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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
National
Estel Farell Roig

Plans to close College Green to cars in Bristol revealed

College Green could be closed to cars to prioritise public transport, cycling and walking in the area.

Back in October, city mayor Marvin Rees announced plans to close Park Street to cars in his annual State of the City address.

And, according to documents published as part of a consultation into transport changes along the number 2 bus route, it appears the traffic ban could be extended to College Green.

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The consultation states that buses, taxis, motorcycles, bikes and HGVs would still able to access the city centre area.

As part of the changes, the left-turn from Canons Road to College Green would be removed so the pedestrian crossing island could be widened.

Consultation material states: "The bus gate at the top of Park Street would remove through traffic and prioritise public transport, cycling and walking.

"Less traffic would allow us to expand the public space available on Park Street and help increase its status as a destination within the city.

"The College Green/Canons Road/St Augustines Parade junction would be remodelled to account for the left turn from Canons Road being removed.

"Responses to the previous engagement asked us to improve pedestrian facilities by reallocating road space at this junction.

"We are proposing an improved crossing and waiting area as the numbers of pedestrians and cyclists is extremely high."

A bus gate would be created at the top of Park Street and Berkeley Avenue would close to general traffic, with proposed new bus stops being installed at the top of Jacob Wells Road as well.

The consultation states: "We were also asked to consider removing car traffic from Park Street to make it easier for buses and to reduce pollution and enable cyclists and pedestrians to have a more pleasant journey.

"The bus gate at the top of Park Street would give priority to public transport, giving buses faster and more reliable access from and to the central area."

The consultation states that Park Street Avenue could be closed at both ends to stop rat running between Park Row and Park Street and to provide the opportunity for public space.

A widened footway on the east side of Park Street would be made, it continues, and parking moved to the west side of the street to make conditions safer for cyclists travelling down Park Street.

It continues: "The closure of Park Street and College Green to through traffic would result in less traffic, whilst still allowing full access by alternative routes.

"Less traffic would allow for the narrowing of the road and the widening of the eastern footway to create additional space for pedestrians, planting, and seating areas.

"The movement of traffic would be made one way in a clockwise direction to reduce collisions at the junctions, on Great George Street and Charlotte Street with Park Street.

"Footpaths would be widened at specific crossings on Park Street to make it safer and easier to cross the road."

However, as Park Street is seen as a "pivotal section" of the number 2 bus route, a few alternative options are being proposed including installing a bus gate only restricting traffic inbound from the north or from the south.

Looking at the proposed changes for the Triangle area, parking would be removed along Queens Road to allow for a segregated cycle lane to be created.

The cycle lane would continue from Queens Road and join the junction of Triangle West/Queens Road to allow cyclists to reach the new cycle lane on the west side of Queens Road at the top of Park Street.

Big changes around the Queens Road area are also being proposed.

An artist impression of what Queens Road could look like (TravelWest)

These include closing Richmond Hill and Park Place to traffic at the junction with Queens Road to allow for more public space and landscaped areas.

A new cycle lane along Queens Road from St Paul’s Road, past Queen’s Avenue, would be added, with that stretch of Queens Road becoming one-way on each direction.

A new cycle lane would be installed over the Bristol Bridge, together with a cycle lane, continuous and new widened footways, with loading bays and disabled bays along the west side of Victoria Street.

The consultation states that the possible closure of Parrys Lane on the Downs would be considered in the future, but would be subject to detailed modelling moving forward.

Also on the Downs, parking along Roman Road could be removed and the road be converted to a walking and cycling route.

The consultation says: "Proposed new 24 hour outbound bus lane on Whiteladies Road between Wellington Park and York Street.

"The new bus lane would allow buses to bypass queuing traffic on the approach to the Blackboy Hill junction, reducing delays to services and improving reliability.

"It is proposed to remove through traffic and parking from Roman Road and convert it to a cycling and walking route."

Looking at the Three Lamps junction in the south of the city, the Bellevue Road junction could be removed to reduce rat running through Totterdown onto the Wells Road.

A new cycle route would be created through Redcatch Park to Broadwalk Shopping Centre.

Changes would also be introduced in the Bayham Road area - with a number of streets becoming one ways and no entry - to stop general traffic from using the area to bypass Wells Road.

A new bus lane could be installed along Southmead Road by the fire station as well.

Also along Southmead Road, the dual-way carriageway stretch from Glenwood Road to Lake Road could be taken down to one lane in each direction.

A three-metre segregated two-way cycle lane could also be added to the eastern side of Henleaze Road, with a footway added to the western side to improve access to Old Quarry Park.

You can express your views on the proposed changes on the TravelWest website here. The consultation closes on Friday (January 28).

To keep up to date with latest Bristol news, and discuss thoughts with other residents, join our Bristol City Centre community group on Facebook here. You can also sign up to Bristol Buzz, our brand new newsletter for the city centre, here.

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