A Temple Meads Hub

[Added 5th November: the petition is now up on the council website at http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/view/templemeadshub]

Good to see the Evening Post reporting the case made by the Greens for a proper transport hub at Temple Meads. Not only would it give far more of the city a direct link to the main railway station, it would give everyone crossing the city the 'seamless interchange' to continue their journeys - undercover, in safety, well informed, and well lit.


Contrast that with what bus users face now - say, on an evening journey from here in Stockwood to Horfield. A change, a longish walk, a wait at one of the city centre bus stops, and a seriously unpredictable arrival time. Then the same on the way back.


Temple Meads is ideal as a hub, and it's already well on the way to providing what's needed. The 'Digby Wyatt Shed' - the covered car park that formed part of the old station - is to become the new ticket office and waiting area, with shops, cafes and so on. The all important 'real time information' is taking shape (as pictured) All it needs is the bus and coach services themselves. Plot 6 is perfectly placed to provide for them.


But there's something very strange going on. Usually, the city planners say how land should be used, and it's open to full public debate. Not around Temple Meads though. The land use planning - the 'Local Development Framework' - has been left to one of the landowners, SWRDA, and they're pushing ahead with commissioning development that would put a couple of blocks of flats just where the buses could go. They've not consulted, in fact the plans still aren't even public. It was only thanks to some hard digging that the Greens found out what's being done.


There should be an e-petition for a Temple Meads hub on the council website very soon. I'll post the address here (and everywhere else I can think of!)