The Bradley Stoke Journal

A proposed rapid transit scheme that could see a high-speed bus service linking Bristol city centre with Bradley Stoke has had its scope extended to include Cribbs Causeway.

The move, endorsed at a meeting of the West of England Partnership’s (WoEP) Joint Transport Executive (JTE) Committee on Thursday, is said to be “in response to the views of the public expressed during consultation”.

The £197 million scheme was originally planned to run as far as the Aztec West Business Park, but will now continue on to The Mall at Cribbs Causeway, via Patchway.

A report submitted to the JTE Committee states that:

“… the route [to Cribbs Causeway] adds benefits to the package and the cost of this additional section can be incorporated into the funding available.”

The report also states that the service between Bristol and Cribbs Causeways, nominally numbered X90, will operate with a 10 minute frequency.

The scheme is part of the larger North Fringe to Hengrove Package, which also incorporates a new Stoke Gifford by-pass and a park and ride facility beside the M32 at Stapleton.

If implemented, the scheme will see special ‘bendy buses’ running on dedicated lanes along the full length of Bradley Stoke Way.

The latest plans foresee four stops in the town: Bradley Stoke South (Baileys Court), The Willow Brook Centre, Patchway Brook Roundabout (Aldi) and Woodlands Lane.

The proposals must now be approved by the Cabinets of South Gloucestershire Council (meeting on 1st March) and Bristol City Council (25th March) before a bid is submitted to the government’s Department of Transport.

The Journal Comments

This scheme has a long way to go before it gets the green light from central government. It is already a large project and the extension to Cribbs Causeway adds yet more complexity.

This factor, combined with the expected pressure on government expenditure over the next few years, leaves the project vulnerable to cancellation or curtailment.

The latest report from the WoEP describes the route between UWE and Bristol city centre as being the “core section” of the scheme. So does that mean that anything beyond this might be sacrificed when budgets come under pressure?

MPs and Councillors representing Bradley Stoke need to be active in stressing the importance of the Stoke Gifford by-pass and the need for a high-speed, reliable, bus service for our town.

More information and related links:

• Report to the WoEP JTE Committee, 4th Feb 2010 [PDF, 735KB]
• North Fringe Rapid Transit (The Journal)

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A scheme to add a bus lane on the northbound carriageway of the A38 between Little Stoke and the Aztec West Roundabout has been amended after a public consultation.

The scheme, first announced by South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) in September, replaced an earlier proposal for a more comprehensive system of new bus and general traffic lanes on roads leading off the Aztec West Roundabout.

That earlier plan was abandoned after First Group changed the route of its 73 service so that it no longer entered the Aztec West Business Park.

The new scheme foresees the creation of a new bus lane (with no reduction in the number of general traffic lanes) on the A38 between the Little Stoke junction (near the Texaco filling station) and the Aztec West Roundabout.

The public consultation attracted 32 responses from individuals and business. The council says it also received two petitions opposing the scheme from residents and businesses in the Patchway and Bradley Stoke areas, containing a combined total of over 300 signatures.

Residents of properties along the A38 said they were concerned about the loss of the existing service lane, which they say helps them to merge into the traffic flow on the main road. They also complained about the loss of parking space and pointed out that customers of the Ambourne House Nursery would no longer be able to queue in the service lane whilst waiting to enter the premises.

The council says that it has now revised its plans following the public feedback:

• The bus lane will operate at peak hours only (7.30am – 9.30am and 4.00pm – 7.00pm)
• Residents will be allowed to pick up and set down passengers while the bus lane is in operation
• A bus lay-by made redundant by the scheme will converted to a limited waiting bay, primarily to serve as an overspill car park for the Ambourne House Nursery

The Journal Comments

While the proposed changes will undoubtedly speed bus journeys between Bristol and Aztec West (and beyond to Thornbury), they will bring little benefit for the residents of Bradley Stoke. It is therefore wrong for the council to present this scheme as a replacement for the earlier Aztec West bus lane scheme, which included two new general traffic lanes on Bradley Stoke Way between the Aztec West Roundabout and Woodlands Lane.

Those new general traffic lanes would have helped ease the notorious traffic congestion that occurs between Woodlands Lane and the Aztec West Roundabout.

SGC has failed to respond to The Journal’s request for an official  statement on the status of the original Bradley Stoke Way plans, but a council representative manning the recent North Fringe Rapid Transit exhibition at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre inferred that the original scheme has indeed been superseded by the rapid transit plans.

The bus rapid transit system, which is subject to government funding and will not be built before 2013/2014, will see two dedicated bus lanes running between the Aztec West Business Park and Bristol city centre. Regrettably, there is currently no suggestion that this scheme will include any improvements for general traffic flow on Bradley Stoke Way.

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Staff from South Gloucestershire Council will be manning an exhibition of proposals for a bus rapid transit system in Bradley Stoke this weekend.

The exhibition, part of the public consultation on the “North Fringe to Hengrove Packge”, takes place tomorrow (Saturday 5th December)  between 9am and 12 noon at Bradley Stoke Library.

Information published on the website of the West of England Partnership website suggests that a dedicated rapid transit bus lane could be constructed along the full length of Bradley Stoke Way:

In Bradley Stoke, it is likely that the rapid transit would make use of the land reservations already in place along Bradley Stoke Way.

The statement is believed to refer to the strip of undeveloped land along the north-east side of the road that was previously foreseen for a tram system – until a spat between South Gloucestershire Council and Bristol City Council put an end to the plans some years ago.

Related link: North Fringe Rapid Transport (The Journal)

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South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has opened a public consultation on plans for a major new road transport scheme that will link Bradley Stoke with Bristol city centre.

The scheme, known as the North Fringe to Hengrove Package, includes provision of bus rapid transit services, the construction of a new link road between Stoke Gifford and the A4174 Avon Ring Road (close to junction 1 of the M32 at Hambrook) and a new Park & Ride facility beside the M32 (close to the Coldharbour Lane bridge).

“In principle” funding of £168 million was approved by the government in July and the next step will be the submission of a Major Scheme Business Case to the Department for Transport (DfT) by March 2010. If the scheme is approved, implementation could start in 2013/2014 – according to the West of England Partnership (WoEP), which is fronting the bid on behalf of SGC and Bristol City Council.

Rapid transport is described as a fast, frequent and reliable public transport service provided by buses running, where possible, on traffic-free routes – sometimes on and sometimes off existing roads. Journey times will be reduced by requiring tickets  to be purchased prior to boarding and giving buses priority over other road users at traffic lights.

The long-awaited Stoke Gifford Transport Link, which will combine a bus rapid transit route with a regular road, is intended to relieve the current congestion around Bristol Parkway station. The route will start from Great Stoke Way in Stoke Gifford, running initially behind houses in Kings Drive.  A new bridge will be constructed to carry the link over the Bristol to London railway line, east of Bristol Parkway station.

Maps included in the consultation documents show the bus rapid transit route starting on the Aztec West Business Park and then following the full length of Bradley Stoke Way before using the new Stoke Gifford Transport Link to reach the Avon Ring Road. Buses will then head for the University of the West of England (UWE) campus on Coldharbour Lane before joining the M32 at the new Park & Ride.

Proposed stops along Bradley Stoke Way include Woodlands Lane, Patchway Brook Roundabout, the Willow Brook Centre, Webbs Wood Roundabout and Baileys Court Roundabout.

SGC is staging a number of unstaffed public exhibitions to allow residents to learn more about the proposals. Local venues are:

• From Monday 30th November to Friday 4th December at the Aztec West Centre
• From Monday 30th November to Monday 7th December at the Willow Brook Centre

A staffed exhibition is also being staged at Bradley Stoke Library on Saturday 5th December, from 9am to 12 noon.

The consultation period runs until Friday 8th January 2010.

Related links:

• North Fringe to Hengrove Package consultation (SGC)
• North Fridge Rapid Transit (The Journal)
• North Fringe to Hengrove Package (WoEP)

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South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has announced that a £168 million rapid transport scheme that will link Bradley Stoke and Bristol city centre has been agreed “in principle” by the government.

Information about the scheme, known officially as the North Fringe to Hengrove Package, is hard to come by, but SGC says:

This is a major project to provide a rapid transit system linking Bradley Stoke, Emersons Green, Stoke Gifford and Aztec West with Bristol city centre and south Bristol. It will include the Stoke Gifford Transport Link, a new route across the railway line at Stoke Gifford. This Link will relieve the current congestion around the railway bridge near Parkway Station and on surrounding roads.

The West of England Partnership (WEP), which is leading the project, describes a rapid transit scheme as follows:

Bus Rapid Transit will be a rapid, reliable, frequent and punctual form of public transport that will feature segregated bus lanes, using modern up to date sustainable vehicles that will link outlying areas with the major employment and shopping hubs.

The Journal understands that the exact route of the scheme is still to be decided but earlier plans show Parkway Station linked to Bradley Stoke District Centre (now the Willow Brook Centre) via Hunts Ground Road, Great Stoke Way and Bradley Stoke Way.

Construction of the scheme could start in 2013/14 and be completed by 2016, according to information on the WEP and SGC websites.

More Information:

• Hengrove to North Fringe Package – Press Release (SGC)
• North Fringe Rapid Transit Package – Route Maps (The Journal)

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