SOUTH BRISTOL LINK PHASES 1 AND 2 QUESTIONAIRE

Dear Supporter,

As you may know a consultation is being carried out on the proposal to build the South Bristol Link (formerly known as the South Bristol Ring Road).  The questionnaire has been worded assuming a link is required.  The Alliance opposes this link.
Our objections to the link remain the same. We do not wish Green Belt land to be used for a road, or for housing. A new road will lead to further building developments and more traffic with consequent health risks.
We do not think that this link would help with the re-generation of South Bristol.  The money should be spent on improving public transport access to the centre of Bristol, as these routes are the most congested.
It is therefore important that all supporters and residents respond to the consultation to reflect their opposition to the link road.
To respond please follow this link Questionaire where you will find the form.  We have suggested some responses you may wish to use in the questionnaire and left space to add your own comments.  Please complete the blank sections (Questions 6 to 11).  There is a link on the website a link to the West of England Partnership website for you to read their information.

Please note that the completed form must arrive no later than:
Friday 30th January 2009.

It is really important that you respond as the West of England Partnership are likely to use the survey as an endorsement to go ahead.

Mike Landen
Chair of the Alliance

 

The WEP website address is

www.westofengland.org

Response to Consultation on the South Bristol Link by the Alliance against the South Bristol Ring Road

The Alliance welcomes the fact that the original idea proposed by the South West Regional Assembly for a major dual carriageway road through the south of Bristol and on to the A370 is no longer being considered. We are however opposed to the proposals stated in the document ‘Linking Hartcliffe with the Long Ashton Bypass’ and our reasons for this opposition are set out below.
New roads have always resulted in an increase in car use, whereas government and local authority policy is to reduce car use. The road would increase noise, pollution and CO2 emissions.  The latter is contrary to government policy and also is in conflict with the recent Sustainability Report which is part of the South West Regional Spatial Strategy.

The Alliance opposes the construction of phase 1(A370 to A38) of the South Bristol Link (SBL) along either of the proposed routes because:

• Either route would cut a huge swathe through green belt land with consequent loss of farmland, amenity and wildlife.
• Both proposed routes would link with the A370, which is already congested at peak times.  The additional traffic would cause further chaos and limit access to Bristol for residents of Long Ashton.
• The increase in traffic on the A370 would increase “rat running” through Long Ashton.

Either of the junctions proposed would require use of a large area of land close to residential properties and a primary school in Long Ashton.

• The anticipated cost of £40M to £50M may not be sufficient when the cost of crossing the main railway line is fully evaluated and cost of environmental protection for sites such as Hanging Hill Wood and Colliters Brook are included. 

The newly proposed route approximately on the route of Yanley Lane would seem particularly damaging to the environment and disruptive to local residents.
If the link did not include a road then the environmental effects would be reduced but would nevertheless be extremely damaging as either route would still require extensive use of green belt land.
The Alliance opposes the construction of phase 2 (A38 to Hartcliffe roundabout) of the South Bristol Link (SBL) along the proposed routes because:

• The proposed route would involve the destruction of Highridge Common which is a valuable asset for local residents. The arguments against the use of Green Belt land also apply to Highridge Common
• There has been a good deal of recent research carried out on the effects of traffic pollution on the health of residents living near major roads. The effect on children is particularly harmful. When the proposed route (King George’s road in particular) was designated as a ‘protected route’ this information was not available. If a road was included as part of phase 1 then there are many residential properties and at least two schools very close indeed to the route and this would be unacceptable. If the South Bristol Link was a rapid transit with walking and cycling provision only, then we would withdraw this part of our objection to phase 2.
• All the evidence is that when a road is built far from reducing traffic in the neighbourhood that the extra traffic generated increases local congestion.

The suggested benefits of the link are challenged.
Regeneration of South Bristol.  - the SBL, if it included a road, would take business away from South Bristol and arrest the development which is currently taking place in its absence.
Provision of a route to Bristol Airport.  - given the orbital nature of the route it would not significantly reduce journey times to the airport.  We have carried out a small survey for journey times between the Hartcliffe  roundabout to the Bristol City boundary on the A38 and, although more work is needed, our preliminary conclusions are that this journey time is about 4 to 6 minutes. Any saving of time therefore would be, at the very best, quite small. This conclusion is supported by the “Atkins” report.
Reducing congestion and improving access to South Bristol. - as stated above, far from reducing congestion a road link would add to traffic problems.  A cross country BRT link would not serve the outlets in South Bristol.  The proposed BRT from Long Ashton to Temple Meads would improve access, particularly in conjunction with the proposal set out below.
Linking the proposed Ashton Vale/Yanley development with Bristol. - the new development is supposed to be self contained so the need for a link should be minimal and would be adequately served by the A38.
We do promote public transport as an alternative to an orbital road (whatever it is called) and offer the following observations for your consideration.
We believe that light rail or ultra light rail is the best way forward as a means of tackling Bristol’s congestion problems but accept that, in the short to medium term, the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) will play a role. However if BRT is to reduce congestion then the issues of reliability, ticketing and cost of fares need to be addressed. We think that many of Bristol’s congestion problems are along the radial routes to and from the central area. We do not believe therefore that any form of South Bristol Link will significantly reduce this problem.
There is a real opportunity for the West of England Partnership to recommend using existing rail links to help ease the congestion problem.
An alternative BRT route is suggested using Winterstoke Road and Hartcliffe Way. Whilst some engineering would be required this would seem an easier and possibly cheaper task than building a completely new route.  It would not require the use of Green Belt land and would serve commercial and retail outlets.
In conclusion we would stress that building roads will only increase traffic and congestion as evidenced by the 2006 CPRE/Countryside Agency research into the A3 Newbury bypass, the Polegate bypass and the M65 Southern bypass. Additionally building roads would also contradict the recommendation in 10.113 of the Sustainability Assessment of the Draft Revised Regional Spatial Strategy which states that :- “we recommend removal of specific reference to and support for orbital movement in south Bristol, except where this is to be achieved through the provision of public transport and cycling provision”. Additionally building new public transport links using existing roads would support the Prime minister’s stated aim of protecting the Green Belt.