On Bristol’s Church Road, in the east of the city, cars, buses and lorries rumble past African-Caribbean hairstylists, eastern European bakeries, and cafes and restaurants selling a selection of Middle Eastern, Somali and Jamaican cuisine. Women talk on phones tucked into their hijabs, while a halal butcher takes a delivery of freshly cut beef.
Behind the high street bustle, however, tensions are growing about a delayed trial for a “livable neighbourhood” – a low-traffic initiative intended to provide “an opportunity to work with local communities to co-design residential streets that are better balanced for all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists”, according to Bristol councillor Don Alexander, who is responsible for transport in the city.
