View from Quay Street
The new visualisations show how a new people orientated, rather than traffic dominated, environment, could be created. The concept demonstrates the opportunity to create a series of linked public spaces, set within an attractive new green setting – more trees, and planting that would provide softening at ground level. It demonstrates that the Cenotaph, could sit within its own identifiable space without moving from its current location, whilst enjoying greater public access, through being at a point between new pedestrian crossing points.
The images also show the benefits to pedestrians, bus users, and cyclists, in having an environment that is more special to them, through being of a more human scale and, less interrupted by vehicular movement. Improvement of the quality of experience for the bus traveller is seen as crucial to attracting greater use of public transport, and having a high quality environment where people access buses is felt particularly important. It is also recognised that, in further enhancing the City’s most central of public spaces, it will become more attractive still to local people and visitors alike.’
Visualisation from Quay Street towards Colston Tower
City centre promenade - north section
Aerial visualisation of the Cenotaph
Remember – these are early visualisations and as with the rest of the City Centre layout debate, no decisions have been made. We’re trying something new with this debate of sharing early ideas and images with you in order to hear your ideas and develop a joint approach.
This discussion has now closed. Thank you for the useful comments and information you have provided. These will be used to inform the Major Scheme Business Case submission to the DfT we are currently preparing as part of the North Fringe to Hengrove Package which is due to be submitted in late March 2010.
This is not the end of our engagement process with the public and other stakeholders. As the project progresses, there will be many more opportunities to have your say on Bristol City Centre. Developing and regenerating Bristol City Centre, especially the Centre, can be an emotive issue and we need to make sure this is done in a considered manner. We look forward to engaging with you about this in the future.
The visualisations look wonderful and I admire the aspirations as well as inviting comment so early in the design phase.
I love the idea of having a more open area and although I understand the concerns that others have raised about allowing cyclists to whizz through, think it would be a shame to divide up the space and prefer the idea of a shared space environment where everyone learns to live together.
The other nagging concern I have is that it’s difficult enough to drive around the city (much as my preference is usually to walk or occasionally cycle) so hope that the plans don’t make it even worse.
Will all the buses go through the centre? If so, I also have safety concerns and hope that something is done to improve the emissions so that it’s not too toxic.
For what it’s worth, am not over excited by some of the other people’s proposals to free up the Frome.
It will still be a traffic island with buses and/or cars running both directions each side of the centre.
We need to think more radically. Try to minimise the number of routes used by buses – why do we need a bus coming down Colston Street? Take that out and the area in front of the Colston Hall can be properly pedestrianised. Do we really need buses running down Baldwin Street?
Which routes will use the cross over between the end of Baldwin St and Colston St – if it’s there so that buses from St George can turn back as they do now then wouldn’t it be better if they ran round the BRT circuit so that you could actually get a bus from St George to Temple Meads?
There needs to be a review of all buses coming into the centre of Bristol and which routes they take.
Having sorted the buses we can then plan proper through routes for cyclists.
Having done buses and cyclists then think about cars – is there really a need for anyone to drive through the centre?
I’m definitely warming to these proposals the more I see of them. There is very sadly unlikely to be either a tram or an unearthed harbour in the centre, that’s the fact of life of living in a country where we don’t like to pay taxes to invest in public facilities.
Nonetheless this offers a huge opportunity to create a fantastic pedestrian-dominated space in the city centre and surely a design competition could bring out the best ideas.
Unlike Chris, I’ve visited many cities in Italy, France and Germany where brilliant pedestrianised public spaces incorporate large volumes of cyclists without any problems.
Steve, you have no idea whether I have visited other cities or not so I think your personal jibe uncalled for and unjustified. I thought this forum was supposed to be moderated to remove such petty personal point scoring.
Yes, we’re trying to create a space for debate here with less of the rancour and personal comments of other debate sites. We do moderate comments before they are published and would ask our contributors to adopt a respectful tone towards other people’s views and avoid personal comments. Thanks for your cooperation.
It almost seems pointless to say it but it’s so heartfelt by myself and many others that I will anyway…If only we could instead , open up the Centre so that the river runs through it once more, with a series of pretty bridges (Amsterdam style) connecting both sides. In addition, a clean and reliable tram system like so many other European (and some UK) cities.
In the absence of the above, the proposals outlined here are pretty good. I do think it’s extremely important we improve a pedestrian’s ability to get from one side of the Centre to the other, which at the moment requires the use of 4 crossings at its worst point.
I do think that improving a cyclist’s safety and ability to get about and raise the profile of Bristol as a cycling city is also very important. However, as a pedestrian who’s been hit by cyclists in Bristol, on the pavement, on 2 occasions – I am very concerned about the idea of the pedestrianised parts being a ‘shared space’ with cyclists…I would like to see designated cycle ‘paths.’ It would be daft to reduce a pedestrian’s threat by traffic only to increase it by cyclists.
I’ve really no idea how successful a rapid-bus system would be – I don’t know how much more effective they are than standard buses (or trams) so I won’t express an opinion either way on this particular part of the proposal – save to say, if they truly will create benefits then I’ll support it, however, if the benefits are meagre or non-existent – it obviously wouldn’t be worth investing in.
We now have Cabot Circus – and Broadmead has been much improved – but the 2 remain so separated from the Centre – not just by distance but by the ugliness of Nelson St. I’d like to see an approach which joins our City up in terms of both functionality/usability and ‘beauty.’ I feel it’s also important that key amenities such as the Bus Station and Temple Meads are also joined up (access-wise) to the Centre (any scope for a mini-station?)
To surmise – in addition to improving functionality and eco-usability, it’s also important to raise the aesthetic levels of the Centre…there’s some beautiful old buildings and the new-build section at Broad Quay (incorporating the revamped Bristol & West building) is spot on in fitting right in with these. A continuation of this sympathetic approach to redevelopment is very important – alongside finding a way to draw attention to those beautiful old buildings that still stand – including St Mary Le Quay. Whether this is done by the way they’re framed by their surrounding buildings (or art installations) or by lighting and planting, for example. The suggestion to add to the levels of greenery in the Centre is very welcome – let’s make Bristol a safe, usable and pretty city.
Looking at these visualisations reminds me that once again the City Council has failed to consider cycling as a serious transport mode. The visualisations show cyclists mingling rather haphazardly with pedestrians which is fine when small numbers are involved but hopelessly inadequate when there are substantial flows, as is already the case at peak times and likely to be more so as cycling increases in popularity.
It seems that the City Council has no one who has an understanding of the scale and function of a strategic cycle route network. In the case of these City Centre proposals we have little indication of whether cyclists are expected to share space with buses on the Broadquay side or share space with general traffic on the St Augustine’s Reach side or share space with pedestrians in between or indeed to have there own dedicated routes.
As usual cycling is ignored at the strategic traffic planning stage, which appears to be exclusively concerned with motor traffic, and are only taken account of in a piecemeal way after the event, usually at the expense of pedestrian movements. This in turn generates unnecessary conflict and hostility between cyclists and pedestrians.
Is it too much to ask that Bristol should for once engage with those of us who have some experience and competence in these matters and get the basic strategic cycle network sorted so that the City Centre proposals can be based around a traffic plan that recognises and accommodates the main cycle movements in a way that doesn’t conflict with other modes, especially pedestrians?
Cllr Jon Rogers has picked the ‘poisoned chalice’ of transport. Let us hope he will be strong enough to do something seriously constructive rather than more ‘window dressing’. Bristol city centre is a prime example of years of half hearted, superficial efforts. It is time to make the bold decision and remove all traffic. If that is too radical for him the he should, at the very least, ban all vehicles except public transport. Why do we still need private car access through the city centre? We have never had a Councillor who will put the needs of the city before the needs of drivers. This is his opportunity to genuinely transform the centre into one of which we can all be proud.
The scheme is pointless if it doesn’t connect to both the Bus Station and Temple Meads.
For those who don’t remember the consultation that led to the current design, it went something like this:
The Council: Would you like an exciting, vibrant European-stylee pedestrian-friendly piazza with cafes and that, or a rotten smelly old river like you used to have before we filled it in?
People of Bristol (resoundingly): We’d like the harbour re-opened, please.
The Council: Fools! Vibrancy! Cafes! That is what you shall have.
So why would we expect any account to be taken of our views this time?
Oh, and just for the record, how many people have been killed here by (non-rapid) buses since the current layout was introduced?
All for less traffic around the centre – INCLUDING BUSSES, fail to see how banning cars but still allowing noisy, cumbersome, dangerous busses using the roads adds quality to centre, it’s either pedestrian or it’s not – hence constant accidents around the centre as it is, people ‘wander’ into the ‘road’, either needs MORE definition of where the roads are or no roads at all.
This is where the visualisations are inaccurate – is it a road or isn’t it? And for god’s sake don’t stick down that awful ‘cobbled’ (right word for it) grey mess that’s on the road now, it’s noisy and breaking up badly – get rid of it, quick!
Presumably then, there’s NO access to Corn Street at all – which begs the question, how will any cars get North/South in Bristol – all down Park Row/Bond Street/Newfoundland Circus – that I can’t wait to see!
Re David Smith’s comment – even if not ‘freed’, the opportunity exists to explore bringing the Frome water up to ground level near the Cenotaph, then using bio-filtration to purify to a state suitable for the fountains further on? (Nature-orientated as well as people-oriented)
I support anything that removes traffic from the centre, currently its a noisy environment difficult to pass though on foot.
I am concerned however about where the traffic diverted from baldwin street will go, it should not be diverted along corn street.
free the FROME !