Nine councillors on the transport policy committee have a packed agenda over the next few monthsMany parts of the city suffer from congestion(Image: Alex Seabrook)

This autumn several major decisions are due to be made that will eventually change how many thousands of people get around Bristol. Nine councillors from different parties sit on the transport policy committee at Bristol City Council and have a busy few months ahead with a packed agenda.

From fixing bridges to building bike lanes, new parking charges and safer streets near schools — a raft of decisions are scheduled on the committee’s forward plan. This gives a preview of the controversial debates about how transport in Bristol should change over the next few years.

Public transport and congestion are often given as two of the main problems in the city. Creaking infrastructure, a growing population and increasing awareness of how pollution is warming the climate and harming health, all mean that how people get around is going to change.

This September new plans will be revealed to spend a huge amount of cash from the government to make walking and cycling safer and easier. The Active Travel Fund comes from the Department for Transport, and the latest round of cash gave the West of England £3.5 million to spend in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset.

Also next month, council bosses will ask for money to keep maintaining the Avon Fixed Bridge. The Cumberland Basin flyover runs over the western end of the River Avon, carrying the A3029 Brunel Way. The road is an important part of the city’s transport network, getting cars from one side of the river to the other, but the bridge is getting older and needs costly repairs.

And the Concorde Way cycle path will also feature in September. This is a main cycling route from the city centre travelling north up to Filton, used by thousands of commuters every day. This summer the council consulted on making a section through Dovercourt Road safer, amid concerns that part is too busy with traffic, so there are plans to make it quieter with fewer cars.

In October, transport bosses will ask councillors to approve two schemes which would pedestrianise a couple of streets. Denmark Street runs around the back of the Hippodrome while Rosemary Lane is located in Easton. A section of Rosemary Lane could be closed to through-traffic, linking up two green spaces and making walking to a nearby school safer.

There will also be an update on plans to roll out a workplace parking levy. This would hit several thousand drivers who commute into the city centre and park at their place of work, with the money raised then spent on improving public transport. The idea is to reduce congestion while upgrading alternatives to driving, and has been already operating in Nottingham for many years.

And councillors will also discuss cycle hangars. These large hangars, which look like bread bins, are becoming increasingly common across Bristol, and help cyclists store their bicycles safely on the street, instead of inside cramped hallways in houses and flats. Bicycle theft happens often in Bristol and is frequently given as a reason that prevents more people from taking up cycling.

In December, councillors could approve the full business plan for the huge new Bristol Cycling Hub in Lawrence Weston. This will see new cycling tracks and an education centre built as a replacement for the Bristol Family Cycling Centre in Hengrove, which is due to become housing.

Also on the agenda is new ways to enforce traffic rules outside schools, to make them safer. The kerbside and parking taskforce will finally report back after months of exploring ways to use the space alongside the road. This could mirror similar policies in Lambeth, where space previously used for car parking has been instead used for trees, benches and other measures.

Notably absent from the forward plan is the latest on the South Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood. At some point, the council will reveal the actual designs for this wide-ranging transport project covering Bedminster, Windmill Hill and Southville. The public will be consulted about the designs, before they are finalised and eventually rolled out at some point before March 2027.

And the trial for the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood will end at some point, six months after its installation was finally completed. The exact date is unclear given the repeated delays due to protesters blocking contractors. Then transport bosses will crunch the numbers and ask for feedback, before deciding what parts of the controversial scheme to make permanent.

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