This was posted to the Bristol Social Forum and might interest some readers:
From: Sian Parry
Email: sian.parry@bristol.gov.uk*<http://sian.parry@bristol.gov.uk>
Phone number: 0117 922 2074
Type of enquiry: i_want_to_find_a_local_group_in_my_areaI support a Physical Environment Scrutiny Commission at Bristol City Council.
Councillors on the Commission want to scrutinise the local bus services (provided by First Group) and I’d like to invite relevant local groups to the meeting (in January).
I’d be grateful if you have any contact details of local people who could comment on bus services in Bristol.
Many thanks in advance for your help,
Sian Parry
Scrutiny Officer, Bristol City Council
Posted by: “julie boston” j.boston@unisonfree.net
Mon Oct 22, 2007 3:00 pm (PST)
Bus campaigners in Bristol seem to have no spokespeople.
FOSBR sent Peter Gould to London for the Campaign for Better Transport event & Radio Bristol asked me to do the response in their news slot to the Bus Commissioner jaunt which is held in Bristol today.
The sooner we make it clear that Bristol’s unreliable, expensive, slow, inconvenient bus services are the cause of congestion the more likelihood there is of finding a solution. First is not a monopoly. Park ‘n’ Ride, South Gloucs, A Bus, 500 Harbour Link; Buglers and Eagle run bus services but as Bristol City Council has not managed to issue Travel cards passengers are restricted to one service.
As long as bus/rail operators have to exploit the public and their work force to make a profit, Bristolians will suffer from congestion, asthma, loss of open spaces for our necklace of P’n’R, road rage and exhaustion.
NB Anyone who asks Travel Line for information on travel between Temple Meads & Redland will be given 2 buses & no bus information!
julie boston
Why the hell do councillors want to scrutinise local bus services in Bristol? They’re utter shite, everyone knows that.
Stories pertaining to their shiteness are legion in The Cancer’s “Open Lines”.
I mean, what’s the bloody point? My baby son has more control over his bowels than Bristol City Council have over local bus services. It’ll be yet another waste of time talking shop that will achieve sod all at public expense.
Cllr Mark Bradshaw will tell us all how Bristol’s buses need to improve and nothing will happen, because they can’t do anything.
First are humping the council and the good citizens of Bristol right royally up the backside and no-one can do a thing about it because the DfT have sold us down the river to these money-grabbing fuckers.
And I’m not sure what Julie Boston was saying here: “NB Anyone who asks Travel Line for information on travel between Temple Meads & Redland will be given 2 buses & no bus information!”
I think she meant “no train information” as she represents FOSBR.