The mayor of Bristol has dampened hopes that the car-filled streets near North Street in Bedminster and Ashton Gate could be covered by new residents' parking schemes - because he said not enough people support the idea.
Calls to extend the existing Southville residents' parking zone (RPZ) to the other side of North Street in Ashton, and create a new RPZ in The Chessels, were renewed by residents and local councillors this week after the council passed a budget which included allocating money to new residents’ parking schemes.
All four councillors - three Green, one Labour - who cover Southville and Bedminster wrote to the Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, asking for the new RPZs to be considered, but his response at a council meeting on Tuesday was less than encouraging.
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The mayor told councillors he had not seen overwhelming support for a new RPZ in Bedminster, although parking issues nearer Ashton Gate Stadium were of concern, and the council was taking that forward.
Mr Rees, speaking during last night's (March 15) full council meeting, said: “Time and resource is dedicated towards delivering on the pledges we set out in our winning manifesto. This includes encouraging modal shift and bringing forward sustainable and reliable public transport options through our bus deal – working towards a sustainable mass transit system which will give people a viable alternative to the private car.
“The Bedminster scheme has not demonstrated overwhelming support for a RPS, but has shown strong support for a Match Day Parking Scheme which we are taking forward,” he added. “We need to be satisfied that there is a need for a RPZ, and that any proposed scheme has overwhelming support from residents across the whole area,” he added.
Southville councillor Christine Townsend asked the mayor to define ‘overwhelming support’, and the mayor replied that people needed to work out what any new RPZ was trying to achieve.
There have been two surveys of residents of Ashton and Bedminster into the possibility of expanding RPZs or creating a new one, in the Victorian streets south of North Street. The first was undertaken by a local data analyst firm and saw huge support for an RPZ in the terraced streets around Carrington Road in Ashton, but less support in Bedminster and The Chessels.
The second was undertaken in 2020 and 2021 by Bristol City Council itself, with leaflets through every door, and found similar results.
Just a couple of weeks before the 2021 council elections, the Labour candidates for Southville said they had secured the backing of then transport chief Kye Dudd for an extension to the Southville RPZ to cover a few of the streets south of North Street, but neither of the Labour candidates won the election, and Cllr Dudd was voted out too.
Mr Rees said there didn’t appear to be support in Bedminster for a new RPZ. “Overwhelming support is more than a 27 per cent turnout and a minority of that 27 per cent. What we’re looking for are two elements to a case for an RPS to come through.
"One is the technical support, and that includes clarity on what actually it is trying to achieve. Is it about preserving spaces outside people’s homes for them to park their cars, which is an interesting position for you to take, seeing as city centre living is the best possible living for us to encourage people not to need cars.
“And also, thinking about the wider consequences - is it about deterring commuters? Is it about modal shift? And all we want is for people to think about the knock-on effects on the surrounding areas as well, and the unintended consequences.
“‘Overwhelming support’ has to be well over 50 per cent of people participating and a majority of that, and we’ve got nowhere near that today,” he added.
The council’s cabinet member for transport, Don Alexander, did throw a lifeline to councillors in BS3 - and offered to meet them to discuss the issue and see whether something could be done in specific areas.
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