Penny S
So we beat Barcelona on innovation eh: well I'd be interested to see St Augustine's Parade given to the Barcelonans to sort out. Then we'd have an amazing, theatrical, artistic public space, full of artistry and beauty, not this traffic thoroughfare with its piddling fountains, industrial cylinders and advertising scaffolds. And while we're about it, why don't we give the harbourside by the Watershed to any other European city and we'd have an eclectic mix of colourful cafes and bars, not the corporate, stultifying haunts of vomiting stags, hens and suits (no doubt we can expect the same sort of corporate blandness at Cabot Circus). Give the transport system to a bold visionary to sort out and give the council a brain and a backbone. Give it ten years of upheaval while we turn from cars to trams and bikes, and then Bristol would be one of the best cities in the world.
Patrick Hulme
Yes, Bristol must have a mass transit system in order to function as a modern city. Inward investment is being hampered as even employers are complaining that workers cannot get to work.
Many cities, especially in France are building new tramways, which are rejuvenating their cities.
Bristol council is very much stuck in the past and has come up with no real solutions. The showcase bus routes are not an answer given modern traffic conditions and the need to compete for road space with cars. I am also concerned with the monopoly over trains and buses held by the First Group.
Colin Hamilton
Well Cardiff did have EU money building it and a talking shop local givernment to house!
Bristol's trasport plan (or lack of it) is my biggest worry, (apart from the petty crime). Why is there a Portway road one side of the river and an almost unused rail track the other side? There is also a dissused rail line leading into town from the Cumberland basin. Surely something could be done to move passengers onto a rail/mono rail into the city? I will be long gone before this council could have such vision I fear.
Ian
Innovation - plan to sell off Frenchay hospital and mnerge it with Southmead Hospital where there is awfull access, no space to park when visiting etc. They'll make a killing on the price of land at Frenchay though! Innovation at it's best!
Emma Royde
Public transport? What public transport?
It's all privately run for profit and not very well at that. I have seen newer vehicles at vintage transport rallies.
The Bristol Blogger
What on earth are "innovation ratings"?
According to Janke Bristol is basically better than Barcelona at something meaningless isn't it?
What good news.
Tony
Having read a lot of the comments so far,I can only agree with most.Especially the ineffective public transport,and a lack lustre city council.I have lived and worked in Bristol all my life, and really despair and long for a council who will work for us citizens.We managed to rid ourselves of Avon, but did the council grasp the nettle and make the most of our heritage and promote the title of CITY & COUNTY? no,they made feeble excuses and allowed (among others)the three emergency services to retain the word AVON in their logos.The quicker we elect a council who earn their corn the better.
Martin Andrews
Quite simply if Bristol sorted the public transport, redeveloped property in a sensitive manner it would be the BEST city in the country, until then..
Jeff Wookey
I think that since the eighties, Bristol has redeveloped in a haphazard and often an extremely unpleasant fashion. True, land has been redeveloped and been occupied by new businesses but far too little has been done to improve public spaces, develop improved public transport networks and cycle paths. There quite simply is a lack of vision and commitment to the longer term. So much could have been done to develop a unified and forward thinking model but it seems that all redevelopments have been characterised by a minimum cost, minimum vision, maximum profit style of working that has destroyed the potential for a sensitive redevelopment of the city centre and the dockland area.
The redevelopment of the road network in town was a joke ...a real missed opportunity. If anything the experience for the pedestrian and the motorist is significantly worse.
Bristol has a national reputation as one of the most traffic clogged, badly planned, and difficult to drive around cities in the country. It also has the most expensive bus service (very cynical First bus) and a very poor rail network to which the council demonstrates little or no support. In short it is a disaster.
I was born here ...I know what I'm talking about. My experience of living in Bristol is increasingly becoming a poorer one and the city has been ruined by thoughtless and cynical redevelopment.
If anything the encouragement to be more developer orientated is precisely what has been the ruin of Bristol over the last 25 years.
It would be great if the city council had been at least slightly interested in the community and the environment - but that has not been the case.
In fact I can think of a number of occasions where public opinions have been completely ignored in favour of more business oriented models - even if there has required a need to proceed by stealth.
Housing - speaks for itself - a disaster. Crappy, cheap short term solutions for maximum profit all round. A disaster.
We're waiting for the outcome of the decisions about what to do with the Chocolate factory in Greenbank. I'm not expecting anything unless the community wins the day.
Bristol simply does not have a vision for the future, so I hardly expect a revolution now!
Perhaps if there were more consultation, more studies of best practice, more embracing of alternative, and environmentally friendly developments, and more thought about what it might be like to live in Bristol in the future then things might improve.
I'm not holding my breath!
John
The main problem is political dogma. First the Communist Pensioners' Club on College Green drove away the businesses. Then the Tories covered Northavon in tarmac without any supporting infrastructure. Now the Lib-Dems want to turn us into an eco-village full of traffic lights and bus lanes. Look at the disgraceful state of sporting facilities if you want an example of lack of vision.
Becky D
I lived in London for 8 years and then Kent for 5 years but felt drawn back to Bristol, so returned just over three years ago. The only reasons I might question that decision would be the worryingly low provision of quality secondary education, the inflated house prices and dire public transport. However, having experienced in some depth both London and Kent which both have a plethora of faults, I stand by my decision. Bristol is so beautiful and unique and obviously, quite a few people think so. Having said that, the bus service in Bristol is dismal and Bristol City Council should hang heads in shame to allow 'Farce Bus' to continue it's monopoly of transport provision for the City. Overpriced and wholly unreliable; we all think so, so do something about it!!! I wont even get started on the schools....can't go there, it would take too long.
Chris C
The underlying reason for the lack of strategic transport plan is that there is no single authority for the urban area - the industry is in South Gloucestershire, BANES, North Somerset and NE Somerset - so the City Council is not allowed to take a broad view.
paul byatt
I moved here from London a few years ago and I love the place except for one thing - public transport. Whilst we see innovation in other cities regarding this vital area (eg Manchester, Sheffield, any city in Europe) we see nothing at all from the leaders of Bristol. They are doing nothing concrete to persuade us to leave the car behind.
matt
Wh dont more people walk or cycle?? Most people are able??? This would clear the roads
Derek
Yet again this is a gripe about frst Bus.
They really let this wonderful city down.
We live in Bedminster and have friends who live in Clifton, by the suspesion bridge.
It is actually cheaper to share a taxi than to take public transport when visiting them.
There is no direct service between the 2 areas and we have to change at the centre. It takes about 40 minutes too!
I agree with many other posts here, if Bristol is to have vision they must sort out this kind of evey day problem.
R Grant
A relative began a small business in Bristol and was forced to flee to central London where he’s still thriving ten years on. Another got a substantial leg up his particular employment ladder because the candidate who was first offered the post refused to move here after discovering how bad state education provision is.
Along with many friends I never take visitors into the city centre via the A38 because it’s so shaming; the area is just the slum it has remained for decades. (Some plans are afoot to do something about this at last– too little, too late!) Meanwhile, more houses are planned on the outskirts where everyone will need a car, thus compounding transport problems, although a friend who works in housing estimates there are enough empty houses in Bristol for all those who need homes.
I despair.
B Murti
I've lived off and on in Brizzle for the last 36 years. One thing is clear is that it's run by Mafias - a council mafia, a transport mafia, an art mafia, a university mafia. These mafias protect their own and don't let anyone outside of their 'family', who doesn't agree with their ways and means, to get a look in. I'm happiest when I can get out of the place and visit civilised cities like Palermo and Naples.
Beth
Yes, I agree with everyone else - the transport system is rubbish - expensive and useless. Bristol is known for it's traffic congestion. It needs sorting urgently. There's not much point improving schools and shopping/business centers etc. if we can't get to them, is there?
Stuart Budd
Transport - poor
Council Planning - slow/poor
Education - very poor
Business - poor
Environment - Good
Hills - Too many
Transport is in a dire state with the only viable alternative the car.
Investment by the Council is poor, reference new recycling bins. Job creation is poor. The Councils record on job indirect job creating is poor. There are hardly any finacial companies or large businesses within the city.
Gabriel
Maybe Bristol is higher than Barcelona on innovation ratings, but there's no comparation with european cities... Public transport is so expensive that is cheaper to use even 3.0 litre engine car and that's the main cause of trafic jams. Plenty of rubbish everywhere - but there's no rubbish bins on the streets so what would you expect? People taking their rubbish home!! I come from small polish city and I just can't believe that in someone would say rich country You still have got cities like that
Jane
The city is a great place to live but right now it seems to be grinding to a halt with no planning to stop it doing do. It's unbearable driving at rush hour, cost prohibitive (and unreliable) public transport not offering any alternative. Bristol City Council need to pull the stops out soon.
dp
Bristol City Council has been failing to lure high-calibre business from London. Fully equipped office space in Bristol is hard to fill while shabbier premises in London's Bakerstreet are leased by top class companies even before their completion. Infrastructural problems are a problem as are safety and housing trouble. Bristol's schools are mediocre at best (Bristol Grammar) and so is Bristol University. Why would a big name company move to Bristol? Not for the brand, obviously...
Harry Hall
I came to Bristol as a student nearly 50 years ago. Back then it felt as if it could perhaps become a great city. Bristol has a history, geography and heritage that other cities would give their eye teeth for. But generations of hopeless "leaders" have squandered these assets and Bristol's chances. I avoid the place now. I worked there for decades and it became more and more difficult to get in, out and around. I was in business, and had nothing but harrassment from the powers that be. The city has neither a road system nor a transport system worthy of the name, thanks to civic leaders with neither imagination nor ability. Schools are hopeless, the local NHS racks up huge deficits, drugs and crime are rife, nightlife and entertainment are only for the feckless or the very brave, property is unaffordable.....need I go on? A city I adopted and loved deserves better, but for now I won't go anywhere near!
David Greenwood
Bristol is a dump. It is filthy, its main hospital is old (300 years old in part), on a cliff face and with appalling access. Transport is a nightmare, and if you are not able to walk well you're dead. Car parks are too few, and the roads are mediaeval. I lived in Bristol for 18 years. I now live 8 miles south, but for me it is a no-go area. I watched the City Council squander opportunities galore to make Bristol "great"; now it is a vast urban sprawl.
Colin Jacobs
As someone from London, I found coming to Bristol for the first time a complete shock. I fell in love with the city and the spectacular scenery that surrounds it, but I have to say my only concern was with... you guessed it - public transport. I will be moving to Bristol soon for University and this transport issue does concern me a great deal. In London a single bus fair costs £1.50 (soon to rise to £2.00 from Jan 2007) but that is still relatively cheap compared to other cities. A monthly student bus pass in Bristol costs approx £50... that’s the same price as a NON student bus pass in London... a student one in London costs approx £36 for the month… this is where Bristol is expensive.
Paul
As people have said transport is one of the main problem. Driving is appalling and public transport is a joke. Main train service are fine but local ones are useless. My local station currently as a train every 40-50 mins during peak times and none outside peak, not exactly ideal. In the train companies wisdom they are putting on trains throughout the day from December, but at peak hours there will only be a train every 60 mins. There also no single combined regional (former Avon area) ticket for bus and rail that most other areas I've lived have e.g. Greater Manchester, South Yorks, West Yorks, London.
pete
i moved here to bring up a family some 30 years ago. A lot of the things I liked have gone or changed but the single biggest problem in the city is the lack of a decent transport system. We should sack Farce Bus and run transport cooperatively or 'not for profit'. That would make for a truly great city to live in. I can't see any of the local politicians going for that except perhaps Respect.
Chris
Bristol's development strategy is laughable. Building another 1400 houses on greenfield sites near Harry Stoke and the A4714? The area can't cope with the traffic it receives at the moment and this will make things far worse. Building a science park at Emerson's Green? That'll look lovely on the brochures, but heaven help the folks who'll be trying to get to work there. Friday afternoon? Don't try using the M4 round Almondsbury. I can't imagine any business in its right mind picking Bristol as a location after experiencing the commute we get every day.
Michael Worthington
Public transport is too expensive. In Birmingham you can travel on the bus all day for £3, in Bristol it costs £3.20 just for a return to the centre, and £4 if you go before 9am. Put more money into public transport as a priority.
Alan
Bristol not only lack vision for the future it lack vision for the present. It is the only city Iknow of in the Uk where ther 1930's Road system remains largely unchanged and therefore struggles to deal with yera 2006 Traffic. It's public transport links and facilities are hopelessly inadequate and there is no prospect of any improvement. The only new railway developemnt to have been underytaken in recent years only moves imported Cars by rail from Portbury docks! The city Council has time and again been guilty of tokenism in trying to solve the problems that exist in all modern complex city economies. If you don't beleive me have alook at what has changed in by next year/2 years/3 years/etc.
Bill
I am a student and lived in Cardiff last year, I currently live in Bristol and commute to Cardiff 3 days a week. This commute is worth it, as I feel Bristol has Character, History and Variety something Cardiff does not.
Sesh.Kannan
A city to prosper
Transport Infrastructure is important
To start with we have to have interchange bus station and templemeads in one place use of the old royal mail place to have the interchange rather than cramped new bus/ coach station.
More industrial and IT parks good transport infrastructure. A good international airport and ferry terminal Bristol has.
Now all it needs Vision for the FUTURE, industrial estateS and IT parks. Vision for future what kind of industry Bristol want to attract, Based on that good employment creation on those sectors, concentrate on selected industrial sectors.
Sesh.Kannan
Financial Advisor
T&R Consultants
Mike Ferguson
With the worst record in Secondary education in England and some of the slowest travelling traffic... Some innovation! If the Council concentrated a little more on value for money and less on political correctness and paying lip service to green issues, perhaps we would develop a culture where true innovation is encouraged.
If Brunel had been educated in South Bristol, then spent 45 minutes in a traffic jam on the way to the Centre each day then I'm sure Bristol would be a very different place!!!!
T. Curtis
The public transport in Bristol is awful. Buses that should appear every 10 minutes don't show up for 40 minutes and the prices are astronomical. Much easier, cheaper and quicker to drive than take public transport in Bristol.
Marlene
Because getting around Bristol is a nightmare, I will not even apply for jobs there. If Bristol wants to compete for more jobs, the city needs to resolve its transport problems first.
Geoff
I set up a small business 2 years in Bristol and now employ 12 people. Bristol is an absolutely useless place to do business in. Support from the council for small businesses does not exist, moving around the City is dreadful and our staff who use public transport are often late. Most of our clients are based in London or Birmingham and like our football teams at best Bristol is a 3rd Division City when I compare them to these places. As this article shows all our Councillors are delusional and content to play politics with our futures, while Council employees create more grandiose schemes to gridlock the City and drive business away to more forward thinking Cities.
MarkE
I worked in Bristol for 6 years, commuting from Bath. No one can tell me that anyone in charge of Bristol has heard of joined-up planning.
Since being made redundant, a group of us have formed our own company and would like to find good, affordable office space in Bristol, but it is proving impossible.
The new Broadmead development is no doubt a fine thing, but it is causing chaos to people trying to get to work every day.
Bristol council ignores business, especially small wealth creating businesses in favour of grandstanding. If they spent as much time considering the real needs of the city as they did wondering if the name 'Merchants Quarter' was an offensive reminder of the slave trade several centuries in the past, then we might get some progress out of them.
One other issue from a business point of view. Bristol ranks at the bottom in the schools tables. Finding good qualified people in Bristol is a problem, the output from the schools is so poor that the only jobs left to them are flipping burgers and serving coffee in the new Broadmead centre.
As a once very prosperous city based on trade and industry, Bristol has declined dramatically because the people in charge of council policies have a distaste, even loathing of the wealth creating sector. They should remove their blinkers and look at the attributes and environnment that allowed Bristol to once thrive.
steven dawson
I agree with the comments about Bristols dreadful local transport. There seems to be no alternative to using a car and even the taxis are very expensive compared to other cities. A city of this size should have a metro system or better local rail services. My other point is when are we finally going to get our arena? The lack of a decent sized music venue is a disgrace.
Kas Sarfraz
The main achilles heel that Bristol has is decent transport links to the regional airport. Until this is addressed it is difficult to attract tourism and to open up new international routes. The council really need to address the dire transport within the city which is trying to compete with bigger cities but these inadequately scoped transport links do not make Bristol a contender.
Mark
Bristol is a city proud of it's History, during the 18th and early part of the 19th centuries it revolutionised transport and links now what has happened? A looney council hell bound on making it the uk's largest car park! 1 example the bath rd park & ride, south glos & banes have a great link to bristol with dual carriage ways a4174/a4 and what happens when you cross to bristol? a whole stretch of road dedicated to a bus lane?
john morse
still at least we are bidding for the student games....not sure what sporting facilities they intend to use.....or how folk are to get around?
gotta love our glorious city caouncil
jacqui
i am from manchester and have lived in bristol for 15yrs and love it, the parks, ahston court & all other green spaces are a pleasure we must keep.
i agree with everyone on the public transport issue, it MUST be improved, sometimes its hell on earth just trying to get to and from work. then to think we pay through the nose for the privilige!
Kate Corwyn
Bristol has for many decades suffered from a lack of vision and a tendency to go for the cheap, expedient, second-rate solutions to problems.The Centre is already tatty for this reason, we opted for a nasty, crowded, commercial evelopment on the docks instead of the 'Little Venice' scheme because councillors bowed to commercial pressure instead of vision, the Council's reaction to traffic problems is impede traffic flow without addressing alternative - and on and on and on.
Lloyd
Bristol seriously needs to address Transport, mainly to overpriced Public Transport.
John Walker
Anybody who has lived in Bristol, even for a short while, knows that there is a wide gulf between Bristol's notion of a transport plan and successful transport systems in other cities.
Olly Whitman
Bristol is a beautiful city and a great place to live but the powers that be don't make the most of it, constantly and consistently standing in the way of progress. We have a lot to learn from cities like Cardiff and others in Europe. Who cares about ratings anyway? They are just a shield that councillors use, making them believe nothing needs to be done.
JoeB
The only vision the council has for Bristol is more grid lock, more traffic ax cameras, more road calming (congestion creation) schemes, more dirty busses, and more council tax.
dave
Until we have better cheaper transport links including local rail routes we will never truly be there among the top, though we are almost there. Bristol is a beautiful city with it’s docks and its mix of old and new parts of the city. As a resident I am extremely proud to live here. But as always it’s the transport that lets us down. When you look at other similar sized/bigger cities they have trams/local railways.. What do we have? Just buses! Enough said really.
Sarah Hartley
Bristol is a wonderful place to live - but what are "innovation ratings"??
