Local councillors questioned the logic of having tighter restrictions further away from the city centre
The Wells Road in Totterdown(Image: Alex Seabrook)
Bus lanes on a major A road will “confusingly” be in force for 12 hours on Bristol’s outskirts but not closer to the city centre. Bristol City Council is planning to install the new 12-hour bus lanes on the southern section of the A37 Wells Road, but local councillors have questioned its logic.
The Wells Road runs from Whitchurch and Hengrove through Knowle and then Totterdown, before joining the A4 Bath Road south of Temple Meads. Lots of buses use this route and congestion often holds up queues of traffic trying to get into the city centre.
The inbound and outbound 12-hour bus lanes will run from Whitecross Avenue to the West Town Lane junction. Works will take place this year and next year, although the exact timeline is unclear. Green Councillor Ed Plowden, chair of the transport policy committee, faced questions about the location of the bus lanes during a member forum meeting on Tuesday, January 13.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Tim Kent, representing Hengrove and Whitchurch Park, said: “Why is there an operational need for the bus lanes to be at least 12 hours on the A37 going through my ward, but when that same road is going through your ward [Windmill Hill], where there are far more buses using those bus lanes, there is no operational need to have 12-hour bus lanes?
“It is a bit confusing. When the A37 reaches the edge of the city, where there are virtually no buses, and when it’s going through your ward there are buses every couple of minutes, but apparently you don’t need such strict bus lanes.
“Logic would say that bus lanes should become more restrictive closer to the city centre where it is busier and there are more buses, and be less restrictive towards the edge of the city. Instead, if these new 12-hour bus lanes are installed, the opposite will be true.”
While there tends to be more congestion on the northern half of the road, through Knowle and Totterdown, more shops and flats are located there with a greater demand for car parking. On the southern section there are fewer businesses and houses with driveways, so the bus lanes will have less of an impact on lost parking spaces than they would on the northern section.
There is already an in-bound bus lane on part of the northern section of the Wells Road, but this is only in force during rush hour, from 7am to 10am and 4pm to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. Outside of these times, the bus lane is often used as a place for drivers to park their cars.
Cllr Plowden said: “I don’t think it’s very helpful to personalise it in that way. I’ve been advised by transport officers as to what they feel is the best solution. There was a clear consultation on the bus lane in Totterdown.
“I made it very clear during that consultation to all the local traders that if the data showed that we needed bus priority, then I was going to be back to have a difficult conservation with them about making that bus lane much more 24-7. In your ward the bus lane is characterised by very few shop frontages, and those that are there have ample parking in front of them.
“When I observe that part of the Wells Road going through your ward, I see probably a couple of dozen cars maximum parked outside there. I don’t think the displacement is going to be very difficult. I will continue to look at the data and be advised by the data, and if that means we have to make difficult decisions in Totterdown to make sure the buses run on time, I’m up for that.”