News / Transport
Signs to say why you’re stuck in Bristol traffic
They are a source of frustration for many Bristolians and a seemingly permanent fixture on the city’s streets – but the council believes it has found a way to alleviate roadwork woes.
Don’t go expecting a reprieve from the disruption and congestion caused by the endless spate of digging any time soon, this solution is more about managing expectations and telling people why they are sat in traffic.
The idea behind the ‘active roadworks’ campaign is to improve communication and it will see more signs erected to state why the work is taking place, when it might finish and includes a Twitter hashtag, #ActiveRoadworks, so the public can have their say on matters.
is needed now More than ever
Mhairi Threlfall hopes improved communication will help ease people’s frustration
“One of the concerns from local residents is what’s happening and why, or complaints from people saying there are no workers on the site,” says Mhairi Threfall, the council’s cabinet member for transport.
“Sometimes there might be a good reason for these things, so one of the key things is around communication – it’s about how we communicate about roadworks in the city and also being strategic about when they take place.”
The campaign was launched on Thursday, February 8, by Threlfall and representatives from utility companies, including Bristol Water, Wessex Water and Virgin Media.
Road works associated with the MetroBus scheme have been a source of much frustration around Bristol
The organisations are joining forces under a revised code of conduct for street and roadworks to reduce the duration of disruption as much as possible, while giving clearer information via the signs and Twitter hashtag.
“People can contact the council and partners directly through Twitter,” continud Threfall. “It’s about making it much more transparent and lessening the frustration around roadworks, which have to take place because we need clean water and sanitation and maintained roads.”
Mayor Marvin Rees added: “Bristol is benefiting from significant investment in its landscape and associated infrastructure. Unfortunately, it is inevitable we will have roadworks to make these changes, even though in the long run it will have a positive impact on our communities.”
Read more: ‘Tackling air pollution and congestion are two of Bristol’s biggest challenges’
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