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Bristol’s first ‘walkability report’ highlights barriers to everyday walking
A pressure group dedicated to the rights of pedestrians has carried out a report on the ‘walkability’ of a stretch of Bristol from Knowle to Temple Meads.
The first walking audit from Living Streets takes in a two-mile route to the city’s main railway station from the Broadwalk shopping centre along Walls Road and Bath Road.
Volunteers carried out the audit to highlight the barriers to everyday walking and encourage the powers-that-be to take better care of the needs of pedestrians, especially to encourage commuting by foot.
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The report – which can be read in full here – found that on the whole the route was easy to follow, with most of the pavements wide enough for good progress.
“However, there were obstacles to walking, including side roads difficult to cross, negotiating main junctions and getting around street clutter in the shape of poorly positioned A-boards, litter bins and bicycle stands,” the report says.
“There were other unnecessary obstacles presented by pavement parking, pavement cycling and busy bus stops.”
The Living Streets report found that at the junction of St John’s Lane and Wells Road, if you want to get from Mama Bear’s Day Nursery (on the east side) to Tesco (on the west side) you must first cross the southbound Wells Road traffic, then the northbound traffic, walk a bit cross the westbound St John’s Lane traffic, cross the eastbound St John’s Lane traffic turning south, then finally the eastbound St John’s Lane traffic going north on the slip road. “Nimble pedestrians follow the shortest route by running through the traffic!”
The report says that the pedestrian experience could be improved by a few simple changes, including the installation of a new crossing on Wells Road at a suitable point between Greenmore Road and Cemetery Road, and ensure timings on pelican, puffin and toucan crossings allow the pedestrian to cross immediately.
Starting at Broadwalk shopping centre, the audit found that a nearby bench was very useful but the presence of numerous A-boards on the pavement resulted in needless obstruction.
Sheffield stands for bicycles positioned at an angle on the pavement result in needless pavement narrowing, the report found, with some bus stops and shelters also taking up the full width of the footpath when busy with people.
A problem junction was found to be Wells Road with Redcatch Road, with vehicles turning at speed off Wells Road into the one-way Redcatch Road meaning that pedestrians crossing Redcatch Road must look out for vehicles turning off the main road suddenly from north and south directions.
The report covered a two-mile stretch from Knowle to Temple Meads
Other issues found in the report include:
- the damaged brick-paved footpath fronting a parade of shops on Wells Road used by cars to pass over it to park, “making it a precarious place to walk – pavement rough and sloping towards the roadway”
- a “continuous pavement at Knowle Road incorporates a cycle path which is not obvious to the pedestrian and laid out to suggest that the pedestrian should give way”
- “up to five stages to crossing at the Wells Road/St John’s Lane junction; encourages the pedestrian to dash through the traffic”
- “overgrown trees obstructing and obscuring the footpath on the approach to the Bath Road at Three Lamps junction”
- “Bath Road east side – this is a very narrow path with a white line down the centre to segregate the pedestrian from the bicycle user; cycle path is outbound only (going south) but frequently used inbound and can be frightening for all users”
- “newly refurbished section of road and footpath at the approach to the Bath Bridge – not clear why half the pavement is tar and rest is paving stones – potential for huge pedestrian/bicycle-user conflict”
Read more: ‘We must reconsider the dominance of cars on Bristol’s city centre streets’
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