Local MP Jack Lopresti has announced that he is to host and chair a public meeting to discuss the controversial MetroBus scheme works.
Representatives from South Gloucestershire Council, MetroBus, the project contractors, First Bus and councillors have been invited.
The public meeting will be held on Friday 26th February 2016, at 7pm in the main hall of Bradley Stoke Community School, Fiddlers Wood Lane, Bradley Stoke BS32 9BS.
Mr Lopresti said:
“I have called a public meeting on the Metrobus Scheme works because I have been contacted by a large number of constituents who are concerned about the level of disruption the works are causing.”
“Whilst I am a keen supporter of the Metrobus Scheme; I am concerned about how the works have caused traffic chaos at times and about the slippage in the project’s timing.”
The move comes two months after MetroBus contractors Alun Griffiths Ltd announced that the closure of the Bradley Stoke Way / Woodlands Lane junction was being extended by around seven months, following the discovery of uncharted underground apparatus and the realisation that a high-pressure gas main is actually at a shallower depth than the scheme’s designers had been led to believe.
Construction of the North Fringe to Hengrove MetroBus scheme is programmed to take approximately two years, with the new MetroBus service running on the route by August 2017.
Related link: MetroBus construction in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)
Come on its one road that is closed and the drivers have to go around its no hard ship really is it get a grip people
It may not be any hardship to some, but when it extends a commute to over 1.5 hours (due to ongoing road works on the M5 between J13 and J15) and then have the struggle of battling getting off the M5 into the left hand lane to access the A38, only to drive at a snails pace for 20 minutes, it is really grinding.
That said, they have tarmac’d now up to Woodlands Lane, so I can’t see it taking until August surely?
Cannot believe how long the Contractor has taken with the Metrobus work on the the Great Stoke Way leading to Virgin Active, the work started in August and still is not finished, there seems to be no urgency by the contractor. I believe it took less time to build a new road from the A38 into Cribbs Causeway, than it has taken to put a bus lane and new paths along the Great Stoke Way.
It won’t be for ever there are worst things in life to worry about than traffic
I see Lopresti is wearing his raincoat again in the picture. Does he still have his Santa’s Elf costume?
The biggest scandal is how is it all going to improve traffic flows in and out of Bradley Stoke during the rush hour periods anyway, as its not increasing general traffic lanes at all.
Not everyone wants to get to town or the Mall at 8 o’clock in the morning!
I agree with Shaun – how is this going to improve traffic flows in and out between 0730/0900 and 1630/1800?
All this chaos (never mind how much money) at the Aztec West end for 1 metre extra width of carriageway heading down to the Woodlands Lane turning.
If buses can get into Bristol in 20 minutes rather than the greater 1 hour it takes currently may get some people out of their cars but it seems a hideous amount of money is being spent.
All the time and money wasted on this silly scheme. I wonder how many extra people will be using the bus at the end of it? Not everybody wants or needs to go to Cabot Circus or Cribbs every day – some us need to go to work!
Some organisation has this whole programme wrong not just wrong badly wrong, was there a need or just a want. The majority are suffering paying for the benefit of so few. Money could be better used on other transport projects.
If there were more regular buses, more drivers would use them – why waste all this money on a scheme without any benefits?
The money could be better spent on continuing vital resources – like libraries?