Bristol councillor says £35m set aside for cycling would be better spent on rail

Gkam84 wrote:

I'll tell you what, Give her the £35 million to spend on rail. So long as cycling can take a couple of BILLION from the white elephant that is HS2.....

The HS2 will be passing within 200m of here, thats right under Palatine Road [birth place of Factory Records.] Just cause it isn't near your gaff doesn't make it a white elephant. Why not vote for the Scottish Government to pay for an extension from Newcastle to Edingow?

Quote:

However, I think we have to face the reality that cycling will never suit a majority of commuters or provide a solution to Bristol’s traffic congestion, and I fear the wholesale implementation of this plan might even make matters worse.

Maybe they could consider spending a couple of hundred quid on a plane ticket for Councillor Hiscott to visit Copenhagen, to see how much worse investing in cycling infrastructure makes a city

Redvee wrote:

Thought it was an old Courage Brewery, not a power station.

I'm pretty sure the big square building on the corner is the old generating station.

http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-379462-former-tramway-generat...

You can also see some of the tram tracks in Castle Park, near the fountain.

Aapje wrote:

The new rail station in my home city will have a big underground bicycle parking, with a direct stair connection to the rail platforms. Of course, this is not in the UK, but in The Netherlands, where we know that cycling is complementary to rail.
Old city bike at one end, another old one at the other. Voila. Your commutes just got a ton faster, since you don't need to use the bus or walk.

In the UK, at a minor station, you are lucky if there is any bike parking. Most trains around bristol are fitted out to allow either 2 or 4 bikes, but that actual range of how many may be let on is probably between 0 and 8, depending on how busy the route and how flexible the conductor is. Zero happened more often than 8 on my old route.

Also, I used the "secure overnight" bike parking at a station in Bristol once, to lock up a cheap, 15 year old, bright pink, bike. I did this because it was snowing so heavily that I didn't feel safe riding it home. It was gone the following morning. Sigh.

pikeamus wrote:

Aapje wrote:

The new rail station in my home city will have a big underground bicycle parking, with a direct stair connection to the rail platforms. Of course, this is not in the UK, but in The Netherlands, where we know that cycling is complementary to rail.
Old city bike at one end, another old one at the other. Voila. Your commutes just got a ton faster, since you don't need to use the bus or walk.

In the UK, at a minor station, you are lucky if there is any bike parking. Most trains around bristol are fitted out to allow either 2 or 4 bikes, but that actual range of how many may be let on is probably between 0 and 8, depending on how busy the route and how flexible the conductor is. Zero happened more often than 8 on my old route.

Also, I used the "secure overnight" bike parking at a station in Bristol once, to lock up a cheap, 15 year old, bright pink, bike. I did this because it was snowing so heavily that I didn't feel safe riding it home. It was gone the following morning. Sigh.

For the UK I think that folding bikes are the best bet for cycle/rail travel. They also overcome the problem of limited parking facilities at your place of work and if it comes to the crunch can be taken on buses or taxis.

Matt eaton wrote:

For the UK I think that folding bikes are the best bet for cycle/rail travel. They also overcome the problem of limited parking facilities at your place of work and if it comes to the crunch can be taken on buses or taxis.

Agreed, but the reason I was using that particular bike at the time was because it was free (my mum's old bike) and money was tight. Folding bike's can be a bit too much of an expense for some people (especially if they are paying through the nose for the train fares).

Mr Agreeable wrote:

The guided buses are still very much alive and well, I'm afraid. So far the BRT2 project alone has cost £13 million and all they've done is dig up a bit of the river bank. http://stopbrt2.org.uk/

BRT2 wants to land grab the bridge by the Create Centre. Also known as "the only bridge to get you from the Pill Path onto the Chocolate Path", also known as "part of the grand Festival Way". Cycle paths are seen as an easy target - god forbid that any roads are sacrificed...

Mr Agreeable wrote:

Redvee wrote:

Thought it was an old Courage Brewery, not a power station.

I'm pretty sure the big square building on the corner is the old generating station.

http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-379462-former-tramway-generat...

You can also see some of the tram tracks in Castle Park, near the fountain.

The Finzel's Reach development was only a success because the developer went to the council and said "You know all that section 106 money we said we'd spend on infrastructure around our shiny new development? Here's the thing, if we actually spend that then the development won't be profitable so we might as well throw in thr towel and not bother." Bristol CC promptly said, "Well, OK, then, don't bother paying for the additional infrastructure, that can just come out of the council's budget." and lo and behold, the development got finished. (Allegedly).