News / pedestrianisation
This could be the next road in Bristol to be pedestrianised
Roads already pedestrianised in Bristol are popular shopping streets in Clifton Village and Cotham, the cobbled thoroughfare of King Street, and the historic environs of the Old City.
Next on the list looks set to be somewhere completely different: a short stretch of road bisecting a park.
Under plans now contained within a new survey, a small section of Rosemary Lane in Eastville will be closed to traffic.
is needed now More than ever
Rosemary Green bisects Rosemary Green in Eastville – photo: Martin Booth
Eastville councillor Marley Bennett said that the plans for a modal filter have been drawn up following engagement with the local community including May Park Primary School and faith centres.
Bennett, who was recently appointed to Bristol’s cabinet, said that ensuring children can get safely to and from school “is something we can all get behind”.
Rosemary Lane is currently occupied by a number of van dwellers who look likely to be unable to stay if the proposed plans are given the go-ahead.
The closure of the Robertson Road end of Rosemary Lane aims to provide a safer route to school for May Park children and their families, as well as stopping the road being used as a rat-run, improving local air quality and reducing noise pollution.
Removable bollards would be installed to allow access for maintenance vehicles and emergency vehicles, with both cyclists and pedestrians able to pass through the road closure in the same way as other roads surrounding nearby Greenbank Cemetery.
Plans for the closure of Rosemary Lane include improved access for cyclists and removeable bollards – map: Bristol City Council
With the support of mayor Marvin Rees and his cabinet members, it seems unlikely that the plans for the pedestrianisation of Rosemary Lane will not go ahead; but the closure of the road is also not likely to happen before the end of Rees’ mayoral term and Bristol moving to a committee system of governance in May.
Following the results of the survey, a consultation needs to take place in which residents can comment on the proposed scheme before it is formally approved.
For more information and to take part in the survey, visit www.ask.bristol.gov.uk/rosemary-lane-jan-24
Main photo: Martin Booth
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