We have the outcome of the online poll on Preston Bus Station the Lancashire Evening Post ran last month.

The first striking feature of the poll is the number of people taking part. Only 548 completed the survey. For your information, the Bus Station is used by an average of 56,000 people every day and Preston Bus report the approx passenger journeys as 10 million a year (bringing the company an approx revenue of £11 million a year by the way).

Preston Council voted that the preferred option without a massive injection of funds is demolition.
However, the majority of the people who took time to enter the poll do not want to see the building demolished. The majority would like to see a referendum on the decision to demolish and would also like the idea of an elected mayor for Preston to help save the Bus Station. How you would elect a Mayor for that sole purpose is not clear though.

While the token survey is fun and keeps the fate of possibly the largest building in Preston in the spotlight, it would have been more interesting to learn why people answered as they did. For example a huge 36% said they did not think the Bus Station operates well. But what does not operate well. The buses? The subways? The toilets?  Thinking about it, how would 27% of the voters decide that Preston’s bus station is not nationally and internationally recognised (or the other way around for that matter)?

The poll could have made a clearer distinction between the Bus Station and the car park facilities. Which parts were people actually voting for? We cannot tell from this survey.

Dozens of businesses in the city are in need of clarification about what will happen if and when demolition of the Bus Station gets underway. They all have real concerns about the future.

BID, the Preston Business Improvement District team will be holding a meeting to discuss the implications with Coun Peter Rankin on Tuesday evening. We will report the outcome of the meeting as soon as we can.

We are also waiting for news of the ‘local businessman’ interested in putting his cash into the Bus Station. Since this news was announced last month nothing further has been forthcoming.

For the full story and voting figures go to lep 70% want to keep bus station

The Save Preston Bus Station campaign is still encouraging supporters to contact the Preston Council leader directly with polite messages of support Councillor Peter Rankin

Did you vote in the online poll? What do you think of the results of the survey? Let us know in the comments below