Bristol City Council has completed the installation of the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood infrastructure, apart from the painting of a ‘bus gate’ sign on the road in East Bristol, after work was abandoned without the final ‘e’ because of protests by local residents.
The bus gate on Avonvale Road is part of a bigger East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood project, which has blocked up many of the roads in Barton Hill, Redfield, Lawrence Hill and St George for vehicles, leaving them passable only by pedestrians and cyclists.
The project has been divisive – while many support the trial and say they want to have streets which are safer to cycle and walk down, others have been protesting and campaigning against the idea, which has already having a knock on effect of funnelling drivers onto main roads like Church Road.
The council has tried and failed to install the final EBLN infrastructure – temporary planters and bus gates – at four or five locations in Barton Hill, because each time the contractors arrive to carry out the work, they are stopped by direct action protests blocking the road and the site.
Last night, council workers were supported by a huge police operation and arrived in a co-ordinated operation to install the final bits of the EBLN trial, including the one remaining bus gate on Avonvale Road at its junction with Marsh Lane in Barton Hill, which has been the scene of the biggest protests by local residents since last November.
Workers from the city council’s contractors ETM, and backed by council-employed security and Avon and Somerset police, arrived at 3am to begin work at a variety of locations around Barton Hill. A small group of local women tried to stop the work on Avonvale Road from around 4.30am, but by 6am the work was largely completed – apart from the final letter ‘E’ on the ‘Bus Gate’ sign painted on the road at the eastbound end of the Marsh Lane junction bus gate.
Bristol Live has contacted Bristol City Council about this morning’s operation, and a response is awaited.
Since the project’s conception back in 2023, through to the start of work last autumn, and the controversies, campaigns and protests in the five months since, no media in Bristol has reported more on the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood controversy. Here is a timeline of what’s happened since work first began in October:
- October 22: Work to start installing traffic restrictions for controversial liveable neighbourhood scheme
- November 20: Meet the residents who are celebrating the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood trial
- November 24: Protests continue against restrictions to motorists in East Bristol
- December 10: Thousands demand pause to controversial liveable neighbourhood in east Bristol
- December 11: Thousands sign petition as ‘entitled motorists’ protest against liveable neighbourhood scheme
- December 15: Fury as Bristol residents complain of ‘gridlock’ due to £6m ‘liveable neighbourhood’ trial
- January 10: Installation of Bristol liveable neighbourhood paused after protesters block contractors
- January 16: Frustration among both supporters and opponents of liveable neighbourhood as trial stalls
- January 27: Police called as residents block work to install liveable neighbourhood
- January 28: Council admits it is ‘impossible’ to carry on with Liveable Neighbourhood trial after protests stopped it
- January 31: Motorists driving on graves to avoid Liveable Neighbourhood congestion
- March 3: People in Liveable Neighbourhood trial area can claim up to £250 travel compensation
- March 5: Opposition to controversial East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood ‘will filter away’ say council bosses
- March 7: Council showing ‘utter disregard’ for Liveable Neighbourhood objectors
- March 13: Huge overnight operation completes Liveable Neighbourhood installation… almost