Delivery Difficulties

Helen Godwin's new West of England Transport Vision is myopic when it comes to seeing the problem of trying to get round Bristol on a bicycle. This, so called, vision focuses entirely on personal mobility and has absolutely nothing to say about the impact of the delivery of goods and services. A walk round most parts of Bristol will reveal the negative impact that delivery vehicles have on out transport infrastructure, from damaged pavements to blocked cycle routes as well as adding to air pollution, road danger and congestion.

While a small number of cargo cycle firms operate in Bristol, the vast majority of goods are still delivered by vans, lorries and motorbikes.

Most of the drivers see nothing wrong with obstructing cycle routes in the course of their work, even drivers who work for companies which also use quad-cycles in the city like Priority Express. 

 

 

Then there are firms like dpd who's electric vans are just as environmentally unfriendly when it comes to blocking cycle lanes.  

 

 

 

Local firms like Ruby and White also see nothing wrong with using a clearly marked contraflow cycle lane on Colston Street to park their van.

 

 

 

In this case it is especially dangerous as it forces people cycling uphill out into the path of oncoming traffic. 

 

 

 

While this example in Corn Street does not have the same level of oncoming traffic, it is yet another example of a delivery vehicle blocking a contraflow cycle lane.

 

 

 

Then there is the failure of plastic wands/bollards to provide any deterrent.

 

Any gap in the bollards is considered a legitimate parking space by delivery drivers, even if it means blocking a vehicle entrance as these two examples in Park Row illustrate. 

Delivery vehicles are a major issue in this city and Helen Godwin has ignored the negative impact they have on cycling in Bristol.

 

Scaffolding holding up cyclists at Bell Avenue

 If you are cycling between the Redcliffe Bascule Bridge and Queens Square on the cycle tracks you will find your route is currently blocked by scaffolding works at Bell Avenue.

 The main shared cycle track has been completely blocked off, meaning you have to cycle round on the footpath to the south.

 

The route may partially reopen once the scaffolding has been completed, but meantime the contractors are using the cycle track as a lorry park, at least while they eat their lunch.

 

Like most UK cities, the place almost seems to be held up by scaffolding as the fallout from dreadful building standards continues, so expect more obstructions. 

Update:

By the afternoon the scaffolders had finished and the route has partially reopened.

 

Bristol's Shortest Segregated Cycle Track?

 At the junction between Kensington Park and Stapleton Road in Easton lies what is perhaps Bristol's shortest segregated cycle route. It must be all of 3 metres long and includes a textured pavement section. It's function is to signify that contraflow cycling is allowed into, what is otherwise, a one way street.

However, when there is so much illegal parking in the area there is no hope of getting out of the far end without scratching the obstructing vehicle...

 

Bristol Cycle Diary

Issue 1 of the Bristol Cycle Diary is out now. 

This project was inspired by the way the old Bristol Cycle Festival worked by building a diary of events that were already happening. The difference is that while the festival diary came out once a year the aim is to make this a monthly diary. 

The design takes its inspiration from zine culture and the old Bristol Cycling Campaign newsletters of the 1990s. It takes its approach from the Bristol Causes Combined weekly Community and Activism Calendar.

While paper copies will appear around the city centre and there is also a web diary.

Anyone wanting the paper version to distribute can download and print their own copies. 

 

GCN "War of the Road Blocks"

This month has seen the Labour Party blocking the traffic restrictions on Park Street in a move which seemed to be entirely a case of petty party politics, not least because the plan was originally created by the previous Labour administration.

For those of us who have been campaigning for over 30 years for the traffic to be removed from Park Street this was a bitter disappointment. Park Street was the focus of the first Bristol Reclaim the Streets demo in October 1995. 

 

The event was instigated by members of Bristol Cycling Campaign and attracted around 300 people. Park Street was chosen because of the way this beautiful thoroughfare is entirely ruined by motor vehicles, both aesthetically and environmentally. 

The media and politicians have branded the closure of Park Street to through traffic "controversial" and have turned the scheme into a political point-scoring contest. It seems that the WECA Mayor and Bristol Labour Councillors are under instructions to oppose anything that might prove popular in Bristol because the Green Party are now the largest party.

At the centre of this and other transport schemes is Councillor Ed Plowden, Chair of Bristol City Council's Transport Committee and he is featured in an excellent new video by GCN which looks at the way people perceive measures to improve our city streets. It shows how people will campaign against change, even though they are happy with the result of previous schemes of a similar nature in their area.

It is a really good video and well worth watching all the way to the end for the somewhat surprising conclusions. 

It is such a shame that the mainstream media does not give these schemes such intelligent and in-depth coverage. As the title of the video notes:

This Is The Real Reason We Can't Have The Cities We Dream Of

January Critical Mass

January's ride was very different in nature as it became a solidarity ride for Alan Hydes, who died after being hit by a car as he was cycling along North Street earlier in the month.

It was also the day when the M5 was closed because of a "Police Incident"  resulted in traffic chaos, not helped by a home match at Ashton Gate between Bristol City and Derby County.

The beginning of the ride was visited by a local ITV news crew, 

resulting in live coverage in the 6pm West Country News programme.

 

 There were 13 on the ride which somehow seemed fitting.

The ride started out towards the library,

then back round onto The Centre and onto Baldwin Street where the motorbikes started weaving round us.

Then round The Horsefair on Broadmead which was very quiet and the Xmas lights were a distant memory. 

After returning to The Centre via Castle Park, 

the ride ventured out along Anchor Road. 

Here we met the residue of the traffic congestion, sailing past the cars along the bus lane.

Turning left towards Merchants Road we held formation against some aggressive driving 

and weaved our way round the cycle track and crossed the river on the old Ashton railway bridge where the crowds heading to Ashton Court became evident.

It was then out onto North Street.

The ride stopped at the location of the crash and held the traffic for a couple of minutes to pay respects to a fellow cyclist.

The ride then continued along East Street

crossing the river and left onto Commercial Road 

before finishing at The Ostrich in Bathurst Basin.

Despite the rain and the poor road conditions it was a good ride and there was general agreement that now is the time to grow the numbers taking part. So join the Facebook Group and come along to Critical Mass on the last Friday of every month.

 

December Critical Mass

Five bicycles, three skaters and my Brox Compact was a rather small group for the last critical mass of the year. Let's hope we can build the ride back to the sort of numbers we had in the 1990s when we founded the ride in Bristol.

There was one loud trailer sound system playing punk versions of christmas songs and a variety of coloured lights. Unlike the traffic jam last month, the ride through Broadmead was unhindered by cars and was enjoyed by many of the shoppers.

 

After a diversion through Castle Park and across the bridge to the Left Handed Giant we pedaled back over Bristol Bridge,

 

and finished in Queens Square with mince pies and mulled wine.

 

So, I'm aiming to rebuild the Brox sound system in the new year and increase the numbers on critical mass and other rides through my Bristol Cycle Diary project. 

I hope to see you on the rides in 2026.