LEICESTER | Transport Issues

[philkeavo]

that's my point leicity, would places like Dubai be able to build on such a massive scale if a transport infrastructure did not go hand in hand. For example, I have absolute certainty that the so called Eco Town is dead in the water. The moment I read government officers comment that the local transport infrastructure probably could not support it you know such a scheme is terminal.

[Leicity82]

The eco town would put the final nail in the coffin. It's a disgrace that such a scheme is being contemplated, let alone being considering for actually being built.

[philkeavo]

I know you just gotta laugh haven't you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Leicity82]

I think it's about time we had some more good news.

[Captain Redeye]

MODS please delete this double post (stupid internet connection taking an age again)

[Captain Redeye]

Originally Posted by philkeavo

the transport issue is so massive and the cost of doing anything, even modest to reduce congestion, is so extraordinarily high no one wants to grasp this rather sharp and stingy nettle.

And the longer it is left, the worse it will get. If it is crippling Leicester's potential now, what happens a few years down the line when a lot of these projects are nearing completion and are in a postiton to attract their potential occupants?

Privatization is all well and good where people actually have a choice whether or not to buy a product or use a service which is on offer. As for "public" (a.k.a. PRIVATE as it is NOT a public service) transport people have two options, either use it or use their cars.

The former is expensive, slow, unreliable and inconvenient, and often not even an option for people who work outside of shopping hours or in areas not served by a decent bus service at all, Magna Park (a major distribution centre near Lutterworth) is a prime example of this.

The latter gives you a door-to-door service without any of the inconveniences, hassle, trudging through town for your connection, standing and waiting at bus stops and carrying whatever you need in the process and it's a lot quicker and cheaper, despite the traffic jams. It's a lot more comfortable sitting in traffic in the warm and dry, listening to the music you want to hear, than it is standing in the rain being jostled by people trying to get past the bus stops ridiculously positioned in the middle of the pavements, forcing passers by to cut through the queue or walk on the road then have to put up with all the squealing kids, hoodies and smelly tramps while you are trundled around half of Leicester before the route takes you to within half a mile of your destination


BRING US A SERVICE ON A PAR WITH EUROPEAN CITIES, AND FOR A REASONABLE PRICE, AND WE WILL USE IT



BG

[PAC_MAN]

I know that our council has rubbished the idea of a tram, but atleast is unlikely to get stuck in traffic like a bus. Therefore it wins hands down as a public transport system and should be given backing.

I dont understand how nottingham has managed to pull it off and where its getting the money for the expansion! If the Nottingham Council decide to extend it further it could come into Leicestershire and the East Midlands Airport and Loughborough. Effectively taking trade away from Leicester.

The tram will always be a better answer to park and ride schemes. The tram can also encompass a park and ride scheme and still remain traffic free.

[Leicity82]

Are the government's plans for more tram systems now dead-in-the-water? If not then why can we not introduce a scheme here? I know the council's excuse is no space or money, but with today's expertise and technology surley a way can be found around this. Afterall it's not as if other cities in the UK have really wide boulevards to run their trams on.

[Captain Redeye]

Exactly. but a Tram system is far better than park-and-ride.

WITH THIS YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A CAR TO USE IT



bg

[Captain Redeye]

Park and Ride allows people in the catchment areas to drive to the nearest carpark, catch the cheap bus into the city centre to do their shopping and then go home for less money than the regular buses cost.

It doesn't provide an alternative means of transport for workers, who will then need to pay again for a bus ticket to get them from the Silver Shuttle drop off points to their workplace

oh sorry I forgot, these bus-stops are not co-located either


BG

[danz013]

Originally Posted by PAC_MAN

I know that our council has rubbished the idea of a tram, but atleast is unlikely to get stuck in traffic like a bus. Therefore it wins hands down as a public transport system and should be given backing.

I dont understand how nottingham has managed to pull it off and where its getting the money for the expansion! If the Nottingham Council decide to extend it further it could come into Leicestershire and the East Midlands Airport and Loughborough. Effectively taking trade away from Leicester.

The tram will always be a better answer to park and ride schemes. The tram can also encompass a park and ride scheme and still remain traffic free.

This has been said many times before but part of the reason we got a tram here in Nottingham was that all of our existing transport methods were as good as they could get (at the time)

- We already had park and ride services running on the forest, the numbers were as high as they could get.
- We had already managed to pursued many onto public transport, we had special buses covering employment areas and unis
- We already had plans for smart card travel (introduced in 2000)
- We was (and still are) one of the few places in the country where car ownership is actually decreasing.
- We were (and still are) given the highest possible ranking on our Local Transport plan.

Here in Nottingham, we've put many plans in place and they've worked. The government have seen our success and backed our future plans (trams). I think the problem is other cities however have put forward plans for big systems - such as trams, trains etc - before they've even mastered the smaller ones. I can't say this is what Leicester have done because I don't live there, but I've heard many times that the government has turned away tram proposals and told councils to concentrate on making existing methods effective first (im sure Lears said this happened with Leicester).

[Stefan88]

Doesn't Nottingham County Council own part of NCT?
IMO First buses are shit and should be abolished along with all the other buses companies like Arriva, Stagecoach etc. Local Councils should play a big part in public transport systems in terms of funding etc that way it would be far more efficient for each city.

[Lears City]

Originally Posted by braunstone geezer

...i mean its part of the fosse way there concreting over, and for wot? so a few cars are taken off the roads...

At least there has been a small token of acknowledgement, about the historical links to the Fosse Park area...

http://www.a4a.com/fosseparkleicest.html

[WOTZDA POINT]

Passed by the site of the Enderby park and ride today. I was disgusted at an act of environmental vandalism.

Two mature oak trees had been felled and cut up and i think the smaller branches were being burnt. It's regetable what has happened but i hope the wood at least isn't wasted.

These trees could have been incorporated in the car park. It's very sad, it's bad enough losing farmland to tarmac but to destroy wildlife habitat is in my mind unforgiveable.

Was it the developers wish or does the farmer still own the land and got a bit bored !

[outsider1]

I am a bit confused to what the problem with setting up a single payment system for buses in Leicester seems to be. Both First and Arriva operate busses in London where the Oyster card is used so i cant see what the problem is there.
How can there be problems with competition laws if both firms not only already use the system in London. But also here in Leicester they both already take part in the plusbus scheme which allows rail travellers the ability to add the ability to use both companies busses in a certain area of the city for £2 a day.

[Captain Redeye]

Competition laws are a load of bolox. All the companies compete for is profit have prices dropped since privatization? Has availability and frequency of service improved? Are the buses cleaner, more efficient and ON TIME?

Why should we have to put up with this when other cities have a single, unified transport system which is run as a Public Service?




BG

[jaybob]

I think the problem was that in London TfL actually set the prices whilst the 2 companies run the service hence no competition. Whereas in Leicester both companies set their own prices.

[Leicity82]

From today's Mercury:

LET'S GET ON OUR BIKES
BY JENNY CORNISH
CHIEF POLITICAL REPORTER

10:30 - 26 February 2008



Multi-million-pound plans to make Leicester one of the most cycle-friendly cities in the UK are being drawn up.

The city council is preparing to bid for cash to transform Leicester's cycle routes and encourage more people to hop on their bikes.

Cycling England has launched a competition to find the country's first 'cycling city' and 10 'cycling towns', and a share of £47 million is up for grabs for the winning areas.



Andy Salkeld, the city council's cycling co-ordinator, said: "We want Leicester to become the leading cycle-friendly city in the UK, outside London.

"It's in the early stages but the city council is prepared and seriously interested in bidding to make Leicester a cycle-friendly city.

"We want this to be part of the regeneration that's going on in Leicester."

The exact amount of money being bid for has not been finalised yet, but it is likely to be several million pounds.

Mr Salkeld said the scheme would include things such as improving school cycling routes and cycling lanes, cycle parking and addressing gaps in the existing cycle network.

He said: "We would be able to make a long-term commitment to cycle training."

Roger Lovell, founder of Leicester-based community biking group Cyclemagic, said: "At the moment, people don't cycle because of the speed of the traffic and they don't feel confident or safe on the road.

"Continuing the cycle training for children and adults is a major thing that needs doing.

"Cycle routes are continuing to improve but there's still a long way to go.

"It's a good thing that this money is going to potentially come into Leicester.

"I think we stand a good chance because we have a history in Leicester of promoting cycling."

Dave Beale, 35, of Leicester's West End, a keen cyclist and a member of Leicestershire Road Club, said improvements needed to be made.

He said: "We tend to go out of the city as soon as we can because it's not pleasant cycling in the city.

"Dedicated cycle lanes are very useful to encourage people to start riding their bikes, particularly in getting young cyclists on the road.

"It's important for parents to know that their children are safe."

Andy Brooks, from Leicester's Campaign for Better Transport, said: "They've got a really long way to go before they succeed in making Leicester the best cycling city in the UK.

"The first big step is to make Leicester 20mph wall to wall.

"The second thing will be to complete Leicester's cycle network.

"The third thing is the approach to cycling.

"There are a lot of people that are too terrified to get on their bikes because of the conditions."

The deadline for applications for a share of the funding is Monday, March 31.

Cycling England will announce the winning city in early June.

Leicester Mercury website, 26th February 2008.

[candida]

Oh my God - What the hell is wrong with this council?????

From today's Leicester Mercury

BY JENNY CORNISH
CHIEF POLITICAL REPORTER

10:30 - 28 February 2008


Council bosses have changed their plans for bus routes running through the city centre, it has been revealed.

Buses will continue to run down Church Gate - a controversial move which was originally intended to be temporary.

Traders today hit out at the move saying they had not been consulted on the changes.

Some bus stops will remain near the Clock Tower when the new Highcross Leicester shopping centre opens this autumn.

Others will still be installed in Causeway Lane, as planned.

Julian Heubeck, public transport coordinator for the city council, said: "It is clearly profitable to continue to keep some bus stops by the Clock Tower rather than cram too many services into Causeway Lane."

Church Gate, a narrow street featuring many independent shops, was turned into a bus route last year so the High Street pedestrianisation could take place.

Traders complained then that the disruption was damaging their livelihoods and they were not asked their views on the works. They say they have not been fully consulted on the new change in plans either.

Jayshree Hindocha, manager of Church Gate News, said: "If they're not putting bus stops on Church G ate there's no advantage. It's not good for us. There is noise and the shop gets more dusty now."

Margaret Braithwaite, director of Churchgate Music, said: "We just get told. I understood the buses were only here for 18 months.

"There have been no major problems with the buses but the noise is a bit annoying."

Mark Newman, manager of The Source, in Church Gate, said: "The council said they would keep everybody informed but that's gone out of the window.

"I don't particularly have a problem with the buses going down the street but there's been a lack of consultation."

However, Councillor Sarah Russell, regeneration and transport task group leader, said many traders in Church Gate felt the change would help boost business.

She said: "A number of traders have seen an increase in trade and have been relatively comfortable with the new arrangements."

Last year council bosses paid for adverts saying shops were remaining open.

More details on the new bus routes and bus stops will be unveiled before any changes take place.

[candida]

From the Leicester Mercury

I'm starting to warm to these eco-town plans now!

BY MARTIN ROBINSON
POLITICAL REPORTER

12:37 - 27 February 2008


A controversial plan to complete Leicester's outer ring road could be resurrected more than a decade after mass protests forced it out.

Developers behind the Pennbury eco-town are considering building a route linking the A6 and A47 south-east of the city.

Known previously as the Eastern District Distributor Road (EDDR), drivers would leave the A6 in Oadby and hit the A47 at Thurnby, avoiding Leicester's roads completely.

The original plan for the road was scrapped by the county council in the 1990s because of public anger and high construction costs.

The route would cross fields, many already owned by the Co-op, and finally complete the city's outer ring road.

Co-op Estates, which wants to build 15,000 green homes between Stoughton and Great Glen, told the Leicester Mercury the plan is "in our thinking".

It says because there are no proposals for new roads in the area, it may have to build one itself to cope with the increased population in the area.

The Government will announce in the coming weeks whether the eco-town site has been short-listed.

Co-op spokesman Phil Edwards said: "Should our eco-town proposal go forward, our clear intention is not only to make public transport the preferred option for residents of Pennbury but to use the town as a catalyst for transport solutions in the wider area.

"As things stand, there is no realistic proposition of transport improvements in the south east of Leicester in the near future. Should the eco-town proceed, then we would expect to deliver the necessary transport infrastructure.

"Above all, any transport solution provided would need to be sustainable in line with eco-town principles but this would go far beyond anything else being proposed in other parts of Leicester.

"The concept behind the Eastern District Distributor Road is to complete the orbital route around Leicester and this concept is being taken into account in our thinking."

The Co-op says its town should go ahead because it would offer completely carbon-neutral housing, much of which would be priced to make it affordable.

It would also provide about 12,000 new jobs and would still use more than half of the land for farming and countryside uses - making the community sustainable.

It said it would also improve public transport in the area, including two new park-and-ride schemes and a fast bus route into Leicester via the Roman Gartree Road.

Protest group Campaign Against the Stoughton Co-op Eco Town (Cascet), who have been protesting at the proposed development, have said the lack of road infrastructure is one of the key reasons why the eco-town should be scrapped.

Spokesman and county councillor Simon Galton said: "The Co-op has previously said its strategy was to rely on public transport.

"Now it seems it is looking at falling back on the building of roads and car-based solutions, cutting across vast swathes of the countryside. That doesn't seem very green to me."

The county council says it knows nothing about the plan, but it would consider any future planning application.