News / Spike island
‘Disappointment’ at plans to reopen road to cars
A road is set to reopen to cars soon – despite the council withdrawing a controversial planning application to do so earlier in 2023.
Bristol City Council says Avon Crescent will reopen to motor traffic on September 4, following the completion of the Cumberland Road stabilisation project.
But local councillor Patrick McAllister says it is “inappropriate in my view for this to suddenly be announced”.
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Plans have been revealed to reopen Avon Crescent to cars with extra pavement for pedestrians – photo: Bristol City Council
As part of the reopening on the same day as the Chocolate Path, the council says it will be extending a section of pavement of the road by around two metres in width.
This will be done by painting a white line along one side of the road and placing a planter at each end.
The council says the extension will be done on the side of the road that already has double yellow lines along it, in order to not impact street parking on the other side.
This extra space will be for pedestrian use only, with cyclists continuing to use the road.
The council says it expects travel along Avon Crescent to be relatively low because when Cumberland Road reopens it will have a bus gate installed immediately to the east of Gas Ferry Road.
This will mean only buses, taxis, cycles, e-scooters and emergency vehicles will be able to enter the central areas of the city using Cumberland Road.
All vehicles would still be able to travel westbound along the road.
Avon Crescent is a popular walking route for rugby and football fans heading to Ashton Gate on Bears and City matchdays – photo: Martin Booth
Plans were announced to reopen Avon Crescent to cars in May, despite mayor Marvin Rees saying that it would not just six months earlier.
The council applied for planning permission to remove the temporary roadblocks and to reopen the road, with cars driving eastbound from Merchants Road to Cumberland Road.
But the council withdrew the application hours before a planning meeting, with council staff “making further enquiries” about the road to decide on its future.
Since Avon Crescent temporarily closed to traffic three years ago, it has become a popular route for walkers and cyclists.
On the road being being reopened, Patrick McAllister, Green councillor for Hotwells & Harbourside, said he is “disappointed that this step is being taken without community consultation”.
On X, he wrote: “A planning application that would have reopened Avon Crescent was withdrawn in the face of local opposition – it is inappropriate in my view for this to suddenly be announced regardless.”
Work to paint the white lines on Avon Crescent is set to take place overnight on either Thursday or Friday. The planters, which will be maintained by the council, are set to be installed in the coming weeks.
A council spokesperson said the reopening of the road is “a short-term to medium-term solution while the council progresses with its long-term plans for the area as part of the Western Harbour project, which could see changes to the local road network.”
Main photo: Charlie Watts
Read next:
- ‘The council should not use its privileged position to get around its own obligations’
- Reopening date revealed for Gaol Ferry Bridge
- ‘Western Harbour is marred by a lack of transparency and a shame consultation’
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