Bus Forum: 'We just want a better bus interchange at the station'

As we reported last week, plans to transform the front of York railway station were approved by councillors at a meeting on February 4.

The proposals will see sweeping changes to the area between the city walls and the station.

The Queen Street bridge will be demolished, and a new road will be built outside the station, with a loop linking to a new multi storey car park behind the RI.

Bus stops will be altered, and there will be new pedestrian and cycle facilities, including a new, three metre-wide cycle lane.

The taxi rank will be moved out of the porticoed area of the station, short-stay parking will also be moved, and Tea Room Square will be tidied up.

Funding of £14.5 million was secured in March last year from a successful bid by the Leeds City Region to the government’s Transforming Cities Fund to enable the project to move ahead.

But there has been heated debate about whether we have got the proposals right, with much of the argument focussing on whether we really need that multi-storey car park - and why there are no plans for a bus station, or at least a bus interchange.

Today, the York Bus Forum and First York focus mainly on the buses...

Marc Bichtemann, Managing Director of First Bus York

A city boasting better public transport connectivity, with bus travel at the heart of its future prosperity, is what the development of York train station frontage will help deliver.

The new layout keeps faith with the existing bus interchange thinking to provide great connectivity for bus users while retaining vital cross-city bus links and improving journey times. It also includes provision for layover of vehicles and a turnaround facility on the new loop road which will transform the way that longer distance and terminating services are accommodated in the city.

Our customers and bus users generally want quicker journey times and excellent connectivity. This design satisfies these requirements now and in the future because it reflects how people use buses in York.

The key attractions and retail destinations are spread right across the city and are served by many different routes, giving customers greater choice and flexibility of where they get on and off than the centralised bus station which some have argued for.

Many interchange points have now evolved to provide the best travel solution for the city. The movement of services to a single interchange would not meet the requirements of all passengers.

The additional space given over to buses in the new development creates a modern travel environment featuring high quality sheltered waiting areas with improved directional signage and the delivery of first rate service information. It also allows for future growth in frequency and routes as well as providing greater efficiency in bus movement by avoiding the delay and dwell times inherent in a bus station.

How the revamped front of the ralway station might look. Image: Arup, from City of York Council planning document

The plans also help to overcome the single biggest headache for everyone using the area immediately in front of the station - congestion. For too long this has been a hotspot for hold-ups, but by removing the short stay carpark and pedestrianising Tea Room Square, buses and other road users will be able to move more freely without waiting for turning traffic.

This scheme has stimulated different views but all with the single focus of improving public transport in York which First Bus welcomes.

The past 12 months have highlighted the essential role bus travel plays in daily life and will continue to as it supports the city’s recovery from the pandemic while also contributing to its clean air and zero carbon targets.

I hope that with the scheme approved, our partners and all those with an interest in a great public transport experience in York, will support City of York Council and bus operators in ensuring its success for residents, commuters and visitors alike.

Alan Robinson, York Bus Forum

People often ask why York doesn’t have a bus station. The mini-hubs dotted about the city are confusing, deter passengers, and lack shelter. About a third of the city has no direct access to the railway station. A central bus station there is an obvious answer, and surveys of local opinion show support for it.

But space at the station is limited. It would be more practical to stick with the existing multi-hub network and expand the station hub to take more services, including terminating ones. It wouldn’t be a full-blown central bus station, but as near as we can get.

Bus operators claim replacing the mini-hubs with a bus station isn’t what York needs because it would take away the choice of where to change between buses or which stops to use. But keeping the mini-hubs while also expanding the station hub would give more choice, not less. Existing services could carry on exactly as now. We don’t see why operators should object when they’ve nothing to lose, and better services attract passengers.

LNER justify their insistence on a multi-storey car park on the grounds it encourages car drivers to go by train rather than by road. We’re all for a shift to rail travel, but not at the expense of unnecessary pollution and traffic congestion.

And the truth is, there’s no scope for increasing rail travel in the way LNER want without Park & Ride, which can provide far more parking spaces on the edge of town and attract more custom, especially if its operating hours are extended. If we must have multi-storey car parks, P&R sites are a better place.

Some car drivers think Park&Ride adds an extra leg and more time to the journey, but buses with priority get into the centre more reliably. At congested times this difference wipes out the few minutes waiting for the next bus.

Artist's impression showing the approach to the revamped station from the Queen Street end

It doesn’t matter that Park&Ride won’t serve all rail passengers’ needs. If it satisfies enough, car parking at the station can be reduced.

A bigger interchange would not only accommodate Park&Ride, but also allow more routes to serve the station, especially from outlying areas not covered by First Bus, or routes terminating elsewhere in the city. People are more likely to use trains if it only involves a single-hop bus journey.

And a bigger bus interchange can handle the more frequent local services we need if decarbonisation and road decongestion really mean anything.

The Station Front scheme was a golden opportunity to improve bus services and get more people travelling by train, by squeezing in a bigger and better interchange at the station. It makes no sense to us that the council should throw this opportunity away, and that LNER supported the scheme as it stands, rather than pushing for better bus facilities that can only boost their business.

The council have given themselves Station front planning permission, but future-proofing modifications permitting bus interchange expansion later on are still possible. It’s in everyone’s interest.