Council seeks to move Guildford Bus Station to Bedford Road?

If the bus station is relocated on Bedford Road car park site, shoppers will have to walk and lug their shopping to it from the core shopping area . Also the proposal to terminate services from the east at the top end of the High Street would mean shoppers will be forced to walk uphill to the stops with their shopping for the return journey home. Buses turning right from Onslow Street to Bedford Road would add another set of traffic lights and add to the congestion of the gyratory. Buses from the east and the north would not call in at the railway station and those from the south and the west could but without improvements to access and exit routes probably would not. All in all a bad, not at all a well thought out plan by GBC.

GBC needs to re-examine their proposals. They could examine and appraise my suggestions described with the help of many sketches on how the gyratory could be improved by better use of existing road space and other improvements to the infrastructure to integrate the railway station and its development by Solum Regeneration and development of Guildford Road car park site by GBC itself. With the bus routes connecting the railway station and new bus stops at the Friary extension, no shoppers or railway passenger need to lug their shopping to either stations nor walk uphill on the High Street to catch buses home since all routes would terminate at the bus station in Mary Road and all routes would connect the key bus stops on their way out. Please visit my website by searching for

'revamp guildford gyratory' or going into
http://tinyurl.com/c5ehz9t

Why Mary Road site? It is bigger, it is surrounded by roads, its shape is better suited for a bus station.and it is not close to the river so architecturally not so important. Not every bus from the east and the north needs to go to the railway station - maybe the alternate ones would suffice. Thus the route to the bus station would be half via Leas Road and the other half via the railway station. This way the gyratory would not be unduly overloaded. Mary Road site can have additional car parking levels on top of the bus station and could be connected to Bedford Road car park thus a covered route to the Friary would be possible - it would be an advantage during bad weather. Perhaps during weekdays when demand for parking is less, the top deck could be used for markets, exhibitions etc. - an extra money earner for GBC!

If you agree with my suggestions, email GBC at planningpolicy@guildford.gov.uk or submit your comments to GBC via their consultation website http://tinyurl.com/bm4v7ef