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Bristol City Council drops plan for commuter cycle route through Victoria Park in response to local residents’ fears over “speeding cyclists”

“We have listened very carefully to the concerns of the community,” says council’s cabinet member for transport,who says further consultation will take place

The future of a proposed commuter cycling route in Bristol has been thrown into doubt after the city’s council announced today that plans are being withdrawn so that further consultation can be carried out with the local community.

As we reported yesterday, the section of the Cycle City Ambition-funded Filwood Quietway that passes through Bristol’s Victoria Park has been the subject of vocal opposition from some local residents.

> Bristol City Council accused of trying to rig consultation over Victoria Park cycle route plans

The scheme had been submitted by Bristol City Council’s transport department for planning approval.

The Victoria Park Action Group (VPAG) claimed that led to a conflict of interest since the council itself would decide whether the scheme, which they opposed on grounds including cyclists potentially riding too quickly through the park.

They also criticised distribution of leaflets from the transport department supporting the scheme to cyclists at areas elsewhere in the city, including at Bristol Temple Meads railway station.

The council had said that the final decision on whether to give the go-ahead to the proposals would rest with its development control committee to ensure full transparency.

In a statement released today, Councillor Mark Bradshaw, cabinet member for transport, said that a request had been made for the planning application be withdrawn so the council could work with the VPAG and other stakeholders to discuss alternative options, in part in response to fears over people cycling too quickly.

He said: “We have listened very carefully to the concerns of the community we have received so far through the planning process and we now want to develop options and ideas to ensure any enhancements we make address the local aspirations for this space.

“We do have an opportunity to make use of a grant from central government to fund walking and cycling infrastructure improvements, but any changes we propose to make will be in conjunction with the people who regularly use the park.

 “The park serves a mix of different users so this is not about pleasing one particular user group above everyone else.

“We want to develop proposals to improve all journeys through the park which give primary pupils and their families the confidence to walk through the park when it’s dark, a coherent walking route for pedestrians, as well as some cycle space.

 “Officers will now take the opportunity to discuss the proposals further with VPAG and the rest of the community before coming back with a revised plan.”

The scheme has been developed in partnership with the sustainable transport charity Sustrans, which is based in the city.

A Sustrans spokesman told road.cc: "It’s disappointing to see the planning application withdrawn, but we hope the council and the community will be able to come together to reach a resolution over the routing of the proposed Filwood Quietway through Victoria Park.

"It’s essential that there is a high quality link to this part of south Bristol which is currently completely cut-off from the rest of the cycling network.

"Routes like this would provide space for people of all ages and abilities to be able to walk and cycle for journeys to school, work and the shops.

"As a city we need to change our travel behaviour to more sustainable modes to ensure we’re able to cope with anticipated growth in population and employment – we simply haven’t got the space to build in more capacity for more motor traffic.’

 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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6 comments

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WillRod | 7 years ago
1 like

Cyclists should be separate from pedestrians where it is busy, but like The Netherlands, they should stick to the correct pavements!

I can understand why nimbys don't want cyclists mixing with pedestrians... I mean, pedestrians have a right to wander aimlessly, walk 6 abreast blocking other path users and become so self absorbed in their phone conversation/iPod that they become a hazard to themselves.

Sustrans and friends keep pushing for shared spaces, but they should be pushing for a Dutch system. By aiming halfway, all that happens is the councils do barely anything for cycling and then declare some farcical new route a cycle route despite being totally unfit for purpose.

 

Rant over.... time for another beer

Avatar
brooksby | 7 years ago
1 like

Cowardice? Cowardice. 

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Housecathst | 7 years ago
3 likes

Brilliant, I'll been stopping the local stubbington bypass then, speeding motorist init 

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Leviathan | 7 years ago
2 likes

I am not surprised, cycling on ice is very dangerous.

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burtthebike | 7 years ago
1 like

Nimbys 1, people 0

Avatar
1961BikiE | 7 years ago
8 likes

Better stop building roads then. Cos you know, speeding drivers!

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