[hawkinspeter]

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/through-traffic-banned-parts-bristol-8295492

This should be introduced towards the end of this year as an experimental trial – I wish it could happen sooner as it covers where I live. We had questionnaires about it during lockdown, though I think that was just about making Beaufort Rd (by the cemetery) one way to motorised traffic.

Topic

[hawkinspeter]

brooksby wrote:

And yet discussing possibly blocking a ring-road motorway as a protest IS an arrestable offence.

Well, the whole XR thing was the establishment making an example of people who dare to push back against motornormativity and the idea that we should destroy our planet to make a few people richer.

[mdavidford]

hawkinspeter wrote:

I’m glad that they weren’t arrested for a peaceful protest. In their defence, the roads aren’t “essential infrastructure” as otherwise they wouldn’t be installing bus gates on them.

Sounds like a solution – just keep saying every day that you’re going to install the bus gates – these people keep coming out and lying in the road – you achieve the same effect without the actual expense of doing the installation. 

[brooksby]

hawkinspeter wrote:

brooksby wrote:

“They said we would get arrested and we were breaking the law for protesting on the road.”

Blocking essential infrastructure, innit?  Talk to the people from XR.  Even thinking about it appears to be a crime nowadays (again, XR), so she ought to be lucky that the police aren’t in there arresting her for that.

I’m glad that they weren’t arrested for a peaceful protest. In their defence, the roads aren’t “essential infrastructure” as otherwise they wouldn’t be installing bus gates on them.

And yet discussing possibly blocking a ring-road motorway as a protest IS an arrestable offence.

[pockstone]

https://youtu.be/8gPSGrpIlkc
https://youtu.be/8gPSGrpIlkc?feature=shared

[pockstone]

How many words can you make
How many words can you make from the letters in ‘dedication’. To get you started, one of them is ‘idiot’.

[hawkinspeter]

brooksby wrote:

“They said we would get arrested and we were breaking the law for protesting on the road.”

Blocking essential infrastructure, innit?  Talk to the people from XR.  Even thinking about it appears to be a crime nowadays (again, XR), so she ought to be lucky that the police aren’t in there arresting her for that.

I’m glad that they weren’t arrested for a peaceful protest. In their defence, the roads aren’t “essential infrastructure” as otherwise they wouldn’t be installing bus gates on them.

[brooksby]

Quote:

“They said we would get arrested and we were breaking the law for protesting on the road.”

Blocking essential infrastructure, innit?  Talk to the people from XR.  Even thinking about it appears to be a crime nowadays (again, XR), so she ought to be lucky that the police aren’t in there arresting her for that.

[hawkinspeter]

Also, the Bristol247 article:

Also, the Bristol247 article: https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/police-join-contractors-bus-gate-installed-before-sunrise/

Several of the protesters who lay down on Marsh Lane are currently fasting because it is Ramadan and were unable to have their Suhoor pre-dawn meal.

Another protester said that no legal notice had been given that the roads would be closed in order to install the bus gates.

Fadumo Farah, who lives in Barton House, said that she left her home before 4am after being notified about what was happening via a WhatsApp group.

She said: “The police officers told me they were here to keep the peace but it looks like they were assisting.

“We were only four women and one man. We were peacefully protesting and there were around 50 police officers…

“They said we would get arrested and we were breaking the law for protesting on the road.”

When contractors divided themselves to work on different sections of the infrastructure including on Marsh Lane and Avonvale Road, protesters also split up.

Farah added: “My position is supporting the community. As soon as I saw so many police officers, that was really disappointing because there were only a few of us…

“I have seen so many women broken and crying. We missed our special meal with our family this morning and now we are fasting…

“I asked them to bring us water or something but they refused to do that.”

[hawkinspeter]

slc wrote:

Bus gate in on Avonvale Rd, at the site of the protests.

I think it might have gone in overnight. I did not notice it yesterday evening, though I was adjacent rather than going through and slightly occupied at that point with avoiding a driver cutting the corner on a right turn (giving me a cross look as they did so, so maybe the gate was in and I was to blame).

It looks like a hasted job – no planters or tarmac colour, just signs and paint on the road, one of which read ‘Bus Gat’

Maybe they were aiming for “Bus Goat”?

BristolPost article here: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/huge-overnight-police-council-operation-10018858

A massive council operation to finish the last remaining parts of the controversial East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood took place overnight and succeeded in installing road blockages and bus gates – almost.

The council, its contractors ETM and Avon and Somerset Police descended on Barton Hill at 3am this morning, Thursday, March 13, in a co-ordinated operation to install planters, bus gate signs and paint the roads.

A small group of residents were alerted and began trying to stop them from around 4.30am, but with a huge police operation, and a co-ordinated programme to work at multiple locations at the same time, the contractors ETM worked almost unhindered for the first time in Barton Hill. Previous efforts to install the traffic blockers have met with mass protests.

A handful of local residents tried to stop the installation in the five remaining locations, but only succeeded at one – at the junction of Marsh Lane and Avonvale Road – where a group of women lay down in the road to prevent the completion of one of the bus gates.

It was quite cold last night, so fair play to the women lying down in the road – that’s dedication for you.

[chrisonabike]

hawkinspeter wrote:

Look, can everyone just stop driving so much?

What are you, some kind of authoritarian* Communist?

* Apparently most modern authoritarians are actually also very keen on people driving.  With a few exceptions e.g. those who gripe about them.  Which is usually those who are getting a bad deal e.g. the poorest / those who the regime is sticking it to for other reasons.

[hawkinspeter]

Opinion piece by a Lawrence

Opinion piece by a Lawrence Hill councillor:

https://www.bristol247.com/opinion/your-say/watching-closely-ensure-liveable-neighbourhood-trial-benefits-everyone/

[hawkinspeter]

Council showing ‘utter

Council showing ‘utter disregard’ for people against Liveable Neighbourhood scheme:

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/council-showing-utter-disregard-people-10004484

While few who are proposing and defending the EBLN will say it out loud, but the whole point is to make it so difficult and bothersome to drive around the area that people choose not to, and opt to walk or cycle instead. At the same time, though, Redfield and the A420 is still a key commuter artery for drivers heading to and from work or school from further out in the east of Bristol or beyond, into the city centre.

Look, can everyone just stop driving so much?

[hawkinspeter]

Opposition to controversial

Opposition to controversial East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood ‘will filter away’ say council bosses

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/opposition-controversial-east-bristol-liveable-9996342

[hawkinspeter]

Bmblbzzz wrote:

Yesterday (but after my previous comments, otherwise I’d have mentioned it then) I read that EBLN is the Cable’s most active topic. They’ve had “almost 1,000” responses to their request for engagement. Clearly there’s a lot of feeling about it, despite it directly affecting only a small area of the city. What we don’t know is how much of that engagement might be whipped up by outside actors of the “Fair Fuel” type. 

I wouldn’t discount outside influences, but people do seem to get very passionate when driving is criticised. People often see it as infringing their freedom, whilst caring very little about the people subjected to car pollution. Just look at the drivers who decided to take a shortcut over the graves when Beaufort Rd was blocked as a car route.

My attitude is that driving restrictions are inevitable in high population areas (i.e. cities) as cars are just the worst use of road space and inevitably lead to congestion if everyone tries to drive. Unfortunately, a lot of the arguments against LTNs are disingenuous and just seek to perpetuate problems rather than attempting to improve matters.

What I find most puzzling is that the residents along Avonvale Rd don’t seem to want less traffic and pollution in return for slight inconvenience (the disabled lady is claiming that she is majorly inconvenienced by the proposed scheme). I also find it difficult to believe that the shops along there are reliant on motor traffic for their trade.

[Bmblbzzz]

hawkinspeter wrote:

‘Legitimate concerns of many east Bristol residents are being dismissed’: https://www.bristol247.com/opinion/your-say/legitimate-concerns-many-east-bristol-residents-being-dismissed/

Hmmm – I have issues with those counter-arguments. They seem to be asking for specific data on implementing the scheme in east Bristol as similar schemes can’t be compared due to socio-economic differences, but without providing any counter-evidence or recognising that the EBLN is currently a trial which would gather specific evidence.

I don’t think it’s worth breaking down every point, but here’s an example one. “It also dismisses alternative ways to encourage active travel without imposing restrictive measures on motorists” – how exactly do you do that without it being just a performative change such as a bit of white paint standing in for cycle infrastructure?

Yesterday (but after my previous comments, otherwise I’d have mentioned it then) I read that EBLN is the Cable’s most active topic. They’ve had “almost 1,000” responses to their request for engagement. Clearly there’s a lot of feeling about it, despite it directly affecting only a small area of the city. What we don’t know is how much of that engagement might be whipped up by outside actors of the “Fair Fuel” type. 

[Author]

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