The Bristol City Centre Transport Changes consultation is running until Monday 30 September 2024.
It sets out how the council will pedestrianise The Horsefair and Penn Street in Broadmead, while still allowing access to emergency vehicles, as well as deliveries at quiet times of the day. Bus stops, disabled parking bays and taxi ranks would be moved. The new bus stops would be no more than a five-minute walk from their current locations. There would not be a reduction in the number of disabled spaces and, with upcoming developments such as The Galleries, there would be an increase in provision in the future.
Pedestrianising these streets would mean they could have new landscaping, seating and art space, making more people-friendly environments for communities that will be living, shopping and socialising in the city centre in the future.
To enable the streets to be pedestrianised, proposals include creating a new junction with The Haymarket and removing most of the traffic from Union Street, making it two-way for some buses and cycles.
These changes would allow buses to be re-routed from the pedestrianised areas and make it possible to run the central part of a proposed new rapid transit bus route between the southwest and northeast of Bristol.
Plans would also see buses, that have terminated and stand empty for long periods, moved away from busy shopping and pedestrian areas to Temple Way.
Alongside these proposals for Broadmead are plans to give priority to buses and improve walking, wheeling and cycling journeys in four more areas of the city centre, covering Bedminster Bridges, Redcliffe Roundabout, Temple Way and Bond Street.
Councillor Ed Plowden, Chair of the Transport and Connectivity Committee said: “These plans are transformative and will impact almost everyone who travels to, or through, Bristol city centre.
“Broadmead is changing as shopping patterns evolve. Empty shops and department stores can be used for new housing and associated infrastructure. A vision for Broadmead is set out in the Bristol City Centre Development and Delivery Plan. This consultation focusses on the transport and movement elements that would support this vision and the aspiration for a new rapid transit route.
“As someone who is passionate about making sustainable transport options better and more appealing, I am delighted these proposals include plans to prioritise buses, and a raft of changes including 3.5 kilometres of segregated cycle routes along with wider pavements and better crossings.
“By investing to make bus travel quicker and more reliable, and active travel safer and easier, we can help decarbonise our transport network which would have so many benefits, not least helping people to travel more actively while cutting congestion and pollution on our roads.
“Please do look at the proposals and give us your feedback. We want to make sure we get these far-reaching plans right for the city.”
The Bristol City Centre Transport Changes project is being funded by the government as part of the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, which is administered by the West of England Combined Authority. This is funding from central government to improve transport infrastructure. It cannot be used for ongoing maintenance of roads or on other council services, such as housing.
Read the plans and fill in the survey.
Drop-in sessions
Ten drop-in sessions will be held for people to find out more about the proposals and see the plans. They will run at the following times:
Check confirmation of the times and locations of the drop-in sessions online.
Leaders across the West have welcomed greater investment through today’s Spending Review, with a record three-quarters of a billion pounds of transport funding confirmed for the West. That means better buses, more trains, and mass transit – with trams and much more on the table. The Treasury has also today confirmed plans to improve rail links between Bristol and Cardiff.
The second phase of a project - to reduce congestion, improve the reliability of buses, and promote active travel along a major transport route in Bristol - will get underway from Monday 16 June 2025.
That’s summer sorted. Children and young people under the age of 16 are set to be able to travel for free on buses across our region during the school holidays, thanks to new investment proposed by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.
Bristol’s first electrified bus depot was opened on 3 June 2025 by a government minister and the West of England’s new mayor.
Leaders across the region have today welcomed more than three-quarters of a billion pounds set to be invested in transport projects in the West. The Chancellor has announced plans to more than double investment in local transport in England’s city regions, committing to “investment in all parts of the country, not just a few.”
