‘Delivering change in Bristol requires politicians to be bold’

Liveable neighbourhoods; pedestrianisation; and the need for fast, reliable public transport. Three things that you’d expect progressively minded politicians to agree on. Regrettably, it’s not always the case.

Our pedestrianisation programme, which includes roads like Cotham Hill, King Street and Princess Victoria Street, has been a huge success.

Safer active travel, cleaner air and more space for businesses is to be welcomed, but I acknowledge that it comes the expense of some space for private vehicles. It’s a price worth paying in these cases, in my view.

Last December, I announced the Labour administration’s plans to expand the programme with further pedestrianisation projects including Chandos Road in Redland.

Immediately after the announcement, I received emails from local residents and businesses. Some had reasonable reservations about it. Others wanted to see it implemented.

Even though some residents don’t want it to go ahead, it’s my view that we should continue our efforts to persuade them of the benefits of the project.

Sadly, I’ve heard that the proposed pedestrianisation of Chandos Road doesn’t have the support of the local Green Party ward councillors.

This might come as a surprise. You’d assume ‘green’ politicians would support projects like this, but I’ve spent enough time as a councillor to know that what the Green Party say they stand for and what they actually do are worlds apart.

Only a few weeks ago, we announced some changes to the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood pilot.

We listened to concerns regarding vehicle access in Barton Hill, took them on board and amended the project.

We’re still yet to receive confirmation that the Green Party councillor for Lawrence Hill supports the project, even with these proposed mitigations in place. All Labour councillors in the area have done so.

Similarly as when it comes to building homes during a housing crisis, the lack of support for the pedestrianisation of Chandos Road or the Liveable Neighbourhood pilot is yet another case of the Green Party supporting the concept of everything but the delivery of nothing.

Parts of Princess Victoria Street are now pedestrianised for certain parts of the day – photo: Martin Booth

Delivering change in Bristol requires politicians to be bold, in both ambitions and actions. I don’t doubt that the Green Party support the concept of pedestrianisation, liveable neighbourhoods or even mass transit.

But these concepts hit difficulty once they make contact with reality. Hot off the back of celebrating the success of their decade-long campaign to get HS2 scrapped, they’re now criticising proposals for underground sections of mass transit due to it being too expensive.

Like HS2, it’s expensive. Like HS2, it’s an investment that will pay off.

If they want a less ambitious project, fine. We’re in different parties; I wouldn’t expect us to agree on everything. I would, however, expect them to own up to the alternatives.

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Read more: Finding a sensible solution to Bristol’s transport woes

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The alternative to an underground section is closing 23 main roads to traffic, including the likes of Gloucester Road, Church Road, West Street and Bath Road – some permanently – and would see a new road for traffic built on the old railway line in Brislington.

Traffic would be displaced from these main roads into the surrounding residential streets, causing significant disruption.

If Green Party ward councillors do not support measures as relatively uncontroversial as closing Chandos Road to traffic or introducing modal filters in Barton Hill, it’s right to question whether they would support closing some of Bristol’s most important roads – not only for cars, but for bikes and pedestrians too.

The ward councillors’ principles buckled under the slightest pressure on the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood and Chandos Road pedestrianisation plans. I’m sure they’d do the same when it came to difficult conversations about mass transit.

Despite their apparent support for mass transit, I worry that once again they’ll bottle it in the face of opposition, and Bristolians will be left with nothing.

This is an opinion piece by Don Alexander, cabinet member for transport

Don Alexander’s favourite bus is the Portway park & ride – photo: Martin Booth.

Main photo: Martin Booth

Read next:

• Cotham Hill pedestrianisation praised by Active Travel England
• East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood trial could still start before end of 2023
• Central parking zone permit fees to increase fivefold

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