Despite plans being approved for a new multi-storey cycle hub near Bristol’s Temple Meads station, cyclists have been told that they could be temporarily prevented from storing their bikes at the facility, for up to two or three years, due to safety concerns about the narrow shared pavement leading to the station.

A a new, safer alternative to the current shared pedestrian and cycle path, located next to the busy Bath Road and branded “absolutely horrendous” by local politicians, has long been earmarked and could involve the creation of an active travel-only bridge.

However, the delays in securing this infrastructure – the proposed bridge, if approved, is unlikely to be completed for at least four years – have prompted councillors to call for one of the lanes on Bath Road currently allocated for motorists to be temporarily removed, allowing cyclists to access the bike hub.

Meanwhile, plans to charge cyclists for using the cycle parking hub have also come in for criticism, with one local Labour councillor asking: “Are we going to be known as the country that charges for cycle parking?”

Southern Gateway plans, Bristol
Southern Gateway plans, Bristol (Image Credit: Temple Quarter)

Approved unanimously on Wednesday by Bristol City Council, the Southern Gateway “multi-modal transport hub” will be built at the bottom of Bath Road and feature a seven-storey car park with 379 spaces along with a three-storey cycle hub, which will have space for 538 bikes and enable cyclists to securely park their bikes while using the nearby Temple Meads train station.

The project marks the first of several planning applications from the Temple Quarter company, a new collaborative organisation consisting of the council, the West of England Combined Authority, Network Rail, and Homes England, and focused on regenerating the area.

“This is the first critical piece of the jigsaw, delivering on proposals long set out,” Nick Finney, planning manager at Bristol Temple Quarter, said this week, BristolLive reports.

“We have worked closely in partnership with Network Rail on this scheme and this is one of a number of upcoming station improvement projects that will deliver a step-change in accessing facilities at the station.”

However, members of the council’s transport department have raised concerns that the Southern Gateway, and the prospect of more cyclists parking their bikes before using the train, could lead to greater numbers of people cycling and walking along the narrow ‘shared path’ on Bath Road.

Council staff have claimed that the additional trips generated by the proposed cycle hub could lead a greater risk of someone “being seriously injured or killed”.

While a new protected cycle lane will be built outside the Southern Gateway as part of the project, the narrow shared path, located next to a busy four-lane road, will remain north and south, until funding can be secured to improve the area’s walking and cycling infrastructure.

Bath Road, Bristol
Bath Road, Bristol (Image Credit: Google Street View)

Last August, we reported that the narrow stretch of pavement, shared by pedestrians and cyclists, could be improved after Active Travel England money was relocated following an underspend on other cycling and walking projects in the city.

And in September 2025, it was announced that transport planners are currently exploring the potential to create a new walking and cycling bridge over the River Avon, providing an alternative to the current route.

A £712,000 grant from the Department for Transport is currently be used to draw up an outline business case for the bridge, with Labour councillor Tim Rippington welcoming the news, while arguing the current path “up and down the Bath Road is absolutely horrendous for cyclists and pedestrians”.

However, while the most optimistic forecasts predict that the bridge could be built and opened within four years, work on the Southern Gateway will start in June 2026 and will take two years.

According to the council, one option is to close a lane on the Bath Road temporarily, though a local authority report on the matter considered this move to be “contentious”.

If that isn’t possible, the council says they would explore “mothballing” the cycle hub until the bridge is built – a possibility that was heavily criticised by councillors at this week’s meeting.

“That would be incredibly frustrating for cyclists to have this fantastic new facility, and they can’t use it. That wouldn’t go down well in terms of PR,” Liberal Democrat Andrew Varney said.

“At the moment along the pavement there is a very meagre cycle lane. I would agree that the better option is the temporary closure of one lane,” added the Green Party’s Abi Finch.

“I generally don’t cycle to the station if I’m away from Bristol for more than one night, because I don’t feel safe to leave my bike overnight. So I really welcome having a secure cycle facility. It’s quite exciting.”

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Meanwhile, the prospect of cyclists having to pay to use the hub – when they eventually can – was also criticised.

“Do you really have to charge for cycle parking?” Labour’s Katja Hornchen asked. “I’ve been trying to look in Europe where they have cycle parking, and they don’t charge for it anywhere except in Britain. Are we going to be known as the country that charges for cycle parking?”

The council says the cycle parking fees, which are yet to be determined, will result in “increased security” for users, as they would only be open to people who had paid to enter.

This, the local authority claims, would act as a deterrent for thieves, especially in the wake of the British Transport Police’s controversial recent admission that it will not investigate bike thefts in cases where the bike was left at a station for over two hours.