News / Transport
Fear and fury over ‘dangerous and neglected’ stretch of road
Residents living along a steep stretch of road are calling for major safety improvements “before someone gets hurt”.
Conham Hill, in east Bristol on the border between Hanham and St George, has been branded “increasingly dangerous and neglected” due to potholes, speeding vehicles and blind bends creating unsafe conditions for pedestrians and cyclists.
One resident, Lucy Rivers, who has lived on the hill for the past year, said the prospect of navigating it on foot with her two young children is “really scary” and has launched a petition calling for action from South Gloucester Council.
A spokesperson for South Glos Council said: “We are aware of concerns about the road, which crosses the local authority boundary, and one of our highways engineers will visit to reassess its condition.”
Posters have been fixed to lampposts on Conham Hill encouraging people to sign an online petition – photo: Betty Woolerton
“The road has always been a bit of an issue, but it’s got much busier recently and now it’s a big problem,” said Rivers, who moved to Conham Hill from Warmley in 2024.
“My neighbours have had their tires blown out, almost been run over by drivers dangerously overtaking them and been honked at for just trying to get into their cars.
“I’m just waiting for a major incident to happen.”
Conham River Park follows the winding route of the Avon – photo: Betty Woolerton
Rivers said the issues are exacerbated during the summer when tourists visit nearby beauty spot Conham River Park and park their vehicles on both sides of Conham Hill, leading to congestion and, at its worst, “dangerous immovable traffic”.
Speaking about her experiences as the mother of infant children, she said: “The difficulty is I can’t get my kids down to the river on foot because the walking routes are either incredibly steep and have steps, which is fine if you’re able-bodied, or dangerous along a main road with no pavement.”
“I could walk there as an adult on my own, but taking the kids in a pram is just terrifying.”
Hanham is a ward on the outskirts of South Gloucestershire – image: Office for National Statistics
Conham Hill begins at Conham River Park and winds east through a nature reserve before turning into Church Road in Hanham – not to be mixed up with Church Road in Redfield and St George.
Rivers said there was “confusion” over whether the problematic section of road falls under the authority of Bristol City Council or South Gloucestershire Council.
She first contacted South Gloucestershire Council in July 2024 to complain about cars using the stretch as a “rat-run”, poor surfacing and potholes, limited accessibility for pedestrians and speeding.
Official maps show that Conham Hill is within South Gloucestershire’s jurisdiction, with the Hanham ward bounded to the south by the River Avon.
The downward slopes of Conham Hill are difficult to navigate for cyclists due to the number of potholes
The online petition has been signed by 240 people, demanding action to slow traffic and improve crossings.
Sarah Pembury, a cyclist, described the road surface at Conham Hill as “the worst” she has encountered, while resident Bethany Hibbert said speeding makes it “a daily battle” for locals to safely access their cars.
“It’s come to a point where the road is the worst it’s ever been,” added Alison Bleadon.
The petition’s proposals include full resurfacing, drop kerbs, lower speed limits and a marked walkway to provide access to Conham River Park for walkers, cyclists and wheelchair users.
Rivers said: “It’s frustrating as I feel so many of the problems are easily fixable: repair the road, put some double yellows down and create a painted walkway…”
“Why should our community wait for a serious accident before change is made? This is about protecting our families, our children and our most vulnerable residents.”
Residents want to see the road, which is uneven with numbers large potholes, resurfaced and a speed limit of 20mph implemented
All photos: Betty Woolerton
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
