Everything about Transport In Bristol totally explained
Bristol is a city in south west
England, situated near the
Bristol Channel coast, approximately 115 miles (185 km) west of
London. Several factors have influenced the development of its transport network. It is a major centre of employment, retail, culture and higher education, has many historic areas, and has a history of maritime industry. The city has a population of 400,000, with a
metropolitan area of 550,000, and lies at the centre of the former
County of Avon, which includes many
dormitory towns, and has a population of one million. Additionally, it has the seventh highest population density of any English district.
National and international connections
The city is also served by its own airport,
Bristol International (BRS), at Lulsgate, which has seen substantial improvements to its runway, terminal and other facilities. The airport offers services to major European destinations, and
Newark Airport near
New York City.
The city is connected by road on an east-west axis from London to
Wales by the
M4 motorway, and on a north-southwest axis from
Birmingham to
Exeter by the
M5 motorway. Also within the county is the
M49 motorway, a shortcut between the M5 in the south and M4
Severn Crossing in the west.
There are two principal railway stations in Bristol they're
Bristol Parkway and
Bristol Temple Meads. There are also scheduled coach links to most major UK cities.
Public transport
Public transport within the city is still largely
bus-based. The majority of the local bus service is operated by
First Group. The central part of the city also has water-based routes, operated as the
Bristol Ferry Boat, which provide both leisure and commuter services on the harbour. Bristol has over 50 bus and coach services operating in the city, providing links not just around the city but also rail links, park and rides and links to other major UK cities. The majority of the local bus services are operated by
First Group.
Bristol has never been well served by suburban railways, though the
Severn Beach Line to
Avonmouth and
Severn Beach survived the
Beeching Axe and is still in operation today; In 2006 funding was secured to improve the frequency of services on this line from late 2007. The
Portishead Railway was closed in the Beeching Axe but was relaid between 2000-2002 as far as the
Royal Portbury Dock with a
Strategic Rail Authority rail-freight grant. Plans to relay a further three miles of track to Portishead, a largely
dormitory town with only one connecting road, have been discussed but there's insufficient funding to rebuild stations.
The Bristol Ferry Boat operates passenger ferry boat services on Bristol Harbour in the centre of Bristol. Services are operated both for the leisure market and for commuters to and from both the city centre and Bristol Temple Meads railway station, and serve 15 landing stages throughout the length of the harbour. Services are provided by a fleet of historic, yellow painted ferry boats.
Local road network
The
A4174 "Avon ring road" serves as a relief road for parts of the northern, eastern, and southern suburbs of the city. During 2006 plans have been considered to extend the existing A4174 ring road to improve transport links in the south.
Bristol city centre was, until the 1990s, surrounded by a
ring road. This has since been partially dismantled, but major routes still converge on the city centre. Radiating from this are several major arterial roads. The
M32 motorway, constructed in the late 1960s, runs north from the centre to the M4, and is the busiest route. The
A4 runs east to
Keynsham and
Bath, and west through the
Avon Gorge to the M5 at
Avonmouth. The northern suburbs are served by the
A4018 and
A38 "Gloucester Road", the east by the
A420,
A431 and
A432 and the south by the
A37 and A38. Several other commuter towns also lie on major routes radiating from the city, including
Weston-super-Mare on the
A370 and
Portishead on the
A369.
Cycling
Despite being hilly, Bristol is one of the prominent cycling cities of England. Bristol is home to the national cycle campaigning group
Sustrans. It has a number of urban cycle routes, as well as links to
National Cycle Network routes to Bath and London, to Gloucester and Wales, and to the south-western peninsula of England. 4.6% of journeys to work are by bicycle. Between 1991 and 2001 Bristol had the third highest increase in bicycle use of any UK council area, at 1.64%. Following the 2001 Local Transport Plan cycling increased even more rapidly, with a 21% increase in journeys.
Motorcycles
Bristol is a
motorcycle friendly city. The city council recognises that motorcycle use eases congestion as motorcycles take up less space both on the road and when parked. Its motorcycling policy includes the following:
- Motorcycles have been allowed to use most of the bus lanes in the city since 1996. Bristol was one of the first cities in the United Kingdom to permit bus lane use, following a campaign by the local branch of the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG). Motorcycles are also permitted to use the high-occupancy vehicle lane (HOV) on the A370 Long Ashton bypass and the HOV lane on the A4174 ring road.
- Free motorcycle specific parking areas are provided across the city, which are fitted with ground anchors so that motorcycles can be locked. A map is published by the city council showing these and other areas where motorcycles can be parked for free.
- The local Safety Camera Partnership uses money from speeding fines to fund motorcycle safety courses for riders from Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
Current problems
The rate of traffic increase in the Greater Bristol area has been up to three times the national average, and during peak time 50% of motorway traffic is local. while the 2006 Local Transport Plan describes public transport in Bristol as unattractive and expensive. In 2005 the company was fined £96,250 for delays, and nearly lost a sixth of its vehicle licenses due to poor maintenance.
In addition to problems with local public transport, the main local rail franchise,
First Great Western, has a poor record of punctuality, with only 71% of trains reaching their destinations on time. In January 2007 and January 2008, fare strikes were organised, during which fake tickets were issued to passengers during morning commutes.
Future developments
Since 2000 the city council has included a
light rail system in its
Local Transport Plan, but has so far been unable to fund the project. The city was offered
European Union funding for the system, but the
Department for Transport didn't provide the required additional funding.
As well as improvements to public transport, the 2005 Greater Bristol Strategic Transport Study, commissioned by the
regional government office, recommended road building to tackle congestion. These include re-routing and extended the South Bristol Ring Road. The road is currently partially single carriageway and indirect, terminating at the A38 in a built-up area. When the current sections of the road were built it was intended that the road would continue as dual carriageway to a section of the A38 further south, and development prevented on the intended route. The proposals follow this route west from
Hengrove Park roundabout to the A38 at Castle Farm (phase 1), and from there to the A370 near Long Ashton Park and Ride (phase 2). There are additional recommendations (phase 3) for a new
Whitchurch bypass from Hengrove Park roundabout, along the base of
Dundry Hill, around
Stockwood and joining the existing A4174 at Hicks Gate roundabout on the A4. Phase one and two of the ring road are the only major road building schemes adopted by the Joint Local Transport Plan, which claimed they'd reduce delays across the Greater Bristol area by 6%, and lead to a 9% increase in public transport use. Bristol City Council has since endorsed all three phases, hoping to begin construction of the first two phases in 2010 and 2011, and the third phase potentially some time after 2016.
| Mode of transport |
Bristol % |
National % |
|
55.20 |
61.78 |
|
12.78 |
9.68 |
|
11.08 |
4.72 |
|
6.35 |
6.77 |
|
4.12 |
2.52 |
|
1.67 |
1.06 |
|
0.76 |
3.12 |
|
0.25 |
0.36 |
|
0.31 |
0.49 |
|
7.40 |
9.48 |
Further Information
Get more info on 'Transport In Bristol'.
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