Six Greens and Mr Brunel launch election campaign
Written by Pete Goodwin Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Mr Brunel - wearing frock coat, cravat, and top hat - remembered how it had been his dream for travellers to make a seamless transfer from rail to ship in Bristol on their way to the New World. It never happened, because the city fathers would not allow it.
Now, 175 years later, he said, nothing had changed, the politicians remained as short-sighted as ever.... except for the Greens, who have recognised the need for a major transport interchange in the city.
Taking Mr Brunel's cue, Bristol West candidate Ricky Knight explained how the miserable experience of travel in Bristol could be turned around with a few simple measures, with a state-of-the-art multimodal transport hub top of the list. At Temple Meads, where rail, road, harbour, and path meet up, Plot 6 can provide the ideal site for seamless interchange.
Glenn Vowles and Nick Foster, standing in Bristol East and Kingswood respectively, pointed out that the greater part of both constituencies are two bus rides away from the city's main rail station. Turning the underused Plot 6 and the Digby Wyatt shed into a city transport hub would revolutionise travel within the city for everyone, not only rail travellers.
Bristol South candidate Cllr. Charlie Bolton added that co-operation between the city's MPs and councillors is key to make things happen, but there is little evidence of it at present. The Greens see public transport infrastructure as a key to stimulating the economy, providing jobs, and adapting to a low carbon future after Peak Oil. A Temple Meads hub would fit well with their programme, and would be promoted by Green MPs and councillors alike.
Alex Dunn, the Greens' candidate for Bristol North West, agreed. He commented that many people are reluctant to use buses simply because there is no easy transfer from one route to another, and people simply won't tolerate the walking and the waiting at exposed city centre stops, especially at quieter times. He added that a safe, well-lit interchange with up-to-the-minute information could make public transport far more popular and efficient, taking cars off the roads and cutting costs all round
The Greens sixth Bristol candidate, Jon Lucas is standing in the new Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency. He confirmed that costs of an interchange would compare favourably with some of the more grandiose guided bus projects planned for the city, like the M32 Park and Ride, which will encourage commuting by car from far afield without benefitting many Bristolians.
Notes:
- All six candidates are standing on the Greens' national manifesto, which can be downloaded here (pdf format)
- The Greens' election briefing on a Temple Meads hub is "Don't let Bristol lose the Plot" (pdf)
- An 8-minute YouTube video of Mr Brunel and Ricky Knight at the launch is here
Contact:
Pete Goodwin (Press Officer) 01275 543280
Ricky Knight (Bristol West candidate) 07986 941026