Unpopular plans to close a road leading into a Bristol neighbourhood will be paused for now despite road safety fears. The junction, connecting the area with a main road running through the south of the city, has a history of car crashes and was recently earmarked for closure.
Bristol City Council is carrying out major works along the A37 Wells Road, running from Temple Meads to Whitchurch, through Totterdown, Knowle and Hengrove. This originally included closing the junction of Bellevue Road and the Wells Road, also partly to prevent delaying buses.
But local residents raised concerns that driving in and out of the neighbourhood would become harder, as the Bellevue junction is just one of three exits into that part of Totterdown. Its closure would likely add pressure onto the other two ways out.
Labour tried to amend the transport policy committee’s plans to scrap the closure and instead press ahead with closing the junction, on Thursday, October 24. But they were voted down by the rest of the committee. An upcoming liveable neighbourhood project could revisit the issue.
Speaking to the committee, Suzanne Audrey, chair of the Totterdown Residents Environmental and Social Action group, said: “We’re not convinced that the junction is a major cause of [bus] delays. All along Wells Road there are problems with road safety. We’re really pleased that the South Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood might be able to address that whole route.”
The issues at the junction include cars trying to turn out of Totterdown onto the Wells Road during busy times, with some drivers pausing on the bus lane while waiting for a space to appear. Similarly, cars turning off the Wells Road into Totterdown must cross through a bus lane, potentially blocking buses or risking a crash with cyclists and motorcyclists using the lane.
Labour Councillor Don Alexander, former cabinet member for transport, said: “This particular element does address a very serious point in the road, where historically we have had many accidents. I would love for this to be addressed all down the road as part of the South Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood, should that be the choice later on.
“But I don’t think at the moment it’s right to leave it out and allow for a period of possibly two or three years when we know it’ll continue to be a very dangerous place for cyclists and motorcyclists. The choice before us today is either to address this problem now — or to discuss it as part of the liveable neighbourhood, and maybe address it or maybe not address it.
“This is a chance to do it. If we reject this amendment we are turning down an opportunity to address a dangerous junction now, for a possible chance to discuss it in the future.”
The South Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood project is in the early stages of being drawn up, and any changes will likely take at least two years to roll out. It’s uncertain what the project will include, but it will cover an area stretching from Totterdown to Ashton Gate, with bollards and planters to make walking and cycling safer and prevent drivers cutting through residential streets.
Labour Cllr Tim Rippington added: “One accident is too many. Leaving this for two years before we do preventative work to prevent accidents, a lot could happen in that time. When the wider piece of work is done, it may be that a better solution comes forward and you can implement that as part of the liveable neighbourhood. But in the meantime, we don’t think the risk of those accidents is worth it for the benefit of people living in the area leaving via that road.”
Totterdown forms part of the wider Windmill Hill ward, which is represented by Green Cllr Ed Plowden, who also chairs the transport committee. He said he was concerned about local residents finding it “very difficult” to drive in and out of the area, if the closure went ahead.
He said: “This closure has attracted a lot of concerns locally, and I think it’s right that it should be considered as part of the South Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood, because we need to take a wider view. There’s just three entry and exit points for this community.
“The concerns I have is that if this goes ahead, we’ll be building a new signalised crossing at one of those exit points [onto St John’s Lane]. The other exit point [onto St Luke’s Road] is going to be affected for the next two years by the closure of York Road.
“I’m very concerned that we don’t understand the full impacts of closing this road. In my experience of road safety, if you do one small intervention, quite often it just pushes the problem a little bit further. I’m very concerned about the impact on that community and how many people will find it very difficult to get in and out of that immediate area.”
Instead, Cllr Plowden said he would prefer for the junction to be made narrower. Bellevue Road has a wide flared exit, so cars can drive faster in and out but pedestrians have further to cross. Further up the Wells Road is also more risky, from the Totterdown Canteen to the George pub.
He added: “Having cycled down the Wells Road pretty much for 30 years now, I get more concerned by all the crashes that I see — and I’ve had three or four near misses myself — on the stretch with Belluton Road and Knowle Road. My personal experience is that the greatest danger is down that stretch of road, and I’d like to see continuous pavements put in as part of the liveable neighbourhood along this entire stretch.”