Bristol City Council stuck in robotic response mode
Helen - Feb 19, 2025
For two years now, persistent voices (in particular from communities struggling to get by economically), have been telling Bristol City Council how the East Bristol ‘Liveable Neighbourhood’ scheme will negatively impact them and the city.
Here is a reminder of just a few of their manifold objections:
after the closure of just one road to through traffic, motor vehicle journey times have become much longer, leading to more stress and increased pollution and risk of accidents
more traffic will be pushed onto already busy residential roads and shopping streets
so-called pocket parks will become yet more places for activities such as drug dealing
women will have to walk back to their houses at night on quieter streets that will therefore be less safe
larger vehicles – including emergency vehicles, rubbish trucks, trade vans and mini-buses – will no longer have easy access and will suffer delays or in some cases simply be unable to reach their destination
bus journeys will take much longer with cars being funnelled onto bus route roads.
Bristol is a difficult city for many people to cycle or walk long distances in because of the hills and often wet and windy weather
parents need to get their children to school before going to work and, owing to the lack of places in local schools in the EBLN area, must often travel considerable distances. Closing off roads to through-traffic will make these journeys even longer and more stressful
the bus routes and timetables are inadequate and bus fares too expensive (the fare cap has recently risen from £2 to £2.40, while single fares in London remain at £1.75) to provide a realistic alternative to driving for many people. Funding for buses is bizarrely completely separate from the funding for this scheme
Further, the consultation process was not fit for purpose, claiming to be 'co-designing' with the community but failing to reach the greater part of residents and businesses in the area concerned - despite the Council’s insistence that all addresses received multiple letters. The current outraged response to the implementation and determined attempts to block it adequately demonstrate this.
The Council claims the fact that only 4.4% of local residents responded to the TRO consultation at the beginning of 2024 is proof that most people are quite happy to see the scheme implemented. This is audaciously illogical reasoning and denies any responsibility on their part to properly inform the very people who would be most affected.
Now the implementation has begun it is clear from the vast amount of evidence being collected on the Stop the EBLN Facebook group that many of the above concerns were completely justified.
The only response the Council is able to give to this is to repeat slight variations on the following written answer Helen Armstrong of East Bristol received to the question (number 31) she put to the Transport and Connectivity Committee meeting on 5th December 2024:
‘The project has engaged with the community since January 2022 to develop proposals for Bristol’s first Liveable Neighbourhood scheme. This process involved multiple stages of engagement to shape the scheme before formal consultation on the proposed trial scheme.
The decision to proceed with a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) is based on objective criteria such as safety, traffic flow, environmental impact, and legal compliance. Personal preferences or general dislike of a scheme proposal is not a sufficient reason to prevent the progression of a TRO.
The decision to proceed with the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood (EBLN) TROs is based on a thorough evaluation of its potential benefits and impacts, rather than the number of objections or general sentiment against it.
The scheme is being installed and is due to be complete in early January 2025. The Council will monitor the scheme for six months before re-engaging with the community to understand what changes may be required for a permanent scheme.’
In other words, ‘We really don’t care what you think, need or how much you suffer: we have made this decision and nothing anyone can say will change our minds. We will only engage with the community on our own terms.’
A healthy community and wise leaders need to be able to give and accept feedback. This is essential for any living system that wishes to thrive and not cycle into entropy. Bristol City Council’s paternalistic approach and complete refusal to accept and respond to the feedback of the hundreds of complaints, objections, concerns and criticisms of this scheme shows an utter disregard for what it means to thrive and therefore for the well-being – the health and happiness – of the people who live and work in this city.
One has to wonder what is making this obstinate stance on behalf of the Council worth it.
At least it has achieved one thing: East Bristol’s residents are indeed starting to get to know one another better. Not because they can finally cross their streets to meet their neighbours on the other side without being run down on the way, or sit down with them on the street to have a coffee. But because so many have come together in solidarity and outrage at what the Council is doing to them.
