Bristol bus lane plan given £3.4m boost despite doubts

A bus lane could be built on a busy route in Bristol after £3.4m was secured to pay for the project.

The traffic plan for the A4018 also includes the creation of a segregated cycle path and a new bus stop.

A previous version of the plan - which was on a longer stretch of the road - prompted thousands of objections.

Bristol Cycling Campaign said it would be a "welcome improvement" but some local councillors are not happy with the proposal.

Bristol City Council - which secured the regional funding from the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) - has not commented.

Original proposals to improve traffic along the road sparked controversy and were scaled back by the council last year following thousands of objections.

The local authority scrapped most of the plans, including banning vehicles turning off and on the A4018 at a number of junctions along the three-mile stretch of road.

But the latest proposals focus on a section close to the Crow Lane roundabout. A consultation on the plans are under way.

Local Conservative councillors Mark Weston and Chris Windows said, in a statement, they were unhappy with the scheme claiming "few cyclists" use the route.

However, chairman of Bristol Cycling Campaign Nick Davies said it would be a "welcome improvement".

"It is not just about people who cycle at present. It is about getting people who don't currently cycle interested, these are the key people.

"There is a climate emergency and we want more people to be cycling. In principle, it is a good idea."