Downtown chaos is driving people off buses

A HUGE amount of work will be needed to get people back on Bradford’s buses after months of transport chaos, a councilor has claimed.

Independent councilor Taj Salam (Little Horton) is also a bus driver and said the double whammy of Bradford Junction closures and inner-city roadworks has seen people switch from public transport to cars.

The issue was raised during a motion at a meeting of Bradford Council on Tuesday night.

Entitled “City Center Traffic Chaos”, the motion, introduced by Conservative leader Rebecca Poulsen, called for more support for city center bus passengers – many of whom have been left confused by changes to bus stops and routes.

Cllr Poulsen said: “For many disabled bus users it is impossible. People are really struggling – where people get off the bus keeps changing.”

Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe admitted the unexpected closure of the junction had exacerbated problems caused by planned Urban Transformation Fund works which will see roads such as Market Street and Hall Ings pedestrianised.

She added: “When this work is finished, we will have a much better center than what we have had so far.”

Cllr Salam agreed, saying: “We haven’t had a fit for purpose transport system for many years.

“Every day we lose bus customers – we lose people to cars and other modes of transport.

“The work was partly to encourage people to use public transport, but now people are so fed up they are saying they won’t get on the bus anymore.

“When this is over we will have to do so much to get people back on public transport.

“We could have the best bus system in Bradford, but if we don’t have customers it won’t be successful.”

Referring to the city center improvement works, Bradford Green leader Councilor Matt Edwards acknowledged the problems but said: “What happens in Bradford happens in other cities across the country.

“When Liverpool did that it caused problems for a while but look at the improvements they’ve made.”

Councilor Brendan Stubbs, the Lib Dem leader, said: “I got a message this morning from a bus user saying ‘It’s hell to catch the bus in Bradford now. I feel that when it is winter with bad weather and dark nights, it will be impossible.

“The reality is that most people avoid buses in Bradford. It’s having a damaging effect on people’s views of Bradford – just months before we spend a year telling everyone how great we are.”

A separate Labor motion detailing other transport schemes in the borough and agreeing to do more to improve communication with transport users in the city center than the Tory has been approved.