10 Bristol roads where improvements to walking and cycling could easily be made

With Boris Johnson telling regional leaders that people should be encouraged to walk or cycle more after lockdown, a transport expert has highlighted some key areas of Bristol where measures could be urgently introduced.

Matt McFeat, who lives in Flax Bourton, is a street designer and transport planner working for PJA on Jacob Street.

He has worked in Bristol for the last two decades and is currently part of the design team working for the Bedminster BID on a masterplan for East Street.

Here are his suggestions for the 10 roads and areas in Bristol where measures could best be implemented:

1. Old City

Broad Street pre-lockdown – photo by Martin Booth

“It was great to read in Bristol24/7 that Marvin Rees is keen to ‘quicken the pace’ of pedestrianisation in this part of Bristol, as part of the CAZ. This will help pedestrians and cycles stay apart on a key east-west route through the city.”

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Read more: Old City pedestrianisation plans move step closer

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2. Clifton Triangle

Before suffering major damage in the Second World War, Maggs’ department store used to dominate Queen’s Road on the Triangle – photo by Martin Booth

“Anyone who has walked through here at lunchtime will know how congested the footways are. Time to suspend parking and reduce carriageway width to provide temporary build-outs at bus stops and wider footways.”

3. Prince Street bridge

A temporary walkway over Prince Street bridge during its recent repairs did not cause traffic chaos – photo by Martin Booth

“If now is not the time to fully close this bridge to traffic, I do not know when will be. A key congested walking and cycling route would benefit significantly from a small change here, without significant traffic impact.”

4. Upper Maudlin Street / Park Row

Bristol Children’s Hospital on Upper Maudlin Street and its quidditch goalposts – photo by Martin Booth

“Space for people near hospitals is critically important. As one of the least steep routes up the hill from the centre, Park Row is a good route for bikes also. Reduce hatched area and traffic lanes to widen footway, and add protected cycle lane.”

5. Merchants Road bridge

Who needs walking or cycling when there’s standup paddleboarding? – photo by Martin Booth

“For people using the the harbourside as their exercise route, this bridge here is a social distancing nightmare. Follow the Suspension Bridge’s lead and introduce a one-way operation for pedestrians but consider improved road crossings at either end.”

6. North Street

North Street before lockdown – photo by Martin Booth

“Where we have retail units along streets, space will need to be provided for queuing. Although the footway along one side of the street is probably generous enough, suspension of parking on the south side might be needed to make shoppers safe.”

7. Bath Road

Bath Road from next to the Paintworks – photo by Martin Booth

“As one of the key movement corridors into Bristol, the A4 here has to have some of the worst provision for walking and cycling of any road in the city. Reduce carriageway space, or invest in improvements to parallel routes and signage.”

8. St Philip’s Causeway

St Philip’s Causeway takes traffic from Lawrence Hill to Brislington – photo: Google Street View

“Bristol City Council is considering a Department for Transport bid for funding to repair the causeway, including the possible addition of a segregated cycleway and footway linking Whitchurch Way, the Bristol & Bath Railway Path and Concorde Way. Opportunity for light segregation.”

9. Cumberland Road

Cumberland Road was closed in January after part of the Chocolate Path collapsed into the New Cut – photo by Martin Booth

“Closed to traffic earlier in 2020 due to a landslip, but is now open to traffic with shuttle working. Consider change to modal filter only allowing pedestrians, bikes and possibly buses which would provide a great route into town from the west.”

10. Gloucester Road

Gloucester Road pre-lockdown – photo by Martin Booth

“Another high street, but this is along a significant movement corridor making it even harder for pedestrians to step into the road to social distance. Perhaps consider removal of parking and bus lane to provide wider footways  and a segregated cycle lane.”

McFeat and his wife regularly walk and cycle around Bristol and North Somerset with their three primary school aged children.

He said that these experiences “has really shaped my views on how we should be designing our urban realm to enable and encourage people of all ages and abilities to get around without defaulting to cars”.

“We do have a car, and I am not going to pretend that I could easily live without one, but we only have one and I think we drive less than the average family of five.”

Matt McFeat lives in Flax Bourton with his wife and three children – photo by Matt McFeat

McFeat first shared his suggestions in a Twitter thread after wanting to try and start a discussion about how Bristol might go about getting ready for the lifting of lockdown – given the need for people to remain two metres apart.

He said: “At the moment it is relatively easy to do, our streets are quiet and the roads are too. If we need to step off the pavement to give someone room you are unlikely to get hit by a car.

“However, when lockdown is lifted this will change, and so we need to consider how people can be protected so that they can start going back to work, or start going shopping without having to decide between breaking social distancing or getting run over.

“The places I have listed are areas I know well, where there is likely to be an increasing amount of people and vehicles.

“I am sure that there are hundreds of places across the city where the layout of our urban realm will cause people genuine anxiety as they try to return to normal.”

But will McFeat’s suggestions be possible to achieve?

“In terms of feasibility, I think that the suggestions I made are feasible to deliver. The reallocation of road space is occurring in cities across the world, and in a growing number of places in the UK.

“Some of the measures could be delivered with cones or signage without requiring any legal orders, other might require experimental traffic regulation orders or the suspension of parking bays which might take a little longer to put in place.

“Will it work? Giving more space to pedestrians and cyclists at the expense of space for vehicles is likely to reduce the capacity in places, but this needs to be balanced against the need to keep people safe, and the need to encourage more people to walk and cycle, to try and offset the likely decline in public transport use.

“We are never going to have a better opportunity to experiment with the movement networks in our urban areas, with lower than usual traffic flows and more people walking and cycling for their daily exercise.

“We also need to remember that the climate crisis which occupied the headlines before Covid-19 is still an issue, and measures which enable more people walk and cycle safely now will also help to lock in habits which will help us face our next big challenge.”

Main photo by Martin Booth

Read more: Walkers in Bristol benefit from the reduction of the number of motor vehicles