Your say / East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood
‘Everyone needs to feel welcome and safe on our streets’
As a parent living in Lawrence Hill, one of the most deprived wards in Bristol, the statistic that children living in areas of high deprivation are more likely to be killed or seriously injured is one that hits very close to home.
A few years ago, I was rushing back from work to pick up my child from primary school in east Bristol. I quickly realised I was seeing the aftermath of a collision. Whilst playing, a child had run between parked cars in front of the school and had been run over by another parent driving a car. The child’s injuries were severe, but not fatal.
After seeing this, I wondered how many parents actually need to drive to pick up their children from a school with a catchment which is less than a mile? Especially when at 45.7 per cent Lawrence Hill has the highest proportion of children in year six that are overweight in all of Bristol.
is needed now More than ever
An article by the Health Foundation, explains how road safety has a role to play in good health – photo: Health Foundation
Sport England’s Active Lives data shows that active travel is the main way that more than half of primary and secondary aged children are physically active. The East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood area contains three primary schools, several nurseries and childminders. There are also several more secondary and primary schools just outside the boundaries. The ability of children and families in and around this area to travel by foot, cycle or scooter is important for building physical activity to their day.
In 2010, professor sir Michael Marmot’s Fair Society, Healthy Lives delved deep into health inequalities and why some groups and communities are more likely to experience poorer health than the general population. It found that access to greenspace can halve the impacts of health inequalities.
In the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood area, we have some lovely greenspaces like Netham Park and Troopers Hill, and the nearby St George’s Park. The ability to walk, wheel or cycle to these green spaces is important for all residents in the area but especially those who don’t have access to a car.
In Lawrence Hill nearly 50 per cent of households do not have access to a car. And if we take children into account, even if there is a car in their household, they will not be able dictate its use.
The EBLN scheme has been stopped midway after numerous protests from residents of the area – photo: Karen Johnson
Opponents of the EBLN say it will have a negative impact on disabled people who drive. The reality is, with more people walking, cycling or using public transport for shorter journeys there will be fewer vehicles on the residential streets, making it easier for those disabled people who rely on their car to get around.
Opponents have also incorrectly claimed that the proposed bus gates will make it harder for some people who rely on their cars to travel around the area. But the council have made it clear that many people will be exempt from fines from driving through them, including:
- Taxis
- Residents of the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood area whose vehicle has a disabled tax class
- Professional carers who work in homes of people who live within the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood area
- Parents or carers who live within the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood area who receive a personal travel budget for their child with SEND
We need to take action to reduce health inequalities in East Bristol. Lawrence Hill has the worst air quality in Bristol and higher rates of respiratory illness and cardiovascular disease. Men in Lawrence Hill have a life expectancy of 72, compared to those in Westbury-on-Trym who will live another 10 years until 82.7.
These are more reasons why we need to reduce through traffic and move it from residential streets to the main roads that are better designed for it.
Delivering couch to 5km running sessions between 2014 and 2022 and teaching local women to cycle showed me how difficult it is for some people to get out and into greenspace, as well as feel confident once they are there.
As a fitness instructor, and Level 3 qualified personal trainer, I know that staying fit and active is not easy for many people, especially time-poor parents. But as a time-poor parent, I also know that if I can walk to the shops, I will be getting some cardiovascular physical activity as well as some resistance training carrying my groceries home.
And as someone who wishes they had more time to spend at the gym or otherwise being active, I know that these small adaptations help keep my blood sugar and resting heart rate lower. With my African-American background, not unlike many of the ethnic groups in the area, I know that I am at higher risk for type 2 diabetes, vitamin D deficiency, and living with obesity.
I have a car but when I ask Google how to get most places in Bristol it tells me that it will take a similar, sometimes shorter amount of time to use my bicycle. Knowing that I need to build in activity where possible, cycling is the way of getting around I usually choose. Another reason why I cycle or walk for short distances is that drivers are exposed to higher levels of harmful pollution and sitting in traffic is a stressful experience.
I often bump into people when I am walking or cycling which usually adds some joy to my day. Whether it is a parent I haven’t seen since our kids were in nursery together or someone whose path I more regularly cross, it is always nice to make eye contact, stop and say hello, and catch up if possible. This is not possible in a car.
The chief medical officer, professor Chris Whitty’s 2024 Annual Report – Health in Cities states that “cities should be ideal places for enabling active travel with shorter distances to the things we need or want on a regular basis, including supermarkets, places of leisure, work or healthcare. Making walking and cycling more practical and safer, and access to green space easier and more equitable, would go a long way toward removing barriers to improving physical activity levels and could significantly improve the health of England’s increasingly urban population.”
And makes the following recommendation: To reduce air pollution, transport emissions, including from public transport and space heating (especially solid fuel burners), need particular action specific to cities
Air pollution is a particular risk in cities where the greatest levels of pollution are combined with the highest concentrations of people. It causes significant lung and cardiovascular disease.
There’s been a lot of outcry about the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood trial which hasn’t even been fully implemented. Other more affluent parts of the city like Clifton and Cotham trialled similar measures and made them permanent. Their residents and business owners are benefitting from cleaner air and places that people want to spend more time and money in.
Living Streets recently released an update to their pedestrian pound report which underlines the importance of ensuring that our streets are walkable and accessible for people with disabilities as well as states how more walkable environments increase income for businesses. I want to see the part of Bristol that I live in benefit from more walkable streets, with less noise and safer routes to school and parks.
Everyone needs to feel welcome and safe on our streets especially if we choose to walk to the shops, use a wheelchair to go to the park, or do the school run with a pushchair. We need to experiment with our public spaces, creating healthier streets with more space for people.
This is an opinion piece by Zoe Banks Gross, an east Bristol resident
Main photo: Karen Johnson
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