Station car park developer announced, You heard it here first! Options

[Sherlock]

See this: http://goo.gl/Af3rj Has to be good news for Newbury. I particularly
like the idea of moving the bus station further from the rail station: provides healthy exercise for all those people who have been sitting around/standing in trains for ages.

[NWNREADER]

"The proposals would allow for the creation of a new bus interchange at the Wharf ....."

Well, I guess that is a radical new idea. Many towns have developed public transport interchanges where passengers can move directly from rail to bus/taxi. Clearly putting the main bus station so far away proves the reasoning behind moving the bus station as close as was possible to the rail station was totally wrong......

[Andy Capp]

I wonder how it has been decided that "The site, which lies between the railway station and Market Street and includes the existing bus station and council car park, is not deemed to be a suitable for rail travellers coming into central Newbury."

"The proposals would allow for the creation of a new bus interchange at the Wharf ....."

Well, I guess that is a radical new idea. Many towns have developed public transport interchanges where passengers can move directly from rail to bus/taxi. Clearly putting the main bus station so far away proves the reasoning behind moving the bus station as close as was possible to the rail station was totally wrong......

Eh!

[NWNREADER]

Could the reasoning be the housing developer has made such a handsome proposal to trouser megabucks the Councillors went into an attack of the vapours and swooned? I'm not impressed thus far..... Vision 2025 should be reported to Trading Standards - no vision, and not 20/20 let alone 20/25.......

[Andy Capp]

I thought the idea about a joined up transport hub is to encourage use so that people would get off the road. Moving the bus station away from the rail station would mean more people driving to the train station I would have thought.

[NWNREADER]

Exactlemont, fellow citizen. Put the bus station on the 'other' side of town from the rail station so people don't bother using the bus (as likely having to change buses) to get from one to the other......
Clever thinking!

Can't put shops there, I suspect, as there is already an exceptional shop development in the town....... And putting the transport hub there would mean people did not have to walk across town to get to the stores.... Hmmmmm

[masons]

another stupid plan from the council.

[masons]

and does anyone really want to live that close to a railway line

[blackdog]

So the bus station moves back to the Wharf - I hope it enjoyed its travels around the town. Presumably it won't mean buses picking up passengers in the planned new water features?

I hope WBC make some money from this development - or will they be selling their land to Grainger for £1? I bet Network Rail will want more for their bit.

Will this mean the end of free parking for WBC employees when their car park disappears? Or will the 'housing led' development include a massive multi-storey car park to keep them happy?

[Roost]

How many car parks would be lost from this idea I wonder.

[Cognosco]

How many car parks would be lost from this idea I wonder.

I would wager there will be no loss of a car park for certain people wonder if you can guess which people this will be?

How you can call this a transport hub when buses will be quite a distance away really beggars belief. Only WBC would even consider something like this. Just when you think they could get no worse they manage to surprise you.

[On the edge]

To have an effective rail interchange, you actually need buses; something we are singularly lacking in Newbury. Presumably the private bus services (Vodafone / College) will still call at the station?

Provided there is easy access to bus stops, a bus station isn't necessary. The present arrangement is dreadful. Walk through a crumbling car park, up a flight of concrete steps all with the ambience of a WW2 bomb site and eventually (but only if you know) find yourself in a diesel fumed grubby car park for stationery buses. A well lit, well signed pathway up to some modern interactive bus shelters would be more than welcome. So long as the majority of bus services have to pass that way - job done.

[desres123]

So the council moves the bus station back to wharf. How much will the council raise parking charges to compensate for the loss of the existing car parking spaces. Mind you no one will bother shopping in Newbury then due to lack of car parking. I bet Basingstoke, Reading and Swindon town centres cant wait

[Andy Capp]

To have an effective rail interchange, you actually need buses; something we are singularly lacking in Newbury. Presumably the private bus services (Vodafone / College) will still call at the station?

Provided there is easy access to bus stops, a bus station isn't necessary. The present arrangement is dreadful. Walk through a crumbling car park, up a flight of concrete steps all with the ambience of a WW2 bomb site and eventually (but only if you know) find yourself in a diesel fumed grubby car park for stationery buses. A well lit, well signed pathway up to some modern interactive bus shelters would be more than welcome. So long as the majority of bus services have to pass that way - job done.

I doubt people will be happy to get a bus from somewhere to the bus station then to get a connection to the rail station, especially when it is raining, they may as well ask dad to give them a lift instead. Equally, people will get off the train and then have to tramps to the bus station to find the bus they wish (I doubt every bus will pass the rail station on its route).

[On the edge]

I doubt people will be happy to get a bus from somewhere to the bus station then to get a connection to the rail station, especially when it is raining, they may as well ask dad to give them a lift instead. Equally, people will get off the train and then have to tramps to the bus station to find the bus they wish (I doubt every bus will pass the rail station on its route).

They'll need to do what happens in most other towns, cross compass routes, then they would all pass. Passengers have that tramp today, poor s***. Pay through the nose for a train ticket, then the walk of doom to the bus station. Frankly, even the Wharf would be better than that. Public transport in Newbury is abysmal, not just for train passengers. Cross compass routes would benefit everyone.

[John C]

See this: http://goo.gl/Af3rj Has to be good news for Newbury. I particularly
like the idea of moving the bus station further from the rail station: provides healthy exercise for all those people who have been sitting around/standing in trains for ages.

for some reason my Yahoo wont let me visit that site, but to move the bus station even further from the railway is in my opinion a retrograde step even if its back to the Wharf with its consequential loss of parking. It now makes even less sense to lose the couple of parking places to make Park Way bridge 2 way. But then again we are talking WBC.

[Sherlock]

It would be mildly interesting to know what the thinking is behind moving the bus station. Does anyone know if there any documents online which we can have a look at?

Also, wasn't there a suggestion that WBC Supreme HQ on Market Street would also be removed/redeveloped?

[Strafin]

Who's paying for the bus station move? And how much affordable housing? As many as we got at Parkway?

[Andy Capp]

Who's paying for the bus station move? And how much affordable housing? As many as we got at Parkway?

Like with Parkway, expect nice Summer's day designs with plenty of open space and affordable housing, but watch how that will all start to evaporate. Considering the shopping patters of the general public, why we would be eager for more shopping space defeats me.

[On the edge]

What benefit a bus station - its simply a stabling point for vehicles. Much better to see buses moving about! We need better routes and better more informative stops. Against well designed routes with appropriate and sheltered stops, what advantage to passengers does a bus station bring? Have you been in to Newbury Bus Station of late; uuugh! That's what you get when WBC decides.

If a 'station' is needed, no need to lose any car spaces at the Wharf - the existing coach park has ample free space; even at peak times. Might even tidy that draggle tailed bit of the town up to boot, You'll still need the stops for the railway interchange though.