Anger at plan to remove bike path and trees to prevent flooding
PLANS to solve the problem of flooding on Whiteladies Road in Clifton by removing cycle lanes have been branded “crazy” by cyclists in Bristol.
Bristol City Council has revealed what its solution is to the ongoing problem of flash flooding on a stretch of the road near the BBC headquarters – and has opened up a consultation on its plans.
But proposals involve removing the cycle lane on what is the main A4018 road into the city centre from north west Bristol, and that hasn’t gone down well with cycling groups or tree supporters.
The section at the bottom of Whiteladies Road from Tyndall Park Avenue to the Victoria Rooms has flooded many times over the past few years.
The council’s plans involve creating soft grass verges to soak up the rain, adding a drainage channel, widening the footpaths on both sides of the road and replacing the pavements with block paving, which has better drainage.
The road would still be one lane each way for traffic, but widening the pavement and creating grass verges would mean the cycle lanes on either side of the road would have to go, the council said.
“Our streets are for everyone, and this part of Whiteladies Road clearly needs to be rethought,” said
transport chief, Cllr Don Alexander (Lab, Avonmouth).
“It is always a last resort to propose taking out cycle lanes, but the lack of space in this area means we need to consider it.
“A wider pavement would allow us to resolve the problems with flooding, while making the footpath safer and more accessible.
“I encourage everyone to take a look at the proposals and let us know your thoughts, to make sure we get the right solution.”
But Vassili Papastavrou, the secretary of the Bristol Tree Forum and a cyclist, said the proposals
would put bike riders in danger, and there was nothing in the consultation documents or plans to show the council had considered the impact on them or even knew how many people use the cycle lanes every day.
“This is a fact-free exercise – there is no information on the number of cyclists per day,” he said.
“The consultation is very poor as no alternatives are considered such as a raised porous protected cycle lane built over the tree roots.
“Cyclists would have to compete with traffic on the narrowed carriageway. Injuries or deaths are
likely and those proposing this crazy scheme need to own that.”
A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “We do try wherever possible to avoid the removal of the cycle lanes and have investigated pushing back the walls of properties to provide more width, but this is not an option as these are privately owned.
“We are proposing to install some greenery, e-scooter and cycle parking along the new widened footpath.
“The advanced stop lines for cyclists will be retained at the traffic signals.”