Woodlands Lane. The status of that part of the scheme is currently unknown.

The Council has opened a public consultation on the new scheme, which runs until 17th October.

An exhibition of the new plans will take place at the Aztec West Business Centre between Monday 28th September and Friday 2nd October.

A poster for the exhibition summarises the proposed changes as follows:

• New northbound bus lane between the Little Stoke junction and Aztec West Roundabout.
• The existing pedestrian crossing point near the roundabout will be upgraded to allow cyclists to use it.
• A southbound on-carriageway cycle lane will be provided from Aztec West Roundabout to The Common.
• An additional lane will be provided on the roundabout to assist the vehicles heading right toward Woodlands Lane via Bradley Stoke Way.
• The bus stop on A38 northbound on the approach to the roundabout will be relocated adjacent to the
  pedestrian access to the business park.

The 73 bus service previously made a loop around the Aztec West Business Park during the morning and evening peak periods, but First Group decided to cut the diversion in an effort to improve journey times between Cribbs Causeway and Bradley Stoke.

Specsavers’ new store at Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook Centre is set to open on Monday 5th October, according to Centre Manager Scott Lahive.

The opticians group, revealed as a new tenant in July, plans to open in mall unit 4 (to the left of the Carphone Warehouse outlet) on Monday 5th October.

Shopfitters have been working on the inside of the store for the last few weeks and “opening soon” artwork has now appeared on the unit’s frontage.

When open, the new outlet will operate in direct competition with the Tesco Opticians department within the Tesco Extra store that it faces, which has been trading since the Willow Brook Centre opened last year.

Property consultants Alder King have disclosed that Specsavers have taken a ten year lease on the unit, which extends to approximately 1,750 sq ft.

The consultants also say that Pets at Home, also confirmed as new tenants in July,  will “begin the fit out of their new unit shortly”. The pet superstore will operate from unit 5 of the retail terrace, where Brantano is currently the only other trader.