Network Rail Not Happy About Changes at Cardiff's Central Square.

[monsento]

why the concern for cardiff? the bus station should stay in cardiff , reading has had its throat cut, my bus now stops on the street which jams in rush hour due to overload

cheers network rail

 

[PHILIPE]

why the concern for cardiff, reading has had its throat cut, my bus now stops on the street which jams in rush hour due to overload

cheers network rail

Council this evening approved Planning permission for BBC Headquarters and say there will be a separate application for a Transport Hub in due course. Meanwhile present bus station to close in June, so where will they go ? Watch this space.

 

[iantherev]

My money's on them using the arrangements for rugby internationals in the hope that people get used to them and the need for the bus station fades away quietly.

 

[monsento]

My money's on them using the arrangements for rugby internationals in the hope that people get used to them and the need for the bus station fades away quietly.

yuck

 

[anthony263]

I have heard Stagecoach has kicked up a fuss about the proposals for the new bus stn. A lot of drivers including myself have wondered how on earth you will fit all the buses into the new stn especially with the National express coaches etc there.

As for the suggestion about Cardiff Bus Stn being dangerous, I have driven buses in there particulary when I do the X2's to Porthcawl on a sunday and have never had any issues although a lot of the local taxi drivers could slow down a good bit instead of speeding around buses

 

[Envoy]

The present site is unsuitable for a bus/coach station due to the fact that it could not remain open when major events take place at the stadium. Having stands for all the Cardiff Bus routes plus National Express & Stagecoach (who mainly operate from the valleys), would have taken up a huge amount of land. So, it looks like Cardiff Buses (that mainly serve the suburbs), will either be looping around in the central area or passing near the Central Station (N or S) on cross city journeys - which I think is sensible.

The trouble with the proposed site for the new bus/coach station, is that it will have bus/coach movements cross routes that rail passengers use to get from the station to the main shopping area / Castle. Perhaps it would be better to have the bus/coach station (serving mainly National Express/Greyhound) on the site of the south side station car park? Such services would be able to access/egress the central area via the A4232* & come up Lloyd George Avenue from the Bay and thus avoid the congested routes that they use at present. From the south side of Central Station, it is just a short walk under the railway to the main shopping area. This therefore provides an always open interchange with the rail system as well as removing bus/coach movements from the main pedestrian routes on the N side. * The eastern section needs to be built to provide the link with the M4 East.

Perhaps more Cardiffians could also be persuaded to access the local rail network from local stations. ( Lack of frequency on the City Line does not favour this at present).

 

[Phil from Mon]

There is now a faq from Cardiff Council,including a plan, regarding the proposed changes, and attempting to address the worries around pick up and drop, and taxi ranks, in particular while the BBC building is under construction http://www.cardiffnewsroom.co.uk/in...bout-cardiff-s-new-bus-station-fact-v-fiction

 

[swt_passenger]

why the concern for cardiff? the bus station should stay in cardiff , reading has had its throat cut, my bus now stops on the street which jams in rush hour due to overload

The road layout changes, and the corresponding bus route changes in Reading were not the responsibility of Network Rail. The NR site boundary on the south side of the station runs through the new entrance doorway. Reading council made the decision to pedestrianise the area south of there, and move the bus stands all over the place.

 

[monsento]

so network rail are angry but handing over in cardiff, this whole thing as lost me wasnt a difficult subject..

take the planning officers to reading that should get what they want

 

[Envoy]

So, five architectural firms are drawing up plans for the new bus station and when one is chosen, the public will then be invited to comment. This is rather like the situation we had with the Wales Millennium Centre / Opera House. Architects submit plans and then the great & the good decide on the one they want and then present it to the public. (For those who don't know, the public hated the Zaha Hadid design and then those in power had to withdraw this as the 'winner'. They then came up with the present design - again, without asking the public their views). Why on Earth can't the public be shown all five designs now and then asked to give their views? It just goes to show that those in power really have no respect for the views of the public.

Looking at the temporary arrangements, with 2 car spaces north side and only 5 south side for pick up & set-down, I wonder how many spaces will be available for those who need to nip into the station for about 13 minutes to advance purchase tickets / get printed timetables or pick up the elderly off trains?

I also note that taxis will be queuing from Saunders Road and into Penarth Road. This means that they will be stationary / creeping forward underneath the railway bridge. I think that this is a very bad idea as the confined space will be full of diesel fumes from these vehicles. It surely would be better for half of the taxi fleet to be using a pick-up area on the south side of Cardiff Central with Penarth Road under bridge kept clear for the number 6 buses to & from the Bay?