At this month’s Bristol City Council Member’s Forum, Mayor Marvin Rees was asked two questions about transport issues affecting Totterdown. Full Compiled Member Forum Answers 8 Nov 2022 final.pdf (bristol.gov.uk) The questions and answers are reproduced in full below.
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Question(s) to the Mayor from Councillor Ed Plowden
Subject: HGVs and yellow lines
HGVs – Preamble
Along with other councillors along the A37 we are picking up anecdotal evidence of increased used of HGVs on the busy Wells Rd. Residents in Totterdown were sufficiently concerned to conduct two counts of 44 ton lorries in both directions, and then seeing how many of these trucks headed out of Bristol on the M32. This gives a figure of 32 ’44 ton’ lorries per hour going through a residential area. This is in addition to the smaller lorries, the buses (when they run) and other traffic. Recent shorter periods of observation at different times of the day suggest
the figures are not an over-estimation. Almost 90% destined for the M32 and driving straight out of Bristol meaning that these lorries are using a residential road as a cut through to the wider motorway network. All of the number plates were checked on the CAZ portal and none of them surveyed would be charged by the CAZ. Local residents are concerned about the safety of these vehicles passing through a residential area, with many families taking their kids to school and playgroups. Given that this is effectively the local High Street with almost all local shops and amenities are on this busy trunk road, residents are concerned at the impact of this intimidating environment.
QUESTION. What are the possible options to mitigate this issue?
REPLY. The A37 is a key regional A Road that links the South Coast to Bristol and beyond and always has been. There are limited options for HGVs coming from that area to reach the strategic road network. The A37 is a key radial route serving south Bristol and as such is an acceptable route for HGV movements. Options to remove these movements would require road building elsewhere to provide alternative links such as to the ring road. I don’t understand what you think has changed.
Yellow lines – Preamble
Across the city the paint that so many people rely on to help interpret the rules of the road is faded to the point of being virtually useless. For example, the double yellow lines on Angers Road have been so faded for so many months (with a brief respite in the spring of this year when a transport officer used temporary spray paint as a fix) that they are unenforceable. At the top of Angers Rd the painted bike lane gets worn out every 18-24 months, but despite a promise to fix both of these “this summer” (a good season for applying thermoplastic paint) nothing appears to have taken place. Road markings might seem a small thing but they are important for protecting the safety and quality of life of local people and people passing through the area.
QUESTION. When are we likely to see this paint being replaced, and what is the prioritisation process for this?
REPLY: Where we receive enquiries relating to faded or missing road markings, we add them to a programme list.
We prioritise sites in the following order:
• Surfacing sites, where all existing lining has been eradicated
• Maintenance at Pedestrian Crossing or School Keep Clear makings
• Safety Junction markings
• Parking Enforcement markings
• Disabled Bays
• Others
Sites are awarded points based on the above priorities, with additional points awarded based on how long they have been on the list, otherwise items which are low priority would never be scheduled for work to be carried out. The sites referred to are on our list of works. I suggest you contact the Strategic Highways Maintenance Team for a timetable.