A new rapid transit route running north-south through Bristol city centre
We are proposing changes to roads that will make it possible to operate a new rapid transit route running north-south through Bristol city centre. Within the central area, the route would connect Commercial Road to Newfoundland Circus via Redcliff Hill, Redcliff Street, Bristol Bridge, Union Street and The Haymarket. It would provide priority and faster journey times for buses, with new bus lanes, bus gates, a two-way bus-only route on Union Street, and new bus-only junctions. The changes would enable the new rapid transit service to come right through the heart of the city and include improvements for cycling and walking throughout the route.
Re-routing of bus services around Broadmead
We propose to re-route buses that travel west to east between Nelson Street and Old Market. We would re-route buses that use The Horsefair and Penn Street to travel instead via Fairfax Street and Broad Weir alongside Castle Park. We also propose re-routing some other bus services that use Baldwin Street and/or Victoria Street to take advantage of the proposed changes to road layouts in the Broadmead area. We also propose to relocate where buses wait when they terminate from the Broadmead area to Temple Way, so they do not stand empty for long periods of time in pedestrian and shopping areas.
Cycle network
We are proposing cycling improvements in the Broadmead area and the Bedminster Bridges, Redcliffe Roundabout, Temple Way, and Bond Street areas, which would connect to existing and proposed sections of the cycle network. Most of the proposed cycling improvements are cycle tracks, which give cyclists separation from pedestrians and motor vehicles and would make it easier and more pleasant to cycle to and through the city centre.
Changes to the Broadmead area
We propose to pedestrianise The Horsefair and Penn Street. A new access point from The Haymarket would enable access for essential vehicles. Deliveries for businesses would be allowed at set times when the streets are less busy, in a similar way to how the rest of Broadmead operates. This would mean relocating taxi ranks and blue badge parking. The changes would allow room to introduce more landscaping, seating and art spaces.
Changes to road layouts in four areas
In addition to the changes in the Broadmead area, we are proposing changes to road layouts in four other areas to further improve bus priority and improve the cycle network. The four areas are:
- Bedminster Bridges (including East Street (Bedminster Parade end), Bedminster Parade and Redcliff Hill)
- Redcliffe Roundabout (including Redcliffe Way)
- Temple Way
- Bond Street (including Newfoundland Circus)
The rapid transit route and the pedestrianisation and bus re-routing improvements in the Broadmead area are all possible without the proposals in these four areas. The proposed changes in these areas would deliver further enhancements to bus journey times and reliability, enable terminating buses to wait away from the Broadmead area, and improve the comfort and convenience of walking, wheeling and cycling journeys.