Your say / totterdown
‘The plan to close this road to cars has not been thought through’
In January 2022, the former mayor consulted on a package of works that will improve sustainable transport which includes the revised waiting restrictions in the Wells Road area and the introduction of bus lanes on Wells Road.
It also includes the introduction of a prohibition of driving on Bellevue Road in Totterdown at its junction with Wells Road, and banned right turns from Wells Road into West Town Lane and Hengrove Lane.
The transport improvement project forms part of the wider A37/A4018 Route 2 Strategic Corridor Project being funded by the West of England Combined Authority using the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement.
is needed now More than ever
This is part of an ambitious project to improve how people travel across the city along a key transport route.
The proposal’s aim is to make walking and cycling more attractive and to give priority to buses through infrastructure improvements to improve journey times. In addition, it is anticipated that the proposals will reduce air pollution and improve health.
All of this I agree with.
However, I am not in favour of the previous administration’s approach on how this would be achieved.
The majority of people that responded to the 2022 consultation also had concerns about this, which Ed Plowden – my fellow ward councillor in Windmill Hill – and I communicated with the project team.
When it became obvious that the project to close the Bellevue Road junction with the Wells Road was still proceeding in March 2024, Ed and I worked with TRESA to survey the area around Bellevue Road to find out what the local community thought about the proposal.
There was a very clear response: for the road to not be closed and for the existing timed restriction to be kept in place with some form of enforcement, as they felt that people did not take much notice of it.
These restrictions can be found at the end of Cambridge Street, where it is one way from 7am to 10am.
I am very much in agreement with the residents of this area and would hope that we can achieve the necessary outcomes without closing Bellevue Road.
Windmill Hill councillor Lisa Stone hopes that Bellevue Road in Totterdown will not be closed to cars – photo: Ed Whyman
Firstly, I would like to see the evidence which suggest that there is a problem with this junction and for the bus company to meet with me to discuss these issues.
If necessary I would like to see some simple yellow hatching on the bus lane at this junction, to be enforced with CCTV
As for reducing air pollution, the offered alternative routes show that cars will need to be driven longer distances around the area, and this would create a lot of issues that simply do not outweigh the benefits.
Not only that, I can see that there would be possible issues for emergency vehicles getting in and out of this area as well.
Instead, we are proposing a much more comprehensive and strategic package of measures to calm traffic over a much wider area.
You can get involved by going to www.bristol.gov.uk/sbln-engagement where thousands of comments have already been logged.
This plan has simply not been thought through and the previous Labour administration clearly did not listen to any recommendations coming from local residents.
If they had, I feel that this proposal would look remarkably different and would have reached the same aims, but with a better outcome.
An outcome where people would have felt listened to and properly consulted with and that the decision would have supported their needs as well as the needs of the wider community.
It is this inclusive manner of listening, being transparent and bringing people with you, even with difficult decisions, is the reason why people voted for change.
This is what a new Green-led administration will do.
This is an opinion piece by Lisa Stone, a Green Party councillor for Windmill Hill
Main photo: Ed Whyman
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