Yahoo News “Don’t bother” driving into Bristol after pedestrianisation of Broadmead, says councillor
“If you’re thinking of driving into Bristol by car, don’t bother,” is how a councillor at the heart of the proposed Bristol city centre transport changes described how plans to pedestrianise and transform Broadmead will affect vehicles in future. The changes proposed in Broadmead are part of a long-term project to prepare for 5,000 more people living in the area.
The project, which will see the city centre transformed, will see bus stops replaced and moved, Union Street becoming a two-way bus gate that only permits buses and cyclists, and a new junction linking the Haymarket to Union Street once again. Further segregated cycle lanes would be installed along the Haymarket, and a bus gate would be created at Redcliffe Way.
The plans are aimed at removing traffic from the city centre and making it easier for those dependent on using cars, including disabled people, to travel around Bristol. There are a planned three and a half kilometres of segregated cycle paths that will be installed - which Bristol City Council hope to begin by March 2027.
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Broadmead is set to change drastically as The Horsefair and Penn Street will become pedestrianised, only allowing access to emergency services and deliveries for businesses at quiet times, and alongside plans to make Union Street a new bus gate, will introduce about “10 tennis courts of new traffic-free space”.
The ongoing consultation period will end on September 30 and the council said that around 1,400 responses have been received. It added that it wants people to know that the council is acknowledging concerns and comments and hopes for more comments.
“Much better place to be for everyone”
Councillor Ed Plowden, chair of the Transport and Connectivity Committee, exclusively told Bristol Live: “I think this will make it a much better place to be for everyone. Obviously change is difficult, there will be more people living in the area and hopefully working in the area and we want to recognise that Broadmead is changing and will be much more residential alongside the other uses, so we want to make it a great place to live and work.”
Buses would be diverted so they go around Broadmead after The Horsefair and Penn Street are closed off to traffic. Services that use The Horsefair and Penn Street will be diverted via Fairfax Street and Broad Weir (the former will become brighter, lighter and have shop fronts as part of the Galleries development). Other services that use Baldwin Street and/or Victoria Street will use the new road network created by changes to Temple Way and Bond Street.
In addition to these changes, 47 disabled parking spaces would be closed and replaced by 47 disabled parking spaces and a further 20 once the Galleries development has finished. Four taxi ranks, with space for 16 taxis, would close and be replaced by four ranks providing space for 17, likewise once the Galleries development is finished, an additional two ranks with space for eight taxis will be available.
Cllr Plowden added: “Getting buses to go through Fairfax Street will make it a much more pleasant environment underneath the Galleries to get on and off the bus. At the moment it is not the best but we are very mindful of the fact that we make all the buses and connections close. We are looking at the disabled parking spaces and the taxi ranks - there will be no loss in numbers.”
“We’re putting together a whole package of measures to make sustainable transport, whether that is buses, cycling or walking, the natural option. It will be a lot easier to cycle and walk.
“It may not work for everyone but we are thinking, in particular, about the needs of disabled people and people who really are dependent on their cars. From my point of view I hope that by freeing up the road space and getting as many people as we can to use other methods of transport that are more efficient for the city, that will free up space for those that are car dependent.”
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Traffic like a balloon - “we are trying to let the air out gently”
Cllr Plowden also recognised concerns that the transport project could push traffic elsewhere across the city. He said: “It is difficult and it would be really nice if there was a magic wand and you could change the transport system straight away, but what we’re trying to do is piece together, in a strategic way, a way of making it easier for people to get around the city without feeling that they have to do it in a car.
“So rather than squeezing a balloon and pushing out the traffic somewhere else, we are trying to let the air out gently to make it easier for everyone to get around. And those who are still dependent on cars, hopefully there will be less congestion and it will be easier for them.”
The councillor added that he hopes removing traffic from the city centre streets will help improve the reliability of buses and improve transport as a whole. After the pedestrianisation is completed, he advised: "If you're thinking of driving into Bristol, don't bother."
Lessons learned from Cumberland Road bus gate
The project helps support the idea of a rapid transit service by connecting the southwest of the city to the northeast via a potential bus route. In Broadmead, this would be achieved by the new Union Street and the junction to the Haymarket.
Bus gates would be installed at Union Street, the Bedminster Bridges and at Redcliffe Street next to Portwall Lane, alongside additional bus lanes at Bond Street and Temple Way. The Cumberland Road bus gate, which became active at the start of this year, has proved controversial as signage was exposed for being “inadequate” by a judge and appeals were successful against being fined.
Cllr Plowden said that the council has learned lessons and has called for a more consistent approach to the aesthetic of bus gates in the city. He said: “The Bristol Bridge bus gate is working well now, you don’t see many cars being caught out unknowingly. We’re trying to have a consistent way of creating bus gates in Bristol so it looks really familiar to people as they get to know what a bus gate looks like.
“It should be the same everywhere in Bristol as far as possible. Obviously we need to take a case by case approach with putting them in and making sure there is good warning and good places to turn around so they don’t get caught out by it. I want to make sure that they are really recognisable.”
Despite the concerns over the project, Cllr Plowden said: “I think this project will be transformative and I think it will really change the way we move about the city but also the way we live in the city centre. It’s going to make it a really good place for people to be, for people to go shopping, but also for people to spend time and enjoy their time here, whether visiting or living in the new developments.”
The overall estimated cost of the project is not yet known and the phase schedule is to be confirmed as the council works with key stakeholders to determine when construction and demolition can begin. Further drop-in sessions, to find out more about the plans, will be held by Bristol City Council on:
Saturday, September 21 at Bedminster Library from 10am to 2pm
Wednesday, September 25 at Bedminster Library from 10am to 2pm
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