Is arena parking plan as mad as it sounds?

A line was drawn in the sand last week when plans for the new arena showed as few as 45 on-site parking spaces for the 12,000-capacity venue.

Parking was always going to be a point of contention between the green-friendly mayor and the increasingly vociferous car lobby.

But nobody expected provision to be quite so low.

On the one hand, planners hailed the visionary new arena and Arena Island developments as some of the most “sustainable” of their kind.

Drivers and nearby residents, on the other hand, were furious at the plans which they argued would clog up streets around the site.

But are the plans really as controversial as they sound?

No, they’re not

There’s adequate public transport infrastructure and the arena only improves what’s already there, is the message from planners.

From the platforms of Temple Meads station, the new arena will dominate the skyline to the south east. The station is already only a stone’s throw from the new development, but could become even closer.

Under more long-term plans to redevelop the old sorting office eyesore at the back of Temple Meads, a new entrance would be punctured through the back of the station, leading visitors out directly onto Arena Island Bridge.

Trains would bring visitors from across the South West, of course. But local services will also carry Bristolians from around the city. Operators will have to plan for the influx, unlike with the Rugby World Cup.

And then you have buses. They might not be the most glamorous, but the network is set to get a boost before the arena opens with the launch of the MetroBus.

The new rapid network which will use some segregated and guided bus ways will link Hengrove, Ashton Vale, Filton, UWE, Cribbs Causeway and Emersons Green to the city centre. However, only the Ashton Vale route will connect directly with Temple Meads station.

Park & Ride will also be extended under the travel plan of the arena and a new train platform at the A4 Portway park & ride will take people straight to Temple Meads.

Finally, people in Bristol like cycling. And the arena offers to make things a whole lot easier for them, with new segregated and non-segregated cycle ways all around the site.

Among the most significant changes is the widening of the canal-side walkway along Feeder Road which will be converted into a shared walking and cycling path.

There will also be an unusual boardwalk floating walkway along the feeder canal from Temple Meads to the arena and a new footbridge from Albert Road named St Philips Bridge.

And for when the cyclists arrive, there will be 200 covered bike racks right next to the arena.

Yes, they are

Parking. Parking, parking, parking. This is the subject which could derail – or most likely delay – the arena’s planning application, what with objections already voiced in Tory, Labour and even Green camps.

The key is in the detail. On day one of the arena opening there will be 245 on-site spaces, reserved for disabled and operations use. But this will fall to 45 when the rest of Arena Island is developed into offices, flats and retail with a plaza out front.

It is all part of an environmentally-friendly pledge at the heart of the project: “We are not considering building a large arena car park that would encourage more travel by car as this would not fit with the council’s transport aspirations or with the arena being an exemplar of sustainability.”

Sustainable or not, the numbers simply don’t add up, detractors say. The consultation documents claim 3,600 car trips are expected as a “worst case scenario” for every 10,000-12,000 capacity event, of which there will be approximately 20 each year.

Planners point out that for the majority of smaller events there is ample space in a number of car parks within a 20-minute walk of the arena and drivers will be directed towards them with an arena app.

But they also admit that during one of the maximum capacity events it “would be difficult to accommodate with current off-street parking provision”. This is where the park & ride extension, which will have to be subsidised “for the first few years”, will come into play.

Some argue this is still not enough. A lot of these people live in Totterdown, where cars are most likely to overflow to if car parks are full or if drivers are looking to save a few quid.

For this, planners say they are already looking into controlled parking in Totterdown, with a possible extension of the nearby residents parking zone.

The car lobby has already pointed to arenas such as Sheffield which has 1,000 on-site spaces or the 02 Arena in London which has 2,000.

But the mayor was quick to point out at the launch of the arena plans that the recent Arcadia 14,000-capacity festival in Queen Square went smoothly, without a single complaint to the council about parking.

Add to that the average attendance of 12,000 every other weekend at Ashton Gate stadium, and you have some context.

Read about the full arena plans here.