News / Transport
Cars could finally be banned from Prince Street Bridge
Spend any time close to Prince Street Bridge and you will see that the number of cars crossing the span is far outnumbered by pedestrians and cyclists.
But right now, space for cars takes up almost half of the bridge next to a very narrow pavement; with cyclists and pedestrians squeezed together on the side nearest the M Shed.
This could soon be changing, however, with £600,000 set aside to change the arrangements on the bridge which would see the the M Shed side used solely by pedestrians and the other side by cyclists.
is needed now More than ever
It is part of a proposed £3.5m investment in walking, cycling and wheeling projects that has been announced by West of England mayor, Helen Godwin.
Other schemes likely to be approved at the next mayor and council leaders joint meeting on July 18 include:
- £1.3m for cycle training and maintenance, grants, and bike loan schemes for people who want to take up cycling
- £710,000 to develop plans for new walking and cycling structure at Temple Island and Bath Bridges
- £250,000 for six new Schools Streets
- £230,000 for 21 new cycle hangars
- £50,000 to design better cycling routes between Bristol Parkway and the Bristol & Bath Science Park
- £50,000 to design better walking routes between Staple Hill and Kingswood.
Cyclist waiting aids on Upper Maudlin Street and Colston Street have divided opinion after being recently installed as part of improvements for cycling in the area – photo: Martin Booth
Godwin said: “Walking, cycling and wheeling are an important part of how people get around, with real health benefits.
“School Streets are something I backed as a councillor and continue to support as the new mayor, working with council leaders and learning from England’s other mayors too.
“Active travel is greener, cutting pollution, which people in the West Country really care about.
“And the better buses, more trains and mass transit unlocked by unprecedented government funding for transport in our part of the world which will also be better for our planet.
“Getting the basics right now will lay the foundations for a better transport system overall for the West of England.
“We secured £752m for that next stage in the recent Spending Review. That means that the West can get out of the slow lane on transport and start to catch up with other city-regions.”
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Bristol City Council leader, Tony Dyer, added: “In partnership with the mayoral combined authority, we are working on plans to invest almost £5m of active travel funding into a range of projects across the city.
“These projects include adding to our network of segregated cycleways and improving walking routes, increasing the number of School Streets in Bristol, ramping up our programme to encourage more people to try out sustainable forms of transport, and increasing the number of cycle hangars that provide secure cycle storage for our residents.
“By making walking, wheeling and cycling easier, safer and more attractive, we can boost health and fitness while helping to reduce congestion and improve local air quality.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
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