“We heard from residents who remain unhappy with the policing operation, and I apologised for the impact it’s had on them”
The installation of a bus gate on Marsh Lane in Barton Hill has been completed, from 6am on April 11(Image: Bristol Post submitted)
Avon and Somerset Police have apologised to local Barton Hill residents following the installation of a traffic management system in the area overnight back in March.
The system – a bus gate which is part of the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood Scheme – was installed in the early hours of the morning on Thursday March 13, with police officers and contractors from Bristol City Council on the scene to carry out the work.
The bus gate, on Avonvale Road, was one of three pieces of infrastructure as part of the new traffic management system installed – the others are located on Marsh Lane and Victoria Avenue.
On April 11 BristolLive reported how the installation of the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood six month trial, which has been delayed for almost six months by residents’ direct action protests to stop it – had been completed, after council contractors came again at 6am that morning to finish the job.
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The final bus gate has been created on Marsh Lane in Barton Hill, with planters and signage across the road for vehicles approaching from the north and Avonvale Road.
Local residents protested the bus gate at the time, laying in the road to prevent painting works from taking place, and leading to what has been described as a “large police presence”, while other residents dubbed the timing of the installation works “sneaky”.
Deputy Chief Constable Jon Reilly said: “The policing operation relating to the installation of a traffic management system in Barton Hill earlier this year had the objectives of ensuring peaceful protest could be facilitated as well as to assist Bristol City Council, who were the lead agency for the scheme.
“At a separate community meeting held at Rose Green Community Centre on Thursday night (May 15), we heard from residents who remain unhappy with the policing operation, and I apologised for the impact it’s had on them.
An overnight police and council operation has installed further traffic restrictions in Barton Hill, Thursday 13 March 2025, with new bus gates at Marsh lane and planters installed at Victoria Avenue. Police continue to patrol the neighbourhood(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)
“It’s important to recognise the strength of community feeling and to acknowledge when our response has caused further concern or upset. “Our Neighbourhood officers continue to work hard to engage and support the local community and to ensure all voices can be heard.”
The East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood is a six-month trial project, with an assessment at the end of that six months to decide if it stays, is changed or scrapped completely.
Council chiefs have said drivers won’t be fined immediately and will receive a warning letter the first time they drive through the gate.
There are exemptions to the new Marsh Lane bus gate. The emergency services, Bristol Waste bin and recycling lorries, professional carers providing care in the community, parents with children attending special needs schools, taxis and disability vehicles, as well as bikes and scooters can all be driven or ridden through the bus gate.
Local residents said they felt the scheme had been done ‘to them’ rather than ‘with them’. Fadumo Farah, who was one of the residents of nearby Barton House who came out when contractors initially started installing the bus gates last month at 3am, said many residents have been left ‘feeling excluded’.
“Today’s scheme completion highlights what’s been missing all along: genuine community involvement,” she said.
“Many residents hoped to help shape decisions, particularly around traffic calming and access. But for many, the process felt like it happened to them, rather than with them. That lack of collaboration has led to frustration not because residents are anti-environment or anti-progress, but because they were ready and willing to co-design something better,” she added.
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