The West of England sub-region (covering the area of Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol City, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils) is likely to face major challenges over the next 20 years in addressing the traffic and transport implications of expected future housing and employment development.

The proposed changes to the Regional Spatial Strategy suggest that up to 117,500 new dwellings could be provided in the sub-region up to 2026.  The local authorities have expressed major reservations about the scale of growth proposed, nonetheless there is a clear need to ensure that the additional demand placed on the existing transport network is accommodated and managed in a sustainable manner. 

The Greater Bristol Strategic Transport Study (GBSTS) recognises that investment in conventional bus services alone will not be sufficient to provide an attractive alternative to the private car and sustainably accommodate the increase in demand to travel arising from predicted development in the sub-region.

The study promoted a package of bus, rapid transit, highway and park and ride schemes to address existing traffic problems and to support regeneration and sustainable development. 

The four councils, working together as the West of England Partnership, have been developing a programme of major transport schemes the first of which, the Greater Bristol Bus Network (GBBN), is currently being implemented.

Central to this programme is the need to tackle congestion and reduce car dependency through the provision of quality alternatives to car use to improve accessibility to major employment centers and new development.  

A major scheme bid for the first line in a network of rapid transit routes - the Ashton Vale to Temple Meads route – that will serve the West of England area was submitted to the Department for Transport in March 2009.

The North Fringe to Hengrove Package will build on this route by providing additional Rapid Transit routes to the south, north and east of the city, supported by park and ride and highway schemes to ease congestion and facilitate the delivery and successful operation of the routes.

North and East Fringe

The North Fringe of Bristol has experienced an unprecedented level of employment and housing growth over the last 20 years, particularly office expansion at Filton Abbey Wood and Bristol Parkway station, Aztec West, growth in the University of the West of England, a major retail development at Cribbs Causeway and the construction of around 8,000 dwellings at Bradley Stoke. The provision of 70,000 jobs has been accompanied by a significant growth in traffic, which as shown in the figure below is significantly ahead of the national trend. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress has been made in boosting rail patronage and infrastructure, encouraging cycling and promoting the benefits of car sharing, and the GBBN proposals, currently being implemented along the A4174 Avon Ring Road, will enhance reliability for bus services and reduce car dependency further.

However, the overall level of congestion remains acute along the Ring Road, by Aztec West and Parkway station, and in addition to the upgrade provided by GBBN, investment in a new, high quality public transport mode and further highway links is necessary to further improve links to major employers and planned residential sites. 

Further new development is proposed or underway at a number of locations in the North Fringe, including 

• Filton Northfield (Charlton Hayes) to accommodate up to 2,200 new dwellings;
• Hewlett Packard (Cheswick), to accommodate 1,200 dwellings; and
• Harry Stoke, also to accommodate up to 2,000 dwellings.

The East Fringe is located adjacent to the Avon Ring Road south-east of the M4/M32.

In addition, significant employment and a district centre at Emersons Green is planned and a further 3,200 swellings at Emersons Green East, together with a high profile Science Park , SPark. The Avon Ring Road passing through this area is again characterised by high levels of congestion particularly during peak periods. 

The M32 corridor connects the North Fringe with Bristol city centre and also forms the major highway route into Bristol from the strategic road network. The route is heavily congested, particularly south of Junction 2 in morning and evening peak periods and Newfoundland Way south of Junction 3 has already been remodelled to incorporate bus priority measures.

However, there has been a long-standing need to further improve alternatives to car use along this corridor in order to tackle traffic congestion and improve air quality. 

Bristol City Centre

Bristol city centre has undergone a transformation in recent years with the attraction of significant investment in employment and city centre regeneration schemes, including Harbourside, Temple Quay and a £500 million shopping development at Cabot Circus in Broadmead, and the city centre accommodates around 100,000 jobs and a vibrant economy.

Whilst peak period traffic flows into the city centre have generally fallen since 2005, traffic speeds are amongst the slowest of the core English cities and the national indicator for air quality (nitrogen dioxide) in the central area has deteriorated since 2004.  

Further major developments are planned by Harbourside and to the immediate east of the city centre and Temple Meads.

Whilst the Greater Bristol Bus Network work and the recent award of Cycling City funding are doing much to improve traffic conditions, there is again an urgent need to provide a significant improvement in the quality of public transport travel.

This will be achieved through the provision of a network of rapid transit routes, commencing with the Ashton Vale to Temple Meads and Bristol City Centre route which is the subject of a recent Major Scheme Bid submission, combined with further enhancements to the quality and scope of public transport interchange, cycling and walking facilities in the central area of the city. 

South Bristol

Communities in South Bristol experience significant levels of deprivation and difficulty accessing job opportunities. Around a quarter of people in some of the wards are income deprived, with low education attainment rates and up to a fifth of the working age population claiming out of work benefits. Substantial areas are within the 10% of the most deprived in England. 

Traffic congestion on radial routes is reflected in poor air quality and the inclusion of parts of South Bristol in the city’s Air Quality Management Area (AQMA).

Public transport accessibility was improved in 2003 with the launch of Bristol’s first Showcase bus route, and rail frequencies at local stations at Parson Street and Bedminster have increased to an hourly service from 2006, with corresponding increases in patronage on both modes. In addition, there is already significant planned development at Hengrove Park including leisure, health care and employment proposals.

Key to improving this situation further is the need to promote new transport links into the city centre and beyond, both through the emerging South Bristol Link proposals and a rapid transit route between Hengrove Park and the city centre.