On Bristol’s Church Road, in the east of the city, cars, buses and lorries rumble past African-Caribbean hairstylists, eastern European bakeries, and cafes and restaurants selling a selection of Middle Eastern, Somali and Jamaican cuisine. Women talk on phones tucked into their hijabs, while a halal butcher takes a delivery of freshly cut beef.
Behind the high street bustle, however, tensions are growing about a delayed trial for a “livable neighbourhood” – a low-traffic initiative intended to provide “an opportunity to work with local communities to co-design residential streets that are better balanced for all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists”, according to Bristol councillor Don Alexander, who is responsible for transport in the city.
Low-traffic schemes have proved increasingly controversial across the UK, with Bristol no exception. In Jesmond, Newcastle, the council conducted an internal review after opposition to its introduction of a low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN), while Oxfordshire county council has said its decision to introduce an LTN has created divisions.
The recent byelection in Uxbridge and South Ruislip was seen by many as a referendum on the ultra low- emission zone (Ulez) introduced by London’s Labour mayor, Sadiq Khan.
Anti-Ulez protests have even found their way to Bristol, despite the policy not affecting the city. A recent public meeting on livable neighbourhoods was organised with the help of London-based anti-Ulez group the Together Declaration. Speaking to a Bristol audience, co-founder Alan Miller encouraged attenders to pose with “No 2 Ulez” signs.
It was a stunt that troubled documentary film-maker Alex Blogg, who has lived in east Bristol for eight years. “Ulez is a London issue,” he said. “People in Bristol are talking about their lives and livelihoods. It’s not appropriate for this neighbourhood.”
Blogg, who described himself as “pro-livable neighbourhoods, with caveats”, is excited for “new opportunities for more cycling and walking, as well as … spaces such as pocket parks, benches, more green”.
“I cycle around the area with my toddler son,” he said. “There are roads where you can feel the pressure from cars behind you when you are on the bike.”
Local media reports inaccurately claimed that a second trial of a livable neighbourhood in south Bristol had been paused, with Alexander confirming to the Observer that this was not the case.
“It was always intended that the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood scheme would be a pilot to inform future schemes,” he said.
The city’s Labour mayor, Marvin Rees, had recently said the council “will focus on this trial before moving on to a second one”.
Beyond east Bristol, and in Whitehall, there is a growing political backlash…
2023-07-30 02:00:03
Article from www.theguardian.com