Friday 10 October 2008

Save the hassle, take the bus to town

Bristol's new Cabot Circus shopping development is attracting large numbers of visitors. Last Saturday the brand new 3000 vehicle car park was full, with queues at the entrances and traffic jams back up the M32 to the Inner Circuit Road junction.

Why not save yourself some hassle and catch the bus? You can get off near Cabot Circus, and as you can see there's a return stop at the Spectrum Building, just opposite the new shops.

Another alternative - up until 28 December - is the 984 Park and Ride on Saturdays and Sundays from the UWE car park off the roundabout in Coldharbour Lane, Frenchay (fare £2 return) - and this service picks up from the Spectrum Building stop as well. It runs every 15 minutes during the day.

Note that the 984 DOESN'T officially pick up at the Bristol Fashion, even if a driver tells you it does. If you wait there the bus may just sail past you. The stop before the Spectrum Building is further back towards the Centre in Lewins Mead (stop Hm).

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:12 pm

    Having just read your article I would like to bring to your attention a few facts that you may be interested in concerning the Spectrum building designated pick up point for yate, Chipping Sodbury. I work in Cabot Circus and have tried to use this Stop on a number of occasions as it should enable me to catch a bus that i would otherwise miss if i had to run to the bus station. Unfortunately this is not very often the case as the majority of bus drivers(x342 / x42) and their unions have taken it upon themselves to decide whether or not they stop at this designated stop. This is because they are disputing whether it is a safe place for them to stop to pick up. This i find laughable as the bus stop is big enough to accommodate 6 parked cars and if they were in their correct lane when coming off the roundabout it would be no more dangerous than any other bus stop. Unfortunately whilst this dispute still goes on the general public are the one's being forced to suffer the consequences of their actions. Resulting in the bus drivers ignoring the waving arms and cries of stop as these unfortunate victims try without success to get these buses to stop. So i ask you does this sound to you like a hassle free bus service from town or a humiliating experience for anyone who dares to use the designated stop? wendy

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  2. Thank you for that comment, Wendy. I wasn't aware of the problem - I will take it up with the senior South Glos Council officer who deals with the bus services.

    I'll report back on the blog. Please watch this space.

    Paul

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