Studies approved for new Yate and Chipping Sodbury Metrobus, Park and Ride

The West of England Combined Authority, which consists of council leaders from Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) councils and Metro Mayor Tim Bowles – have agreed £1.2million to investigate whether it is financially viable to go ahead with 21 transport projects which include four new MetroBus routes around Bristol, six new park and ride sites, and other transport projects.

Among the studies is an outline investigation into the A432 corridor to Yate and Chipping Sodbury, including MetroBus, a strategic cycle route, Park and Ride, Yate Station enhancements and a bypass for Winterbourne and Frampton Cotterell.

Urgent consultation - Yate Town Centre Waiting Restrictions

South Glos Council is consulting on waiting restrictions in the streets around the Town Centre and about reducing the Leisure Centre and Kennedy Way car parks from 12 to 4 hours maximum stay.

You can find the full details and a plan of the proposals here - you need to give your views by THIS FRIDAY, 18 AUGUST.

The roads affected are: Broadway, Church Road, Cleeve Road, Elmgrove Crescent, Firgrove Crescent, Gleneagles, Highway, Home Orchard, Kennedy Way, Lawns Road, Link Road, Melrose Avenue, Orchard Close, Painswick Drive, Ridgeway, Stanshawe Crescent, Station Road, Sundridge Park, Swan Field, The Glen, Tree Leaze, Turnpike Close, Walnut Avenue, Westerleigh Road.


Whatever your views about this scheme, it's yet another example of inadequate consultation by South Glos:

• Virtually no publicity for a significant consultation
• Only 3 weeks to comment
• Over the summer holidays, so many people will only have a week to respond
• Only accepting comments online - what about people who don't have internet? 

What's the point of consultations if you don't do them properly?

Let's Get Yate Moving

What's more, Yate has now got to a size where it needs a decent size "two-way" Park and Ride site, with all-day parking for people travelling to Bristol and the North Fringe, plus parking for people working or spending long times in the Shopping Centre and the public buildings nearby.

The Liberal Democrat Focus Team has been running a 'Let's Get Yate Moving' campaign since 2014 to ensure that the Yate and Chipping Sodbury area gets the transport infrastructure it desperately needs. If you support us, please do sign our petition at www.southgloslibdems.org.uk/letsgetyatemoving and pass it on to friends and family members who you think will support us too.

Nibley council offices - car park extension

Claire Young and Ruth Davis at
the potential Park and Ride site

Earlier this year, we reported that the Conservatives were considering closing the Kingswood Civic Centre and extending their Badminton Road office to accommodate a council chamber and extra staff.

They are now proposing to keep the council chamber at Kingswood but move the staff to Nibley, which still requires the car park to be extended.

Your Focus Team requested and received plans that demonstrate this will still leave room for the planned Park and Ride. This now needs to be bigger than originally planned due to all the new homes being built in Yate.

The local dimension - Getting South Glos moving

The local Lib Dem team have worked hard over the years to help improve
public transport across South Gloucestershire. We will continue to campaign hard to protect and
increase local bus and train services and to take steps to reduce congestion and improve our roads.

We will:

1.   Make it easier for people to walk and cycle safely.
2.   Improve roads and tackle potholes.
3.   Reduce congestion through our towns and villages.
4.   Open new Park and Share and Park and Ride sites.
5.   Work with bus companies to improve services and reliability, reduce fares, and introduce smart cards.
6.   Support improvements to rail services including MetroWest and half hourly trains between Bristol
and Yate.

Our record of action...

We’ve consistently campaigned for more bus services for under-served areas. Lib Dem councillors successfully campaigned for the extension of the hourly 82 bus service connecting Yate to Southmead so that it now also serves Chipping Sodbury and Charfield.

This is an extract from the Liberal Democrat Vision for South Gloucestershire, our manifesto for the 2015 Local Elections.

Solar scheme and safeguarding Park and Ride site at Badminton Road

Earlier this year, we reported that the council was proposing to put solar panels on land next to the council offices at Nibley. This week Ruth Davis, Claire Young and Paul Hulbert met officers to discuss the plans before an application is submitted. This would be a very small scheme compared to the commercial solar farms that have sprung up in the area recently, the aim being to provide electricity for the council offices.

Claire Young and Ruth Davis at the site

While keen for the council to save money in a positive way and use greener energy, your Focus Team was concerned that enough space should be left for the long-planned park and ride.This now needs to be bigger than originally planned due to all the new homes being built in Yate. The good news is that the latest plans allow for a 236 space car park, with the possibility of further spaces behind the offices. The solar panels would go on the slightly higher ground towards the back of the site in the top picture, which isn't suitable for car parking.

The site is just opposite the Badminton Road council offices

Your Focus Team is campaigning to get the park and ride built, along with other transport schemes in the Yate area. Go to http://letsgetyatemoving-ldthornburyandyate.nationbuilder.com  to back the campaign and share your experiences and ideas about local transport.