Bus lanes along a main road in South Bristol have been approved but a controversial plan to ban a certain turning has been paused. The new bus lanes will run along the southern half of the A37 Wells Road, and be enforced for 12 hours a day.
Bus passengers should see less time stuck in traffic and faster journeys, but many locals raised concerns about the increased congestion for drivers and the loss of parking spots on the road. The bus lanes will run from the junction with West Town Lane down to the Gilda Parade.
Bristol City Council initially proposed banning a turn onto West Town Lane for drivers travelling north up the Wells Road, due to road safety fears and the potential for blocking traffic. But this proposal will not be immediately taken forward, after a pushback from local residents.
Councillors on the transport policy committee voted to approve the full business case for the £6.1-million project on Thursday, October 24. Final approval is subject to a formal consultation on Traffic Regulation Orders.
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Green Councillor Ed Plowden, chair of the transport committee, said: “Bus services are getting more and more marginal, so everything that we can do, every couple of minutes, does make a huge difference to the bus operators. They’re also very valuable for the emergency services.
“One of the most controversial aspects of this, the banned right turn into West Town Lane, is something we don’t have to enact. Hopefully that’s an example of actually listening, making some proposals, and mitigating the effects on some of the side roads.”
Some bus lanes already exist in parts of the Wells Road, but only in certain sections and at peak times. The route is a busy way into Bristol from parts of Somerset such as Midsomer Norton, Clutton and Wells, as well as suburbs like Hengrove, Stockwood and Whitchurch.
The West Town Lane turning ban caused concern that drivers would instead turn right into the area using narrower residential roads, causing rat-running. The council will still carry out works upgrading the junction, and will keep the option open for banning the turning in future.
Pedestrian crossings will be upgraded on the junction with St Johns Lane and introduced with West Town Lane. Drivers travelling south will be banned from turning right onto Hengrove Lane. Original plans included closing the junction with Bellevue Road, but this idea has been dropped.
A cycle track will fill in a gap in the National Cycle Network route that runs parallel to the Wells Road, from the Hither Bath Bridge to Manston Close. This means cyclists no longer will have to traverse a dangerous stretch of road with frequent speeding cars. Zebra crossings will be installed on the junction of West Town Lane and Sturminster Road, and at Manston Close.
Conservative Cllr Jonathan Hucker, representing Stockwood, said: “12-hour bus lanes south of West Town Lane are completely overkill. The Number 2 bus doesn’t go along that stretch of road, it turns off and goes along West Town Lane. The buses that go along the Wells Road south of West Town Lane are few and far between, mainly country buses. I’m not convinced there’s a need for bus lanes at all along there.”
Bus services running along the route include the 172, 374, 375, and 376, connecting Bristol to places such as Pensford, Paulton, Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Wells, Glastonbury, Street, Taunton and Yeovil.