Everything we know about Bristol's travel changes

Huge changes are planned to Bristol's road network to prepare for 5,000 more people living and travelling around the centre in the coming years.

Bristol City Council says only 1,400 people currently live in Broadmead but plans are under way for 2,500 more homes across Broadmead, Castle Park and the city centre.

On top of this, there will be new student and co-living accommodation, offices and shops in the centre.

To make room for the population rise, the council wants to improve how people move around the city by bike and on buses.

Cycling would be prioritised with new cycle lanes, while new bus lanes would also be added and some existing bus services re-routed.

The proposals would, the council says, tackle air pollution and enable people to switch from car journeys to other options such as walking or public transport.

No final decision has been made on the project.

A Bristol City Council spokesperson said a statutory consultation on the traffic regulation orders could be held in summer 2025.

Construction would then start in phases towards the end of 2025, with completion pencilled in for early 2027.

Here's everything we know so far.

A new north to south bus route would be created, running from the south west to the north east of the city via the centre.

Buses would be given greater priority between the south west - around Ashton Vale and Bower Ashton - to the city centre.

In the city centre, Commercial Road to Newfoundland Circus via Redcliffe Hill, Redcliffe Street, Bristol Bridge, Union Street and The Haymarket would be better served by bus.

The project aims to give buses more priority and faster journey times for the new service with new bus lanes, bus gates, and new bus-only junctions.

A new two-way bus-only route would be created in Union Street, the plans show.

The council also wants new stops and bus priority measures on the M32 from the city centre to the north east.

It says the bus service could start and end at a new park and ride on the M32, or other destinations such as UWE's Frenchay campus or Emersons Green.

In Broadmead, a number of buses would be re-routed so more of the area can be pedestrianised.

These include services travelling east to west between Nelson Street and Old Market, along The Horsefair.

As part of the redevelopment of The Galleries shopping centre - which includes 450 homes and new retail - Fairfax Street is going to be made wider and brighter.

Meanwhile, buses which wait in the Broadmead area to Temple Way would be relocated away from busy pedestrian areas.

There would be 2.17 miles (3.5km) of new segregated cycle tracks in and around the city centre.

These would be built in areas including Broadmead, Bedminster Bridges, Redcliffe Roundabout, Temple Way and Bond Street.

The new tracks would connect existing and proposed sections of the cycle network, and separate cyclists from pedestrians and cars.

The road layouts of Bedminster Bridges, Redcliffe Roundabout, Bond Street and Temple Way would also change to improve the cycle network and bus priority.

Changes at Bedminster Bridges would see the roundabout effectively removed and each bridge becoming two-way.

One bridge would be for buses only and the other for general traffic. Buses and cyclists would be able to use separate, segregated lanes too.

On Redcliffe roundabout, a new park would be created around the bus gates on Redcliffe Street.

A new 20mph speed limit would be brought in along Redcliffe Way and the roundabout, and new bus gates in both directions on Redcliffe Street next to Portwall Lane would be introduced.

As part of the project, the roads between St James Barton Roundabout (known as The Bearpit) and the M32 would change.

An outbound bus lane on Bond Street would be created, replacing an on-road cycle lane.

The cycle lane would be replaced with a two-way cycle route through quieter streets running parallel to Bond Street.

On Portland Square, eight parking spaces would be lost for a new two-way cycle lane. A council parking survey found the bays were never more than 42 per cent full.

The new lane, the council says, would provide a safer route from the city centre to Concorde Way, connecting Filton and Stoke Gifford to the city centre.

A series of changes would also be made to Temple Way between The Friary junction and Bristol Temple Meads railway station, including adding a new bus lane and creating more space for two-way cycle lanes.

More than 2,000 people were surveyed in summer 2024, as well as more than 5,000 individual responses submitted, for their views on the proposals.

According to the survey results, no more than 35% disagree with changes in each area, and agreement ranges from 50% to 63%.

In particular, 66% support a new crossing at Temple Way and 60% agree with new walking and cycling routes over Bedminster Bridges.

However, residents with disabilities were the one group where responses were "significantly different to the average response".

Among them, agreement was as low as 34% while disagreement ranged from 38% to 56%.

The council said it would use the feedback to help develop the project.

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