War on the motorist latest

I lived in Bristol a few years back, and a friend used to live just off summerhill road - I can sort of see what they're trying to do, but it's just going to divert the horrendous traffic (it's not improved in the last 10 years, has it? No, thought not!) into another area and/or make the traffic on the main route into Bristol centre worse.

Wait and see what Rochdale Council's response to events in its LTN last week are (planters went in on Thu, planters got set on fire and councillors allegedly got threatened Thu evening). If they back down, it's going to take nerves of steel for any council to put an LTN in...

@ta11pau1 It's not necessarily as clear cut as that. Putting filters in discourages people from driving 300m as it takes longer to drive through than to walk, and less through traffic encourages people to walk/cycle when they'd not have felt safe and would have driven before; all this leads to a certain amount of traffic 'evaporating'. There's also the converse of induced demand, and if memory serves there's good evidence that less people pulling in and out of side streets improves traffic flow.

I can sort of see what they’re trying to do, but it’s just going to divert the horrendous traffic (it’s not improved in the last 10 years, has it? No, thought not!) into another area and/or make the traffic on the main route into Bristol centre worse.

No, it hasn't got much better! But some of these streets are just ridiculous: there are two streets in particular where drivers are so reckless there have been cases of cars literally crashing into people's houses. And opposite me is a school on a one-way street, where cars regularly go the wrong way, usually at double the speed limit to try and get through to the other end before another car comes the other way. The speed bumps don't work - my day is punctuated by the regular CRUNCH-CRUNCH of cars and vans scraping their front bumper on the front side of the speed bump near us, and then again as they crash down on the far side.

So, yeah. It might make the A420 even worse on the way into town. But then, not half as much as the proposed new junction off the M4 will!

I was in the village of Dworp in Belgium a couple of weeks back.

A hilly street had planters every 50m or so. They alternated along the sides of the street.

They turned what here would’ve been an uphill/downhill zoom-fest into a very calm ascent/descent. Handy as there were no sidewalks/pavements.

Traffic-calming and traffic redirection is a winner in my book.

I’d also like to add to that PELICAN crossings should be on demand. What’s the point of a crossing that puts the stop lights for traffic up when there’s no traffic left?

But then, not half as much as the proposed new junction off the M4 will!

Which location? I'm assuming you're talking about J18a.

This afternoon 1 adult pedestrian has been killed by a driver just near where I work and a 13yr old child has been run over and hospitalised whilst by a different driver whilst on their way home from school in the new build housing estate near my home.

I wonder if we will see a "War on Pedestrians" article in the Cardiff/Wales press tomorrow. No - me neither.

Which location? I’m assuming you’re talking about J18a.

That's the one. Haven't heard much about it in the last couple of years though. Not sure if it's still going ahead?

Yeah, "war on the motorist" is a good thing right?

I can sort of see what they’re trying to do, but it’s just going to divert the horrendous traffic (it’s not improved in the last 10 years, has it? No, thought not!) into another area and/or make the traffic on the main route into Bristol centre worse.

What's the alternative? The idea that we can continue with car centric policies, with a rapidly increasing number of vehicles, and not see increases in congestion, is a fantasy.

There might be an increase in the short term, but the only solution in the long term is by making alternatives forms of travel safer and easier.

Your freedom to drive wherever you want is at the expense of my freedom to walk or cycle in safety, or to take public transport, or to breathe air that isn't full of particulates and NOx.

It really is a war on cyclists and pedestrians.

So, yeah. It might make the A420 even worse on the way into town.

Is that actually possible? I managed to get to London quicker once than it often takes to get into Bristol centre from Chippenham on the ‘420.

Then there’s parking once there…

Before suggesting catching a train, I’m usually only in Bristol for a gig in the evening. Gigs usually finish a bit before 23.00, the last train out of Bristol east is 23.05 during the week, 23.56 at the weekend. It’s at least half an hour walk back from most venues, and few gigs on a Saturday.

Not much incentive to use public transport, and it’s compounded by the fact that of the two of us traveling, one lives several miles away from the other, which requires one to drive to pick up the other. So it’s the A420, then…

I found when they decided to do the weird one system in Kingswood my formerly quiet street ended up a right rat run.

I think they need to try something,thou, the obsession with car trumping everything is bonkers,there some great plans of what they wanted to do in Bristol in the 60’s a mad array of flyovers , just like mega city one 🙂

I found when they decided to do the weird one system in Kingswood my formerly quiet street ended up a right rat run.

I’ve said before that the answer to this is to get involved (even if it’s low level at first) with your local campaign group. The more people who are emailing their councillors/responding to consultations the more likely things are to change.

To use a quote I heard the other day “I said ’Somebody should do something about that.’ Then I realised I am somebody”

What’s the alternative? The idea that we can continue with car centric policies, with a rapidly increasing number of vehicles, and not see increases in congestion, is a fantasy.

There might be an increase in the short term, but the only solution in the long term is by making alternatives forms of travel safer and easier

In the end they need to get people out of cars - Bristol traffic is the worst in the south outside London I believe - I worked as a delivery driver for a year there so know the traffic well! - but that's a mammoth task. Bristol isn't particularly cycle friendly either, although there are lots of them - it's bloody hilly and there's not much room, anywhere really. Oh and there's a lot of cars to deal with/get hit by... I used to ride a fixed gear bike when I lived on the outskirts in Bradley Stoke (Sadly Broke) and later on in Totterdown, and caught the bus into work but traffic has been an issue there for years.

They need a bigger change than just rerouting some traffic, although from Doris5000cs post I can see why it's needed urgently.

I ordered a Porsche Cayenne this morning so I’m waging war against myself.

I lived in Bristol a few years back, and a friend used to live just off summerhill road – I can sort of see what they’re trying to do, but it’s just going to divert the horrendous traffic (it’s not improved in the last 10 years, has it? No, thought not!

I went to summer hill school as a lad, tbh It was always busy, but there were way less cars on all the local streets in the 70’s by the 80’s they were heaving with cars and it’s all a bit tight for doing anything.

I think the great irony is that in the 1870s there were a lot of electric trams in use and tbh that’s what you really need,super cheap efficient transport that makes more sense than threading a wnkpanzer down a tight st.

But look how long it takes and how much it costs to get trams back in, compared with eg. France.

Though what every town needs is a schwebebahn.

I ordered a Porsche Cayenne this morning so I’m waging war against myself

Best stay away from the SUV thread 😉

Which one you getting ?