News / Politics
Rees refuses to commit on Prince Street Bridge
Marvin Rees says he will assess both sides of the argument before deciding whether to commit to reopening Prince Street Bridge to traffic.
The mayor was responding to a request from Conservative councillor Graham Morris to confirm that the council still plans to let traffic pass over the commuter route when the repair work is finally finished.
Prince Street Bridge closed in August 2015. The closure was earmarked to last three months, but has stretched to a year, with Green Party activists arguing that it should remain open only to pedestrians and cyclists when it is repaired.
Rees told Bristol24/7: “The most important thing is that we properly tackle congestion in the city and look at the big picture.
“There’s always a balance between encouraging greener, more active forms of transport and making sure our road network is up to scratch for all users; so it’s understandable that Prince Street Bridge has become a microcosm of that debate.
“As far as I am concerned it isn’t so black and white. Opening it to traffic wouldn’t mean we don’t value walking and cycling, and closing it to traffic wouldn’t mean we want to penalise motorists.
“It’s got to be about what’s right overall for the broader transport network, rather than reacting to one campaign or another.”
A petition calling for traffic to be banned from the bridge has 363 signatures.
Morris, councillor for Stockwood, said: “It is very regrettable that a tiny minority of citizens of the cycling lobby are agitating over future accessibility to this bridge.
“Previous campaigns to exclude the car have been fended off with the former mayor promising only last March to keep this crossing open to most forms of traffic.
“The swing bridge remains a key feature in our road network and, as experienced this last year, its loss has had an enormous impact on congestion in the city and the significant decrease in the punctuality of the bus service as Temple Meads is often gridlocked.
“I hope to be able to gain cross-party support for my motion which – if backed by the Mayor – might just succeed in finally putting this issue to bed for the foreseeable future.”
He has submitted a motion to full council asking Rees to confirm his position.
Read more: ‘Yes, let’s close Prince St Bridge to cars’
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