News / Politics
From EBLN lessons to reducing car dependency – WECA mayoral hustings
The first question at a transport-themed hustings featuring metro metro candidates asked how they had travelled to the Watershed.
Labour’s Helen Godwin and the Greens’ Mary Page both arrived by car to the event; independent candidate Ian Scott drove from his home to the Downs and then took the bus to make his way to the city centre; while Lib Dem Oli Henman and Conservative Steve Smith both relied on public transport.
This was one of the many questions around a number of different transport issues that the five candidates answered at the hustings on Wednesday evening.
is needed now More than ever
Organisers confirmed they had invited Reform candidate Arron Banks and a chair was available for him to sit on, but he did not show up; with a demonstration outside attracting around 30 protesters.
Chaired by Bristol24/7 Editor Martin Booth and organised by various bodies including charities and pressure groups, all candidates contesting to be the next metro mayor were invited as per Electoral Commission guidelines.
Left to right: independent candidate Ian Scott, Lib Dem Oli Henman and Green Mary Page at the hustings at Watershed
A diverse crowd sat in the audience at the Watershed and more watched the livestream of the hustings online, which was also interpreted live in British Sign Language.
Here is a roundup of some of the highlights from the evening:
East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood
An east Bristol resident asked what the candidates would do to improve the implementation of liveable neighbourhoods after the mixed responses received to the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood trial.
Scott emphasised that the feelings of residents need to be heard and disapproved of police presence at protests, as was seen on a recent morning in Barton Hill.
Henman said he appreciated the issues with traffic and the need for safety on roads. He said he had spoken to residents in the area who were supportive of the EBLN trial and were “pleased that now children can cycle safely to school”.
All candidates – except Arron Banks – took part in the hustings
Henman added: “There are lessons, of course, that we’ve learnt and I think part of that is about why the community engagement continues those dialogues and perhaps there are specific points that could be adjusted, could be changed.
“I’m not saying it’s perfect but I think we need to go on a journey together, we need to bring people with us and that’s where the dialogue is so important.”
Reiterating Bristol transport supremo Ed Plowden’s apology to east Bristol residents for the recent early morning installation of scheme infrastructure in Barton Hill, Page emphasised the importance of “taking communities with you” when implementing schemes like this.
She said: “Nothing should be done to us without us having a seat at the table.”
Page said she had received a balanced set of emails from both pro- and anti-EBLN campaigners, something that she hopes to discuss while meeting residents in the near future.
Smith said the obvious answer was “don’t do it”. He explained that councils “need to stop assuming that they know best” when it comes to people and their choices in life. He said that he would not allow such a scheme to continue unless there was “overwhelming evidence” in support of it.
Godwin’s response listed current methods of community engagement and consultation as problems while highlighting that things should not be done under the cover of darkness.
She also said that pilot schemes must be treated as pilot schemes and that “there are ways of not continuing them if they are not popular of working”.
Bristol faces among the candidates (l-r): former Lib Dem mayoral candidate Mary Page, now representing the Greens; Conservative former lord mayor Steve Smith; and former Labour cabinet member Helen Godwin
Car dependency
Anna Driscoll asked the candidates about their thoughts about tackling car dependency which she said causes congestion and poor air quality. She further quizzed them on their plans about helping those who do not or cannot rely on cycling, walking or public transport to move around the region.
Smith, who said his bike “runs on petrol”, said that people had the final choice in how they wanted to move around, saying that “if someone needs or chooses to travel using their car, that’s their business”. He said that everything else – bus services, train services and more – were only to provide “alternatives”.
Independent candidate Scott said that people need to be encouraged to use public transport when “practical” so it helps reduce congestion. He also said that we need to be “realistic” and that even though people may use public transport, they might also need to use a car.
Godwin said that it all starts with a public transport system that is “consistent and reliable and affordable”. She added: “I think what we’ve got into in the West of England is trying to put in measures to stop people from using their cars before we’ve done the first thing, which is to get the public transport right…
“What I would do there is to get the transport right, but with the constant aim of trying to encourage people to leave their cars at home, but only when it works for them to do so.”
Candidates answered questions from audience members at the event at the Watershed and from those watching online
Page envisaged a scenario where the Freedom Pass and the Birthday Bus Scheme would be combined, and WECA would be able to give one free day of bus travel every week to everyone on a day of their choice. She said this would “massively cut congestion”.
Henman said: “I do think it’s about improving the buses so that people actually have the option to take a bus where they live, to make it easier, more affordable for them to get the bus.
“I also think connecting between buses to the option for right to travel, if you feel it can whether that’s the e-bike, which is working quite well.
“I think that there are other ways that we can then connect better with like rail. It’s really making it much easier for people to get around as we see in other big cities across Europe.”
Bus franchising
The majority of candidates said they would be willing to introduce a bus franchise, similar to the ones in London and Manchester.
Henman said that bus companies have “had it all their own way” for too long and it was time for authorities to start setting the routes and making sure it is implemented so communities are not “cut off”.
Smith said that bus franchising would effectively end the “two-tier network” with the commercial routes and the subsidised routes, saying it should all be a “level playing field”.
While Godwin said is supportive of bus franchising, she expressed concern about implementing such a plan in a place like WECA which she described as a “semi-rural authority” unlike London and Manchester which have a much denser population.
She added: “We have to think about what’s viable and what we can afford to do and how we do it.”
Scott said: “Under franchising, it’s still private bus operators who are running the buses. We do need to have a contingency plan. Imagine if the private operators pulled out of the West of England tomorrow, we would have a problem.”
Agreeing to franchising, Page said that the Greens can get there “quicker” using their enhanced partnerships.
All photos: Rob Browne
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