Your say / Transport
‘Marvin Rees has no plans for transport’
This opinion piece is written by transport consultant Richard Jordan who has had a 40-year career in transport and distribution across Europe
Marvin Rees promises, if he wins the election for Mayor, to look into the possibility of returning our buses to public ownership, a sort of reborn Bristol Omnibus Company. Why would we want to return to those bad old days which gave us the now infamous Bristol Bus Boycott?
When money is short, is this the best use of our scarce resources – a few tens of millions which surely could be better spent on Bristol people not ideology?
is needed now More than ever
Does he want a return to the decades of indecision we had before the election of the man he wants to depose; plan after plan being proposed, debated, revised then thrown out by a change in control of Bristol City Council?
This must be tackled.
Granted, the Metrobus is not cheap, it is a cheap version of a tram system, but it is the only, viable and affordable transit system and we need it.
In time we hope the Metrobus traction system evolves to be the most efficient, cleanest and reliable transit system Bristol could have.
Metrobus is not the end of the story, it is the beginning as have seen a commitment to make significant investment in our suburban railway lines.
At last, after over half a century of procrastination, protestation and planning muddle, we are starting to see a cohesive solution for the 21st century. In itself it does not improve our appalling air quality, does not resolve our parking problems or our traffic chaos, but it is a start.
A joined-up public transport system enables us to help people out of their cars and into more environmentally friendly, efficient and cleaner ways to travel. If we improve traffic flows, we will improve the efficiency in moving goods around the city.
We can learn from London – the congestion charge, low emission zones, resident parking zones, Safer London and other changes have made major inroads into the challenges faced by the capital.
Most of these ideas were condemned, vigorously contested and ridiculed. But they have made a positive difference and we should consider them with an open mind. Not all the ideas have a place in Bristol, but if we are to meet the challenges of an increasing population, they must be considered.
If the last half century has taught us anything it is that, when it comes to planning our infrastructure and the way we move ourselves and our goods around, we need long term policy, planning and practical solutions that are followed through over decades; we should consider that on May 5 when we elect our mayor for the next five years.
Richard Jordan is a financial supporter of Bristol 1st
Read more: On the buses with Marvin Rees
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