‘We need a total overhaul in approach to cycling in Bristol’

I travel around Bristol by bike. Run-ins with aggressive drivers with which I am forced into gutters, sworn and honked at are as much part of my daily routine as writing stories for my job as a reporter at Bristol24/7.

But as a relatively new cyclist, it is only recently my eyes have ben forced wide open to the genuine perils of travelling by two wheels in our city, beyond harassment and pushy drivers.

Stapleton Road in Easton is a death trap for cyclists, who have to share the road dominated by vehicles which randomly park in the middle of the road. There are potholes to dodge and no cycle lane to find sanctuary in.

I was pedalling through on it on a recent evening when a parked car swung out and knocked me off my road bike. My lights and hi-vis clothing were powerless against the driver who simply forgot to look behind his shoulder before he pulled out.

Somehow, I managed to skid to a stop and dash out to the pavement before another vehicle could do more damage.

It was this moment that I truly appreciated my vulnerability as a cyclist – how the plastic of my helmet is the only thing protecting me from injury, or worse.

An estimated 2,000 people took part in a protest to call for safer cycling in Bristol in October – photo: Rob Browne

A few days later was the tragic news that a female cyclist was killed in a collision with a lorry in Hengrove.

It hit home for me and the rest of the editorial team, who all rely on bikes to get around the city.

Cyclist fatalities is a problem that is only getting worse as more take to two wheels, with the number of cyclists killed on British roads increasing by 40 per cent in 2020.

Cycling for me is truly emancipatory. I don’t drive, so it gives me the freedom to do my job as a journalist, hot-footing it from a protest on College Green to covering the launch of a charity in St Paul’s.

It benefits my mental health hugely, giving me new perspective on corners of Bristol and helping me escape the busy city on its surrounding country lanes.

When I get on my bike, I feel liberated from street harassment, able to pedal off into the distance if I get cat-called. The vulnerability of travelling by taxi or public transport alone at nighttime is eliminated and grants me total control over the route, speed and time I travel.

But as thrilling as cycling can be, the truth is that it is perilous.

Bristol City Council says that Bristol’s new Clean Air Zone and planned underground will make cycling safer, while Bristol Cycling campaigners are urging it to install safe bike lanes after thousands signed a petition forcing a debate.

The council also claims Bristol has 75 miles of segregated cycle lanes, but campaigners argue this figure is misleading and puts it much lower, somewhere between two and five miles.

The reality is that our city’s cycle lanes are disjointed, unconnected and confusing, often shared with oblivious pedestrians or even interrupted by trees.

We need continuous, protected cycle corridors across the city, segregated from car traffic and accessible for all. This will only be made possible by a total overhaul in the city council’s approach to cycling.

I will always be a cyclist because I want to keep fit, safe and green, but we need better infrastructure if we are to achieve a city where cyclists don’t have to risk our lives every time we get on the saddle.

Main photo: Alex Goad

Read next:

• Is Bristol a cycle friendly city?
• ‘We need to free up space for the whole city’
• Why was there no consultation before removing Cheltenham Road cycle lane?

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