Whitchurch Way 2 - Brock's Bridge to Bloomfield Road

This section is a continuation from Whitchurch Way 1 - Bedminster Bridge to Brock's Bridge   

Looking at Brock's Bridge, the route is to the left, where this scooter is emerging.

Past the information board,

and down towards the river.

Here the view opens out and you can see the original course of the river. The information board tells us that the starting point of this part of the route is the site of the dam across the river Avon as part of the works that created the floating harbour.

The next structure along the route is St Philips Footbridge  which is blocked off on the opposite side of the river. The bridge was designed to allow access to the planned Bristol Arena, however, the Arena project was scrapped by Marvin Rees in September 2018 wasting over £3 million.

The following structure is a railway bridge and there are bollards in the route at this point.

There is also an uneven patch of tarmac, 

and access to Victoria Street.

Further along, you can see how the power of the river is continuing to erode the banks.

Next is access to Albert Road.

Here the path starts to run behind industrial buildings.

Followed by a bridge under Totterdown Bridge.

 

Watch out for the large pothole here. 

The only access to the road here is via steps.

The path opens out on a concrete platform behind BBL Batteries. From here you can see the yellow shape of Sparke Evans Park Bridge which is in the process of being refurbished.

 

 

As a result the path through the park is diverted round the outside of the park, to the left in this image.

 

You can see the path on the left in this image and the fencing leading to the bridge on the right. 

 

 

Going out of the par the path passes under the St Philips Causeway bridge. At this junction take the right hand fork to avoid the steps.

However, the path then goes over steeply projecting tree routes, 

 before sloping steeply up towards a sharp 180 degree bend.

 At the top of the slope the route hits a barrier which blocks the path for anything other than a standard bicycle.

Turning sharp left, the route goes over the bridge. At the entry to the bridge, the barrier protecting the path and footbridge and cycle path has been punched into the cycle path by a motor vehicle. This is a chilling reminder of the damage that motorists can do to pedestrian and cycling infrastructure and endanger lives. 

After the bridge there is a new light controlled crossing.

which leads onto the path besides the Bloomfield Road Link. This is on the route of a former railway line which passes the Sainsbury's site on the right. It ran along here on an embankment which can be clearly seen in this 1931 photograph. 

At the end of the road you can see the fence following the bank of the disused railway embankment. Here Bloomfield Road is bollarded to restrict motor vehicle access. However, I saw a motorbike being ridden illegally over the pavement and through the road closure.

 

 

From here there are two possible routes. The route south tries to follow the route of the old railway. 

 

This is to be followed as Whitchurch Way 3a - the missing link.

Meantime the official Whitchurch Way route turns right and into the path of the motor vehicles along Bloomfield Road. On the left is the grate 2 listed Brislington Transport Depot.

This is to be continued in Whitchurch Way 3 - Bloomfield Road to Callington Road.

 

Whitchurch Way 1 - Bedminster Bridge to Brock's Bridge

According to the Bristol cycle map the Whitchurch Way begins alongside Clarence Road at Bedminster Bridge making a junction with the Filwood Greenway. However, the signpost by the road crossing is not marked with the Whitchurch Way. 

The start is a dedicated cycle track, grade separated from the pavement.

It runs past the recently reopened Banana Bridge, where there is another light controlled crossing.

As you get close to the Bath Bridge roundabout the segregation comes to an end and it is best to join the shared pavement rather than join the road.

At the roundabout the signs are marked with the Whitchurch Way.

The crossing here is a three stage process, via the roundabout island, and takes a couple of minutes.

The final stage crosses the end of Temple Gate and on to the pavement alongside the currently closed Cattle Market Road. At this point the Whitchurch Way is joined by NCN route 3.

After a few metres the cycleway becomes segregated from the pavement, heading under the end of Temple Meads Station.

Once out of the tunnel the cycle track has been deliberately blocked. 

It would seam that the construction company regards cyclists as a hazard to their workforce.

After that the cycle track becomes a construction site and you are forced onto the road.

There is no signage at this point. The continuation of the route is not at all obvious.

The next section of the route is entered to the left of the bright blue  Brock's Bridge 

The continuation along the river is covered in Whitchurch Way 2 - Brock's Bridge to Bloomfield Road.

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...