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Investigation into police
Investigation into police presence in 3am Bristol bus gate installation chaos:
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/investigation-police-presence-3am-bristol-10026144
I don’t really agree with the idea that the council is splitting the community along race and class lines, though I’m not a Barton Hill resident so maybe I’m missing something. Surely the only reason why there was a heavy police presence was due to the citizen revolt against the scheme? It doesn’t appear that the police did anything untoward though it is curious as to why they needed so many.
I’ll sneak this one in here,
I’ll sneak this one in here, though I’m not sure if it really belongs here:
https://electrek.co/2025/03/16/tesla-autopilot-drives-into-wall-camera-vs-lidar-test/
Driver vows never to return
Driver vows never to return to West Country holiday spot after ‘rip-off’ parking fine:
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/driver-vows-never-return-west-10019680
They’re fining drivers who don’t fit their cars fully into the marked bays, but drivers are complaining that their cars are too big for the spaces.
Worth noting that the abovementioned Fadumo has so far been a dynamo for the Green vote in East Bristol (and is generally of an activist and active nature, as well as being, IMO, a lovely person) and that one of the Green councillors for the relevant wards is a bit of a controversial figure within their own party. This could get interesting and prove a bit of a shake-up in local politics.Ed: It seems somewhat as if, in taking on one of the mayor’s projects, the current Green-led council has betrayed its previous bottom-up approach and adopted the top-down imposition of the mayor. That’s all sweeping terms obviously….
Fadumo has written an opinion piece here: https://www.bristol247.com/opinion/your-say/sad-shocked-happened-barton-hill/
There were some 50 police officers standing around. There were massive vans, ready to cart away anyone who disagreed with the scheme.The police used their power to assist the contractors. They were safe but we knew our rights, we knew what we were doing.
The relationship between the community around the Barton Hill area with the police, Bristol City Council and the people who live in Lawrence Hill ward will no doubt be affected by what happened.
I care about the environment but I care about my community as well.
I want to say good luck to the council for developing relationships with this community, because it’s very concerning coming in the middle of night when everyone is fasting to a Bristol neighbourhood where it is well-known that a large ethnic minority population live.
It’s sad and I’m shocked the way it happened. We’ll see in six months time what will happen.
Council has just an ‘E’ left
Council has just an ‘E’ left to finish East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood work:
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/council-just-e-left-finish-10019514
And yet discussing possibly blocking aring-roadmotorway 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.
“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.
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.”
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.
Opinion piece by a Lawrence
Opinion piece by a Lawrence Hill councillor:
Another day, another
Another day, another BristolPost piece about Park St:
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/park-street-bus-gate-latest-10008820
Conservatives are demanding that “disastrous” £15million plans to close Park Street to cars and vans should be abandoned. Green-led Bristol City Council announced in January that a 24-hour bus gate would be installed at the top of the road where it meets Park Row at Clifton Triangle and a bus lane to run up from the Centre.
slc wrote:
I think it has got better in some locations. For example, Baldwin Street and Victoria Street. Bus gates there have improved conditions greatly for me. I guess I might feel differently if I wanted to drive a car that way :)Better in some places and worse in others. There’s still plenty of gridlock going on. I want them to bring back the rickety flyover by Temple Meads. (https://www.bristolworld.com/retro/bristol-redcliffe-flyover-nostalgic-pics-4145123)
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?
chrisonabike wrote:
Haven’t spent much time in Bristol for decades – but back in the day much was pretty gridlocked at least once per day. Has it got better?Nope
Controversial £15 million
Controversial £15 million Park Street scheme will ‘gridlock’ Bristol:
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/news-opinion/controversial-15-million-park-street-9983746
Another collection of opinions?