NPN Administrators have been working with Bristol City Council (BCC) Transport Officers to organise a series of Community Involvement (CI) meetings with representatives of 14 residents planning groups from neighbourhoods along the corridor of 3 alternative routes for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) track from Hengrove to the Avon new cut south of the City Central Area.

---

Through a series of 5 meetings, with the same group of residents and BCC Officers, the Community Involvement process achieved a high level of informed choice based on a real understanding and application of:

• The nature and purpose of the BRT

• The local physical impact of the BRT, the vehicle and its track

• The value for money criteria as used in the Dept for Transport project appraisal

• The trade-offs between criteria for the choice of best route

---

The criteria for choice of route, in no particular order and of equal weight, were:

1. Timetable schedule
   (maximising the offer of a frequent, regular service)
   
   
2. Passenger density
   (maximising custom)
   
   
3. Access to destinations & interchanges
   (maximising destinations & change of mode)
   
   
4. Trigger regeneration
   (maximising the economic effect of access to a transport route)
   
   
5. Home, landscape & urban quality
   (minimising the damage to residential streets, the quality of open space
   and the quality of urban design).
   
   

---

The majority view of the residents’ involvement group was to reject the 2 routes that cut through the built up areas of Knowle West and Windmill Hill, and prefer he route along Hartcliffe Way, as being of greater benefit to the operation of the BRT and at least cost to the environment.

Final recommendations were made by BCC Officers to the Cabinet meeting on 25th March 2010. These did not follow the residents’ involvement group view in two respects: the inclusion of Creswicke Road, Knowle West and East Street, Bedminster as part of the preferred route.

The Network arranged for a petition to Cabinet to seek that, if these sections were included in the application to the Department for Transport for funding, then alternative and equally beneficial sections should also be included on an equal footing. So that after the funding stage, all options could be subject to further appraisal of environmental impact and Community Involvement.

The alternatives to Creswicke Road and East Street are Hartcliffe Way and Malago Road.



For further information contact
NPN Administrator David Farnsworth on davidfarnsworth@tiscali.co.uk