Trial East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood scheme divides opinion among residents
ITV News' Caron Bell spoke to residents in East Bristol
A £6million scheme to restrict traffic in parts of East Bristol is causing anger among some residents, who say it will make life unnecessarily difficult.
The East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood comes into force in September and aims to make it easier for people to walk and cycle from A to B and reduce 'rat-running' and speeding.
David Jones lives on Avonvale Road in Redfield - a busy cut-through which will soon be closed to cars. He says the scheme will improve quality of life in the area.
He said: “It’s not just that I want to have a good night’s sleep - because it’s too loud I can’t open my windows.
"And it’s not just that I don’t want to see a big car jam outside my house.
"But it would be nice if I could go over the road and talk to my neighbours a bit more, because I don’t hang out with that side.
"I only hang out with this side. It would be nice if we could sit out on the street and have a coffee and have some kids playing out here.
"I don’t see why we can’t live in places where we enjoy the street we live on, rather than having people driving fast through it.”
Over on Victoria Avenue, Susan Hughes disagreed.
She is disabled and relies on her car, and argues that "liveable neighbourhoods" are not liveable for disabled people who can't walk and cycle.
She said: “This is generally a fairly nice neighbourhood anyway. It’s not full of pollution, and you don’t get much trouble here.
"Yeah some trees and things would be nice, but not at the expense of people’s mobility."
Other disabled residents also expressed concerns about accessibility.
In some instances, narrow streets will be the only way in and out of large residential areas.
Other people worry about day-to-day inconvenience.
Fadumo Farah lives in Barton House, a high-rise block of flats in Barton Hill. The road past the block will become one-way.
Fadumo says it make life difficult for residents transporting school-age children, and carers driving to multiple patients: “Closing off these roads will affect this community’s income, it will affect single mums, it will affect health and social care workers.
"And they need to support people. But right now, if they do that, it will affect a lot of people."
Bristol City Council told ITV News that all through-routes will be fully accessible and that where similar schemes have been introduced elsewhere, they have gained local support.
Deputy council leader Heather Mack said: "These schemes exist across the country and once they’re in place, 85% of people who live in or near one support them continuing.
"I think it is one of those things - it is a change, you’ve got to adapt to the change, but once you’ve worked out how to adapt to it, it really makes better access to good, green space outside your house and it’s safer to travel around."
The East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood comes into force this September, for a six-month trial.
The council says it will take feedback and make any necessary changes.