Blaise Castle Estate: George Ferguson Proposes Car Parking Charges

(Photo credit: James F Clay)

Bristol Mayor George Ferguson is proposing to charge motorists to park at Blaise Castle Estate.

The plan is pat of a major cost-cutting exercise which requires the elected mayor to find savings of £35 million to the city's budget, in line with cuts from central government to local authorities across the country.

The plan would see charges raised or created for parking at several of the city's major public parks, including Ashton Court and Oldbury Court in Fishponds. 

Labour councillors are opposing this particular aspect of the budget. Paul Smith, former Labour candidate for the Parliamentary seat of Bristol West, tweeted this week, 

Suspect a lot of his [George Ferguson's] urbanite supporters don't understand that for working poor citizens. Free things to do with your kids is v important   

What do you think? Will car parking charges at Blaise Castle Estate make a big difference to people's use of the park? What about parking on surrounding streets?



If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.

Westbury Road Bus Lane to be Removed - Sort of

Westbury Road, Durdham Downs, Bristol (Photo credit: brizzle born and bred)

Reports in this week's Evening Post of the demise of the Westbury Road bus lane have, it appears, been somewhat exaggerated.

The controversial bus lane came into being earlier this year between Henleaze Road and White Tree Roundabout on the city-bound side of Westbury Road. It has been blamed by campaigners for significantly increasing car journey times across the Downs at peak times, with motorists (and even buses) routinely backed up to the zebra crossing at the junction with Westbury Hill.

Following a high profile campaign by, among others, Westbury resident Simon Brookes, supported by councillor Geoff Gallop and local MP Charlotte Leslie, it was reported in the Post that the City Council had agreed to remove the lane and restore the road to its former state.

Not so, according to campaign group This Bus Lane is Madness. An update today on the group's facebook page describes the Post's article as "misleading." Tim Kent, councillor responsible for transport,

"has agreed to remove less than half of it."

The group claim that the actual plan is to modify the lane by shortening it. 

"This must be some attempt to save embarrassment as the remaining 120 meters is no use to man nor beast."

Trym Tales supports action to reduce car journeys in and out of the city centre (see photo), and wonders whether it has been possible to even asses the effect of the bus lane with so many other city-bound routes having been partially closed in recent months. Major road works on Northumbria Drive, and the continued closure of Wellington Hill, have meant that the only routes into and across the city centre in recent months have been via Westbury Road or the Portway. Has it, under these conditions, been possible to say how much of the recent congestion is a result of drivers avoiding the road works in favour of Westbury Road?

When the Henleaze and Wellington Hill roadworks are both completed, we may see a different picture emerging.

Or, we may then all conclude that the bus lane was just a white elephant.

What do you think?

If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.

Related articles

• The Bristol Post published Scrap bus lane, say transport campaigners

Bristol's Rubbish

Image via Wikipedia

Glad to see that the Council are installing on-street recycling bins this month in the centre of town.

The new bins will accept cans and newspapers - two of the main items currently thrown away by pedestrians in the city.

The Council have announced that the new bins (which will also contain sections for non-recyclable waste) will be located at Park Street, Whiteladies Road, College Green, Baldwin Street, Welsh Back and Stokes Croft. The new bins, sponsored rather appropriately by Metro newspapers, will supplement those already in place in Broadmead and East Street, Bedminster.

Local IT social entrepreneur Steve Woods, meanwhile, has given a grudging welcome to the development via his Twitter profile: "Bristol City Council: you're at least 30 years behind German cities with on-street recycling facilities."

What, and they keep beating us at football?

Life's not fair.

If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.