Park Street's bus gate roadworks to start in October

Work to ban cars from driving through Park Street in Bristol is set to start in October.

The £15.5m revamp will see a bus gate installed at the top of the road, new cycle paths added and its pavements widened.

Cars will still be able to access the busy shopping street, but only by using side roads.

A group of traders have set up a campaign opposing the plans, which Bristol City Council says will ease congestion and improve air quality.

Speaking at a council meeting on 11 March, cafe owner Michael Potts claimed "most Bristolians" oppose the changes.

Mr Potts, who owns Mrs Potts Chocolate House, said: "Evidence suggests that removing traffic from the high street will have a devastating consequence.

"We believe that the money can be better spent for a number of things the council has cut the funds for."

According to the proposal, parking spaces will be removed and cafes will get more space for outdoor tables.

Chairman of the council's transport policy committee Ed Plowden said the changes would boost the economy, partly as wider pavements could lead to greater footfall.

He also claimed the changes will lead to 400 extra jobs, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Councillor Plowden compared the plans to when traffic was removed from Broadmead and Queen Square many years ago.

"When Broadmead was pedestrianised, turnover went up by 17% in one year," he said.

"Queen Square used to have 20,000 cars a day.

"There was an outcry about how this was going to ruin the city.

"But actually I don't think many people would want to put it back. It's people that visit shops, not cars."

According to council figures 53% of people commuted by car in 2019. But the council says that figure needs to drop to 43% by 2036 just to keep traffic at its current level due to population growth.

First Bus, which runs services across the city, has said many of its routes which use Park Street often encounter delays due to congestion.

"We're seeing congestion costing our bus services more and more," Mr Plowden added.

"It's really important that we get on top of congestion, which is costing our economy.

"One of the best ways of doing that is encouraging people to get onto the bus."

The council's transport committee will discuss the proposals on 20 March. The authority said it hoped to hold a consultation this summer and finish the project by March 2027.

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