Bristol levy plan scrapped

Mayor cites cost of living crisis, changing travel patterns and lack of new underground as reasons for dropping parking surcharge refused by the council and the Information Commissioner, but Cllr Plowden won an appeal to the Information Rights Tribunal.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Cllr Plowden said: “Glad that the report has finally been released after I had to get a judge’s order to do so. Sad to see it done with such bad grace when the administration stated in 2021 it should be debated in public. Bristol Greens need time to consider this report, and may well be underwhelmed by it after such a fight to get to see it.”

Underground is not arriving

A key reason cited for dropping the WPL by Rees is a lack of progress on developing an underground mass transit system that he has been advocating for the city.

In his blog post Rees wrote: “When we looked at investing in a mass transit scheme, we identified one potential income stream is a workplace parking levy. This would essentially serve as a surcharge on all drivers parking centrally while they’re at work. It has existed in Nottingham since 2011/12, where the money goes into their tram system (delivered at a time when Bristol could have had one too, had local leaders not fallen out in our region around the millennium).”

In his blog, Rees defended the proposed Bristol underground, stat- ing that two feasibility studies had shown it to be viable. He wrote: “There has been some sensationalist coverage of a flawed, leaked report that suggests that cost of a mass transit system for our city region is £19bn. In reality, a properly costed plan, where underground is only used in densely populated areas suggests more like £7bn. When London, where most of the tube network is above ground, recently got its most recent mass transit line, the Elizabeth Line, it cost £19bn, so why shouldn’t Bristol be demanding the necessary investment.”

New park & ride shows the way

Rees said the recent opening of Bristol’s first new railway station in almost a century at Portway park & ride was a real achievement, with construction work at Ashley Down station under way and plans progressing for more new stations at Henbury, Filton North, Ashton Gate and St Anne’s.

Rees wrote: “This major investment in rail is generationally important, not least as we continue to tackle the climate crisis. But, compared to similarly sized cities, all those stations opening would still fall short of what Bristolians need and deserve: a mass transit system fully segregated from other modes of transport to ensure its reliability. To deliver a segregated system, we must include underground sections where there is no reasonable other option.

“Where there is available land, we can build segregated corridors but, in denser areas, underground sections are the only workable option. What those who oppose any underground don’t tell you is that the alternative is closing Gloucester Road to all other traffic or knocking down the shops on one side of Church Road.”