The route stretches from south-west of the city to the north-east
Other cities in England have tram networks(Image: Graham Young / Birmingham Mail)
Bristol could be getting its own tram line after it was revealed that planned changes to several junctions in the city centre will lay an “unbroken” path, ideal for the first route of Bristol’s mass transit network.
The route will stretch from the Long Ashton park and ride south-west of Bristol, through the city centre, and then up the M32, almost completely separated from traffic.
Over the next couple of years, major roadworks will take place on the Bedminster Bridges roundabout, the Redcliffe roundabout, Union Street, the Haymarket and Bond Street.
These will allow the Metrobus M2 service to be extended and never get held up in queues of cars.
Looking ahead, this “red route” would then be ideal for the first line of a mass transit network, according to transport bosses at Bristol City Council.
An update on the upcoming changes was given to councillors on the transport policy committee on Thursday, May 15.
Green Councillor Emma Edwards said: “This route in future could potentially turn into a mass rapid transit route, whatever that might mean: more buses or maybe other modes as well.
“We’re trying to solve a problem for the future by creating an unbroken route that could turn into mass transit. We’re trying to think about the long term.”
The red route will run across Bristol(Image: Bristol City Council)
The sort of mass transit Bristol could eventually get is still undecided, but at the moment looks likely to be either trams or “bus rapid transit”.
The debate over mass transit has dogged the region for decades, as Bristol’s traffic and transport problems remain unsolved.
Former Bristol mayor Marvin Rees first spoke about building a mas transit network for the city- which included an underground element – during his first term in office.
However the spiralling cost of the project meant the plans never really progressed and in 2023 the former West of England Mayor Dan Norris, vetoed the plans completely calling it ‘unrealistic’ and refused to spend any more taxpayer money on the scheme.
At the time council leaders that make up the West of England Comined Authority, agreed to continue to look at other options for a mass transit system for the region – without the underground – but couldn’t agree on what it should look like in terms of a bus or tram network.
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And the new West of England mayor, Labour ’s Helen Godwin, was coy on what form she preferred in the run up to the mayoral elections earlier this May.
Ultimately any plans to build a tram network, or another form of mass transit, will be drawn up by the West of England Combined Authority.
In the meantime, the council is starting to lay the foundations with the route from Long Ashton to the M32, which will benefit existing bus services.
Adam Crowther, head of city transport, said: “Whether mass transit there ends up as a bus or a tram, either way it needs to be fully segregated from traffic, otherwise you get stuck and that’s when they become unreliable and therefore people don’t want to use them. So it’s about providing that full segregation.”
He admitted that the new bus lanes on Bond Street will worsen traffic in the short term, as there will be less space for cars.
But councillors hope that by improving bus services and bike lanes, some people will choose to leave the car at home and get public transport or cycle instead. The aim is to reduce the number of cars on the road, to alleviate the terrible congestion in Bristol.
Where the red route runs through the city centre(Image: Bristol City Council)
Labour Cllr Tim Rippington added: “One bus carrying 50 passengers really should be given priority, in my opinion, over 25 cars queuing up. I don’t see a problem with stopping the traffic in order to allow a bus to pass by.
“It’s all designed to deliver this red route. The worst thing that could happen is that we deliver all the infrastructure and then the lanes stay empty and we don’t deliver the mass transit route until 10 years later.
“I’m not even sure that the new metro mayor is aware that this route is our plan.”
The changes, particularly to the Redcliffe roundabout, also allow a loop around the city centre for a potential orbital bus service.
Although initially, this would just run anti-clockwise, because “left turns are easier than right turns”. It’s unclear how this orbital service would be funded, as bus companies are unlikely to make a profit running the route, but franchising is one option.
The red route would begin from the Long Ashton park and ride, travelling on an existing bus-only road to Cumberland Road on Spike Island, where a bus gate was recently installed.
The Bedminster Bridges roundabout will be changed to a signal-controlled junction, allowing buses coming down Redcliff Hill to turn right onto Commercial Road much more quickly.
Redcliff Street, which runs from the Redcliffe roundabout to the top of Victoria Street, will become bus-only.
A bus gate was installed a few years ago on Bristol Bridge, banning general traffic and freeing up the roads for public transport and taxis. The route would then pass down Union Street, and over a planned junction at the Haymarket passing Primark.
Eventually, bus lanes are planned along the length of the M32, with a new park and ride built somewhere too.
However this forms part of a separate project which has faced repeated delays, chiefly caused by arguments over where the park and ride should be located. In the long term, the motorway could be turned into an A road, allowing for bus stops, or tram stops, to be built.
Transport bosses at the West of England Combined Authority are drawing up an outline business case for a mass transit network.
This will explore options such as trams or bus rapid transit, but an underground has been ruled out due to the expensive cost of digging tunnels. Due to the long process of writing business cases, no construction will happen until the 2030s.
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