Many more people walk or cycle over the bridge than drive
The bridge is near the M Shed and the Arnolfini(Image: Alex Seabrook)
Controversial plans to close a bridge in the city centre to cars will take a step forward later this week. Prince Street Bridge is located near the M Shed and Arnolfini and could soon be reserved for people walking or cycling, with drivers no longer allowed to cross the water there.
The bridge is walked or cycled over more than 24,000 times every day, compared to 1,700 trips in a car or van, according to the last traffic count carried out by Bristol City Council six years ago. Cars can be driven southbound over the bridge, while pedestrians crossing in either direction are squeezed into a tiny path.
Councillors on the transport policy committee are likely to approve spending £600,000 on designing and delivering the project, on Thursday, September 11. The money is from the Active Travel Fund, a grant from the Department for Transport to get more people walking and cycling.
A committee report said: “The majority of trips made on the bridge are pedestrians who are currently restricted to a single narrow footway. At busy times they often have to use the northbound cycle route creating conflict and safety concerns, which would be resolved by this scheme.
Prince Street Bridge is in the city centre(Image: Alex Seabrook )
“Data in the past few years has seen walking and cycling levels stay at a similar rate, with motor vehicle trips in the city centre reducing due to changes such as the Bristol Bridge bus gate and Cumberland Road bus gate. While motor vehicle trips using Prince Street Bridge are relatively low, there will be an impact on the road network through the removal of this route.”
The timescales for when the changes would happen are still unclear. The closure is expected to affect residents of Spike Island, particularly given the huge project to revamp the Bedminster Bridges. This will see a major roundabout spanning two bridges converted into two roads and a traffic-light controlled junction. One road would be for buses, taxis and bicycles only.
Another factor is the bridge “provides network resilience” when other roads are closed, as drivers can be diverted down Prince Street. Although due to the design of the bridge, buses and lorries are already banned from driving over it. The bridge could be reopened during events when “additional traffic facility is essential”, as a back up.
At the moment, one lane on the bridge is reserved for cars, with the other for cyclists and pedestrians, despite the fact that there are many more people walking and cycling than driving. The changes could see one side of the bridge used for cyclists and the other side for walking.
When the bridge was discussed by councillors in February earlier this year, they were split on whether the closure to cars was a good idea. Conservatives warned of an increase in congestion elsewhere in the city centre, while Greens said they supported the closure as the bridge “carries far more pedestrians and cyclists than private motor vehicles”.