Bristol cycling campaign chairman, Ian Pond, has said he is disappointed that Bristol City Councils ‘Phase 2’ plans of Muller Road, Locklease, have prioritised bus lanes and diminished cycling and walking improvements.
Mr Pond said: “Cycling’s very good to reduce congestion and better for the environment… good for peoples health and where possible it should be encouraged, it’s just a shame it’s been taken out altogether here.”
The initial ‘Phase 1’ plans were proposed and published in 2023, with cycling and walking improvements a main aspect within the schemes proposals. These have now been taken away for the new plans.
The councils new ‘phase 2’ plans, in their recently published OBC, proposes to deliver new measures prioritising buses within the Southern part of Muller Road between the railway bridge by Heath Road and Shaldon Road.
The new, main objectives, stated by the council, surrounds improving bus journey time and reliability, reduction of the levels of CO2 emissions and air pollution as well as the reduction of accidents along Muller Road by 2030.
Ian Pond, although is very supportive of better public transport within Bristol, he believes that it seems a real missed opportunity, by the council, to completely prioritise buses and take out plans of walking and cycling improvements altogether. He stated that it “…isn’t going to help change the transport mode going forward in Bristol”.
With much of the Locklease area undergoing development, with several new homes being built, there is currently vast amounts of traffic congestion. Evidently there is a much higher risk of accidents occurring due to traffic, with many using the route of Muller Road to walk or cycle to school or campus, with Filton Campus of the University of the West of England, also being nearby.
Not only that, the Muller Road from the knowledge of Ian, “…is an intersection of a major cycling corridor way, which is really important for UWE students”.
Ian further states, regarding the new plans, “…improvements could have been included and should have been retained”.
With many cyclists disappointed at the ‘phase 2’ plans from the council, many other members of the public, are also opposed due to the removal of on-street parking upon Muller Road, because of the installation of the new proposed bus lanes.
With much opposition and alarm to the ‘phase 2’ of the OBC, plans, there will be continuous discussion and talk of the risk management by Bristol City Council, before further development is considered. This will be during the FBC stage, where reflection of the planned priorities from Bristol City Council and West of England Combined Authority will then be further implemented.
