8 ways to solve Bristol’s traffic nightmare

Often cited as one of the most congested cities in the UK, Bristol is under permanent threat of being thrown into gridlock by the smallest accident or road closure. Martin Garrett, chairman of pressure group Transport for Greater Bristol, sets out how we can put an end to it.

1. Founding one single body to create a single transport plan for the whole of Bristol

During the Cold War, Berlin was split between East and West governments, and getting around was impossible. In peacetime Bristol, we are split into four different councils, all with different plans for transport and no real coordination over how to relieve pressure from the roads by providing Bristolians with choices over how to get around.

It was fighting between the four that meant we missed out on a tram system – even though central government had found us the money. On top of this, there are multiple providers for buses and trains that are never pressured into ensuring the routes and timetables are coordinated or reflect the journeys that people need to make.

Although there has been talk of coordinating more recently, simply stapling together four documents and calling it a joint plan isn’t enough. Transport in Manchester, London, Birmingham and even cities in developing countries like Brazil is so much better than Bristol because they have one unit of local government – or at least a combined or integrated transport authority – planning for the future.

2. Creating a plan for the way cars, buses, pedestrians and cyclists move around the city centre

As the recent gridlock has demonstrated, it’s currently chaos in the city centre. Anyone driving in Bristol quickly becomes sucked into the congestion because routes are so counterintuitive.

Road traffic then blocks buses getting around. Even cycling is difficult with so little room on the roads. The way vehicles and people move around the centre is the result of decades of cobbled together solutions and no strategy. If we are going to prevent congestion getting even worse, the city centre needs a long term plan.

3. Keeping more traffic out of town with rail park and ride facilities at Portbury, Portway, North Filton and Bathampton

Many people could avoid the tortuous drive across Bristol if they could leave their cars outside the city and get into the centre quickly, easily and affordably. Park and ride facilities at stations on the city’s fringes would help this happen.

4. Working with local businesses

Congestion is worst at either end of the working day. It’s vital that the local authorities work with businesses to overcome this. Creating safe cycle storage and changing facilities at offices helps – as does allowing for home working and staggered start and finish times. In Nottingham a workplace levy for businesses with lots of parking spaces has generated much-needed cash to fund alternatives and will help reduce traffic.

5. Reopening old train routes

There were once over 30 train stations in and around Bristol. Most of them closed during the short-sighted 20th century by policy makers, but the space and infrastructure still exist for most, and the need for them to reopen has never been greater. Freight trains already run between Filton and Severnside (often called the Henbury Loop) and reopening the Portishead line would be easy too. What’s more, with these routes working again, we might have the beginnings of a rail metro system.

6. Sorting out the buses

Bristol’s bus network is tired and fragmented. We need a new strategy based around ‘bus hubs’ at Temple Meads, Hengrove, Portway, Cribbs Causeway, Southmead Hospital, Parkway and UWE Frenchay. We need to renew the old, seemingly forgotten commitment to making sure no home is more than 400 metres from a bus stop. We need targets for frequent of services and the hours in which they run.

7. Making trains and buses work better

As things stand, bus and train systems in Bristol are not coordinated at all. This is most obvious at Temple Meads, where thousands of passengers every week disembark from London, the Midlands and further afield and can’t see any clear way of getting to town or indeed anywhere else. Everyone should be able to plan a route across their home town using a combination of public transport options. In Bristol, you need a doctorate in timetables and routes to move anywhere by train and bus.

8. Taking greater powers over transport from central government

If more power was devolved to local people, Bristolians would have a greater say over local transport. Recent congestion has been a nightmare for so many of us across the city, but it’s unlikely to have registered in Westminster and Whitehall.

Central government is already devolving greater powers to Manchester, South Yorkshire and the West Midlands. We just need to convince them that Bristol is ready to sort our own problems out without their supervision. Creating a single decision making body for transport across the city is probably the most important thing that needs to change before we are given more power.

Photo by Shutterstock

Read more: ‘Drivers stuck in traffic: stop moaning’