South Bristol Ring Road - a traffic nightmare

Written by Pete Goodwin Tuesday, 10 March 2009

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Greens expose the reality behind the consultation spin

 
Alternative realities
Traffic on Ashton Way at the Cumberland Basin is expected to increase by 20% if plans for a South Bristol Ring Road go ahead. The new road would also fail to take traffic away from Winterstoke Road or Coronation Road.

These are among the predictions hidden in a report commissioned by the West of England councils and released just weeks before public consultation on proposed transport links in South Bristol[Note 1] draws to a close.

The Greens believe that the West of England's efforts to win public approval for its 'South Bristol Link' proposals have been a smokescreen, to provide cover for their plans to complete a South Bristol Ring Road.

Peter Goodwin"Fight your way through the smoke, and it becomes clear that this is all a fix" says the Greens' Peter Goodwin. "The handouts are full of errors and misleading statements, carefully designed to bring the answer they want. If they get away with it, it's very bad news for residents and road users in south Bristol."

Although the consultation runs to the end of March, the West of England has already pressed its case to government for priority funding (the RFA, or Regional Funding Allowance) for what it now calls the South Bristol Link.

Among the faults pinpointed by the Greens are:

  • The consultation documents state that the link is about 'regenerating South Bristol'. There's not a shred of evidence to support that claim.
  • Pictures are styled to present an image of light traffic in perfect harmony with other road users. The Greens have produced their own more realistic picture[Note 2] of how it will look!
  • A claim that traffic on key roads is 'likely' to be reduced if new roads are built is a myth, intended to attract support. The professional analysis commissioned by the council shows that the choked Winterstoke Road not get the promised cuts, while traffic through Barrow Gurney would reduce even without new road-building. In the area as a whole, there is a net traffic increase. Only on some local routes in Bishopsworth would there be any significant reductions.
  • A warning that King Georges Road 'may' get increased traffic if it becomes part of the Link is simply ludicrous. The same analysis shows a twenty-fold increase through Withywood and King Georges Road. The traffic hotspot of the A370 at Cumberland Basin will see a 20% rise in traffic if the Link road is built.
  • The consultation offers a 'Hobson's Choice' between new roads and a 'rapid transit' option to take passengers from Hengrove and Ashton Vale. It doesn't offer a 'do nothing'[Note 1] choice - which, according to the traffic and pollution statistics, actually performs as well as, often better than, the new road options.
  • Consultees are not told that this is really the final link in a South Bristol Ring Road. But that's what it is, with all the new traffic generation that ring roads create, adding to congestion throughout the region.
  • Every option on offer - most of all the new road options - brings significant increases in greenhouse gas emissions, at a time when we're committed to deep cuts. There's no mention of that in the consultation brief.

Mr Goodwin added: "Perhaps the most alarming aspect of this plan - apart from the spin and manipulation that you come to expect - is that whatever else happens, traffic and emissions are expected to rise significantly in the next decade. How can any responsible authority even begin to tolerate that, to accept it as inevitable - especially in a city as congested as Bristol?

New roads are part of the problem, not part of the solution."

Notes:

  1. "South Bristol Link" is the latest form of the Ring Road proposals. The new road options link the A38 south of the Kings Head with the A370 either at Ashton Gate or near Yanley. A further option (Phase 2) takes the road eastward into to Hengrove Way, completing a link through Callington Road to both Hicks Gate and Easton Way. Set against these are a suggested Rapid Transit route from Hengrove Park to Ashton Gate.

    All options presuppose that other measures will already be in place (the 'do nothing' reference case, not offered as an option) - including the Callington Road Link, and a direct Rapid Transit service from Hengrove to the city centre and the north fringe.
  2. Use this link for the full (1.4Mb) image. Free to use, but a credit will be appreciated.

Contact

Peter Goodwin, 01275 543280