Mayor Marvin Rees and Cllr Kye Dudd, cabinet lead for transport, have been asked to allocate more space in our streets for pedestrians and cyclists during the Covid-19 pandemic. This would help people move around for exercise and essential shopping at a safe distance from each other.
Many pavements in Bristol are not wide enough to allow the recommended 2 metres distancing, and some drivers are taking advantage of quieter streets to increase their speeds. This makes it more dangerous for people who step into the road to maintain distancing on busy pavements.
Bristol Green Party has asked for the following measures to be considered:
- Cones or other temporary measures to widen pavement space in areas with significant footfall or outside busy shops
- Temporary measures to close residential streets to through traffic
- Temporary walking and cycle lanes where possible to be reclaimed from the road
- Filtering measures to slow traffic in residential streets
- Changing traffic light priority measures to improve pedestrian crossing times and prevent crowds forming while waiting to cross
- Extending 20mph to any residential roads not already covered by it
- Temporary road pedestrianisation
- Temporary widening of bike lanes where possible to allow cyclists safe overtaking
Bristol Cycling Campaign has also sent a letter to Mayor Rees and Cllr Dudd BCyC.Covid.Letter.TW.ND.17.4.20PDF asking for the reallocation of space from Bristol’s less busy roads.
If you would like to support this campaign you can email your views to: cllr.kye.dudd@bristol.gov.uk and mayor@bristol.gov.uk