Despite 127 objections, when Cumberland Road is fully restored, only buses, taxis and cycles will be able to travel along it into the city. There will be a Bus Gate on Cumberland Road situated east of its junction with Gas Ferry Road. John Smith (Interim Executive Director: Growth & Regeneration) has told us: ‘After careful consideration I decided to proceed with making the Orders as advertised.’
The objections included:
- The M2 MetroBus does not run frequent enough and is never full and therefore does not
require a bus gate to the detriment of the many other road users. - Residents, businesses and blue badge holders should be exempt.
- It will force local residents and other motorists to increase the distances travelled by car
around the city, through already congested areas, increasing car mileage, traffic volumes and
emissions/air quality. In particular on Coronation Road, which is already heavily trafficked
compared with Cumberland Road.
John Smith’s reasons for the Bus Gate are somewhat general in nature: ‘In making this decision I considered that the scheme would achieve elements of the wider transport policy aspirations of the City Council’s overall transport strategy, as set out in the Joint Local Transport Plan 2020-2036.’
Bristol Civic Society’s Transport and Place-Making group considers that ‘the strategic case for restricting private vehicles here is not overwhelming; and the evidence that air pollution will improve as a result of the proposed scheme is not clear.’