04/12/17 We won!
There are good days, very good days and super-duper days - as far as Hatchet Road goes this is a super-duper day.
Why do I say this - well this afternoon (Monday 4th December) the South Glos Cabinet voted for the 'do-nothing' option for Hatchet Road rather than proceed with the bus lane option. This will save at least £1.8m, avoid the inconvenience of at least 12 months of temporary traffic lights, remove the threat of damage to our parks and provide great relief for people living alongside Hatchet Road. We are delighted - athough of course we would have liked to see agreement reached on bus lay-bys - but delighted nonetheless.
A big thank you to all of you who have supported our campaign - it just goes to show that with the right level of community engagement these things - described by a few people as 'a waste of time' can succeed.
Paul
South Gloucestershire Council approved, in July 2016, a proposal to put a bus lane on Hatchet Road (in one direction i.e. southbound between the Gipsy Patch Lane and Ratcliffe Drive roundabouts). We are seeking wider public support in order to persuade the Council / Metro Mayor (when elected) to review and change this decision so that we have bus stops with lay-bys rather than the proposed bus lane. This change is supported overwhelmingly by the public feedback from the formal consultation, two public meetings and Stoke Gifford Parish Council.
Why is this important?
The bus lane option is to be part of a new shuttle bus service linking Cribbs / Patchway with Bristol Parkway Station. It is understood that the people of Stoke Gifford and the surrounding area are not opposed to the MetroBus scheme itself but object specifically about the decision to go for the bus lane option. The bus lane option will hinder rather than relieve traffic flow from the Ratcliffe Drive roundabout to Bristol Parkway Station.
In these times of austerity it is more important than ever that our elected representatives secure value for money on all expenditure. The bus lane option has been costed at just over £2m and it is likely to cost significantly more (evidenced by experience of other MetroBus schemes in the Bristol area) before completion.
The preferred option of the Hatchet Road Action Group is to review and reduce the number of bus stops on Hatchet Road. Where they are deemed to be required then this should be done with a lay-by facility in all cases. This option, covering the length of Hatchet Road in both directions, would save over £1.25m when compared with the bus lane option. Furthermore it would facilitate better traffic flow for other buses and road users when buses are stationary for passengers to get on or off a bus.
A second important consideration is the environment. The lay-by option can be readily accommodated using small areas of available land near the sites of retained bus stops. We object to the unnecessary destruction of mature trees and hedgerows along both sides of Hatchet Road. This will adversely impact on wildlife in the area and eventually be replaced with the eyesore of fencing panels. We are also concerned at the potential intrusion for those people living in houses adjacent to Hatchet Road with the widening of the road bringing traffic closer to their homes. The lay-by option will allow traffic to move more freely and in turn reduce pollution, which would otherwise occur with traffic backed up by buses at bus stops.
Reasons for signing