It is not much more than three miles long, but connecting the city centre to north Bristol, as well as the M4 and M5 make the M32 an important road for Bristol commuters. Roadworks to allow Metrobus lanes to be built caused huge delays for many drivers, not least due to reduced speed limits.
Since Metrobus routes began using the M32 the speed limit has not been raised, meaning drivers travel much slower than they do on other motorways. Now a South Gloucestershire councillor is saying the motorway should be officially downgraded to an A-road.
This is because plans for a park and ride which could be used by commuters who need to get into the city centre have hit a stumbling block with no suitable sites. Park and ride bus journeys are not allowed on motorways.
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The suggestion is a car park could be opened close to junction 1 of the M32 and allow commuters to travel into the city centre without clogging up smaller local roads. Bristol Live readers were hugely in favour of the change, largely because the stretch of motorway forces drivers to slow down anyway, it is hard to distinguish it from other A-roads in the area.
Michelle Hobbs wrote on Bristol Live's Facebook page: "How can you call it M32 when the speed limit is 40? Absolute joke. Bristol is going down hill rapidly. Why fix it if it ain’t broke?"
Caroline Evans said: "Wasn’t that an obvious move when the speed limit was reduced?"
And Tom Stickland said: "Sounds logical. A motorway has no place in a city"
However, some of our readers pointed out the importance of protecting our city centre, and that making it as accessible as possible is what will protect retailers in the long term.
Simon Kneller said: "Who will be using a park and ride into Broadmead when all the shops are gone and it's become a ghost town? £48 million to think about it and £540 million to complete it."
