Bus station revamp sent back to drawing board

“I think I have a sure fire winner here,but must confess that to demolish the Lee Street car park would be better.
Have the place demolished ,replace with easy access for new developement and build student accomodation on top.Surely a winner for every muppet on the council.A simple nod and wink and ....hey ho...job done .”

“Simple and free plan for SPS... Remove ALL public subsidies from all bus operators unless they agree to accept each others travel passes on all their services. Then you don't get the situation where 10 buses of one company sail past while you are waiting for one from the right company! This would encourage more people to use public transport as it would be more convenient for them.”

“£13 million towards a new bus station!

These people live on another planet - sadly those of us on this planet end up paying

When will Labour ever learn to save money?”

“There is a perfect alternative that hasn't even been mentioned - Lee Circle.

Demolish that concrete eyesore car park and create a light and airy bus station in its place.

Simple - and easily achieved.”

“The key issue here is decades of befuddled transport policy (from both local and central government), especially mutually incompatible goals impossible to achieve - like carbon reduction, traffic calming, and addressing congestion.
Calm the traffic for a more pleasant environment, and congestion and pollution increase; Address the congestion and pollution from stationary traffic and timewasting is reduced, but it's harder for residents and cyclists to live with, and so on. Each one inversely affects the other.

Deregulation of bus services must have been one of the most counterproductive moves for the travelling public - operators have swiftly gravitated to a profitable route service only, thus increasing reliance on the car for many people, and is the main issue in this report disguised by the fact that although the bus station is inadequate to cope with the number of buses, this is not because we have a more comprehensive system of routes - just more operators vying over the same few 'mass transport' journeys.

Stoned is also correct, the pedestrianisation of major parts of the centre has squeezed out the available standings for the buses - not only do we have St Margarets & Charles St bus stations, the majority of Humberstone and Belgrave Gates are effectively ad hoc terminii too.

But we've learnt little from the past, judging by the rush to do away with the P&R stops at the top of High Street (in favour of SPS's Jubilee Park), and the businesses will suffer further loss of commerce when customers cannot get conveniently to the shopping areas without a 20 min hike.

My idea for renovation? - do away with St Georges' Retail Park, move Leicester Station up the track to where it can be widened and more platforms installed (to alleviate the platform congestion it currently suffers); relocate most of the existing bus stations' services to the same place creating a central hub on the edge of the city, and then 'connect' this to the cultural quarter - possibly including the Jubilee Park idea - and then on the newly bus-free streets of the centre lets have some San Francisco style street cars to ferry people from the combined station to the further reaches of the shopping areas and back...”

“Why aren't the bus companies responsible for maintaining bus station or at charged to use it to pay for its upkeep.”

“We're always being told that privatisation provides competition and reduces prices. Well it certainly hasn't proved to be the case with the gas and electric companies and the bus companies just want the profitable routes where they can make the most profit. Perhaps it's time to think again about public ownership.”

“@IvanThe Great

The city council have no influence over bus fares, and ceased to do so when bus travel was de-regulated. Why should taxpayers subsidise the buses, especially if they dont use them?

First, Arriva, Centrebus and others are public companies, who chose their business and are working for the benefit of their shareholders, and there's no way they will adopt the fare structure you suggest. Nice as it maybe. Bus de-regulation has been an unmitigated shambles, and has been an open door for operators to raise fares several times per year at a whim. And in the case of Stagecoach and Arriva, their buses chase each other down the A47 from Hinckley, leapfrogging each other for custom - it's utterly stupid competition.

They'd rather parade their buses around full of fresh air than cut prices to attract business. And you wont reduce cars on the road until buses run at times to suit those who work unsocial hours or in country areas.”

“The creeping pedestrianisation of the city centre over the years has had one inevitable effect.....less bus access equals less space for buses to operate effectively.”

“£300.000 to draw up designs, why not ask local collages to get there students to design it, thus saving the money and it would probably be a better design anyway”