Stabbed in the back by his own party, now Bristol’s Lib Dems have kicked Bradshaw right in the bollocks!
The Lib Dems have tonight announced their opposition to a BRT route on the cyclepath. Eastville Lib Dem councillor Muriel writes:
Dear Xxxxx,
Please be assured that, all being well, I shall be attending the
meeting. My attendance at these meetings is 100% returning on one occasion from Spain and from a works conference in Bournemouth!I will be supporting Charlie Bolton’s motion as will my Lib Dem
colleagues. If it fails because of the Tory/Labour pact we will
instigate a named vote so everyone in Bristol will know the
councillors who support the scheme and those who don’t.I would like this proposal knocked on the head, apart for the obvious heinousness of it I have no confidence that First Bus would comply with any agreement and, like its other service in city, would be a total disaster, would ruin the well loved cycle path, cause a whole lot of demolition – and for what?
You can guess I feel very strongly about this issue!
All the best
Muriel
The Lib Dems 31 seats combined with the six Labour rebels – so far – and Green Charlie Bolton gives the pro-Railway Path councillors a 38 – 31 majority in the council chamber.
Not even Bradshaw’s best political friends Bunter Eddy and the Tories can save him now!
Ha, ha, ha.
If anyone would care to look back at our press release on 7/feb (available through this site)they will see what our line has been. This was published within days of the problem emerging and was a statement from our whole group and not an individual view. We rapidly investigared the facts with officers and myself and Jon Rogers came to the meeting at Easton to share this information and to state our position and answer any questions.
Those who read the press release will see that not only are we concerned to preserve the cycle path ,important though that is in itself, but also we are seeking to prevent the “administration ” in Bristol going up a blind alley and losing the ability to get government cash for public transport improvements on a different route.
It is very regrettable that since June 07 ,when the view of consultants and officers was endorsed by the executive Cllr Bradshaw the cycle path has been the “preferred option” and work has been progressing in that direction. This was not shared with other paries or even it seems some of the New Labour backbenchrers.
So Cllr Bradshaw made the decision to approve the view of consultants without going through a democratic process?
Judging by the number of sensible comments filtering through from other councillors, if the consultants views HAD been discussed, at least one of them would have had the good sense to call for an evaluation of the benefits of the Bristol-Bath Railway Path to the people of Bristol (not to mention South Glos, B&NES, users from the rest of the country and visitors from other parts of the world).
Were Bradshaw and the senior officers in Transport, Planning and Sustainable Development blindly following the consultants advice? Being from Bristol, they should know more about what matters to Bristol than the consultants do. And if they don’t, then they need make sure that recommendations like Steer Davies Gleave’s are discussed and debated in public, WITH Bristol’s elected representatives, BEFORE money is poured into “feasibility” studies.