‘The main barrier to seeing more everyday cyclists in Bristol is safety’

“Although I spend a lot of time riding, one thing I’ve never done is use my bike to commute, even though I know sometimes it would be quicker to cycle to work than drive! I’ve seen how cyclists are treated by other road users which doesn’t fill me with the confidence that I’d safely make it to work or home again each and every day.”

This concern, written by Bristolian mountain-biker Jess, is one we hear a lot at Bristol Cycling.

Riding a bike is often portrayed only as a leisure activity. However, at its core, it’s actually an affordable, convenient – and often quicker – way to get around a congested city like Bristol. The main barrier to seeing more everyday cyclists is safety.

Let’s put it this way: if a thrill-seeking mountain-biker who would happily live in the saddle won’t commute through Bristol for safety concerns – you know there’s a problem.

The obvious solution is to make separated space for cycling. The key to uptake is safety and convenience. And that’s for the entire journey, not just part of it.

Under Bristol City Council’s proposals, the end of Temple Street will be realigned to create improved public space area outside shops and cafes – image: Bristol City Council

This leads me on to talk about the thing I want to talk about – Bristol City Council’s improvements for the number 2 bus route consultation. A topic that undoubtedly seems yawn-inducing but will have a huge impact on travel in Bristol so stay with me.

Bristol City Council and the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) have pitched a new plan for the number 2 bus route.

This is a major route across Bristol stretching from Henbury in north Bristol through the city centre over to Stockwood in the south.

These are some well-used roads and, from a cyclist’s perspective, some of the most hostile and dangerous that Bristol has to offer. So it’s great to see these getting a look in.

The stretch between Bath Bridge Roundabout and the Three Lamps junction has “notoriously inadequate” provision for walkers and cyclists, say campaigners – photo: Ellie Pipe

As it’s a long old stretch of road, there are plenty of proposed changes to look over. Our volunteer team at Bristol Cycling have been scrutinising the details to make sure it’s safe and convenient for cyclists of all ages and abilities. The results are a mixed bag, which I’ve outlined through the lens of everyone’s favourite spaghetti western…

The Good: we’re loving what we see in the city centre. The Clifton Triangle, Victoria Street and Park Street are all dangerous areas for cycling and all have ambitious proposals, including great separated cycling routes. Take a look at this example near the Victoria Rooms and give these transport planners a pat on the back:

Closing Richmond Hill and Park Place to traffic at the junction with Queens Road to allow for more public space and landscaped areas – image: Bristol City Council

The Bad: Outside the centre, things get pretty disappointing and it’s mainly around the lack of continuity. Once you get to the start of Whiteladies Road heading north or the end of Victoria Street heading south, the quality takes a sharp nosedive. There are a ton of gaps where space for cycling disappears without warning, meaning cyclists have to merge in and out of the traffic – unhelpful for those on two and four wheels alike.

The Ugly: There were also a few places that caused our team’s eyebrows to shoot into their hairlines. Take this section of Wells Road for example. Southbound cyclists are first expected to move across the traffic to access an island. They then need to weave their way through two lanes of cars stopped at the lights or time a crossing whilst cars are speeding through, to get to the quietway on the other side. That’s not safe or convenient.

It’s brilliant to see positive changes happening in the centre and, yes, this is where the most number of people will benefit. But the secret to infrastructure that works is continuity. If aspiring cyclists don’t feel safe getting into the centre on their bikes, then no one that lives outside the centre will enjoy these tasty new cycle paths.

This current proposal also doesn’t match the scale of ambition that Bristol Council’s own survey called for. Bristol’s traffic problem is one of the city’s biggest challenges, affecting the health and limiting the travel abilities of cyclists, pedestrians and, yes, even car and van drivers.

The number 2 bus route improvement scheme will set the standard for all similar proposals in the next decade. If our children and future generations are going to grow up in a healthy city, that works for every single person living here, then this proposal is worryingly limited. Bristol’s children deserve much, much better.

It’s time to re-think the proposals, increase the level of ambition and make this a route that all ages and abilities can safely, conveniently and sustainably travel by bike across our amazing city. A route that Bristol Council and all of us can be truly proud of.

Or if you want the Bristol Cycling verdict in brief: do the bits in the city centre, fill in the gaps outside the centre and make the ugly bits a whole lot safer.

If you want to find out more about the proposal and consultation, Bristol Cycling’s explainer blog has some further facts and stats.

To share your thoughts with Bristol Council, head to the consultation: www.travelwest.info/projects/a37-a4018-transport-corridor

Brock Horning is a member of Bristol Cycling

Main image: Bristol City Council

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