News / Transport
The mystery of the green dots has been solved
The mystery behind dozens of green dots that appeared on a south Bristol road has been solved, with the council confirming that they are part of a ‘community-led traffic calming scheme’.
The dots on Greville Road in Bedminster were painted after a joint effort between community members and Bristol City Council.
Chair of transport and connectivity committee, councillor Ed Plowden said the dots were a way of improving “safety in the area”.
“The newly added green markings are part of a community-led traffic calming scheme in partnership with the council, following requests from residents to reduce through-traffic and improve safety in the area.
“The project is similar to several other creative traffic calming schemes in South Bristol and has also included the installation of planters. Creative road marking has been used for several years right across Bristol.”
The green dots are believed to be between 30cm to 1.2m in diameter
Plowden further added that even though residents in the area had been consulted about the markings in 2023, “this part of the project needed to wait until the road was resurfaced, which took place as part of our citywide maintenance recently”.
Despite the mention of a consultation, many residents that Bristol24/7 spoke to denied knowing any details about these green markings.
Tracy Francis, who lives on the road and often cycles around the area, was concerned about what these dots meant for her as a cyclist.
The road in question, according to Francis, was already “slippery” and she was scared that the addition of these circles would mean that her “bike tires will slide away”, especially when the roads were wet.
She continued: “I asked the people who installed them whether they knew what they were for. But they didn’t.
“I do know that the people who have moved into this area want to stop cars coming up and down here.”
The green dots can be spotted on various stretches of Greville Road
Another resident also denied knowing anything about the intention behind these markings, but confirmed that it had caused a “stir” in the neighbourhood.
Similar dots in multiple colours were spotted in Colchester in April 2023, as part of an initiative to encourage children to walk or cycle to the nearby school.
The council are encouraging other residents interested in making similar changes to apply for funding via their local area committee’s Community Infrastructure Levy.
All photos: Cerys Larsen
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