Today I have been talking about the prefeasibility study we are undertaking into whether a metro/underground system could work for Bristol.

We are the only core city without a mass transit system and the feasibility study will identify whether a system that could include underground is one that we can continue to explore.

BBC’s Robin Markwell and Peter Simson interviewed me on this yesterday and you can listen to the Radio Bristol interview here. You can see more on Points West tonight.

We had great success last week with the announcement that we are to get over 100 biogas buses for Bristol and the infrastructure to fuel the buses going in at Lawrence Hill bus station. This, as James Freeman (Managing Director of First Bus) has said, makes it a game changer. The Congestion Task Group being led by my Cabinet lead for Transport and Connectivity, Mhairi Threlfall, is making great progress coping out short and long term measures to tackle Bristol’s transport challenge including the review of 20mph, our no idle roadworks policy and the city movement strategy.

But at the heart of this we need a mass transit system. The prefeasibility report is being produced by CH2MHill working with Steare Davies Gleave.

This is very much an initial study that will allow us to compare underground options with other options such as trams or guided buses, but either way the region needs to develop a rapid transit system of some form – underground being one option.

Our aim is to have the report finalised by early November.

And don’t forget, today is the last day of our neighbourhoods consultation. We want to hear from you.