Junction 3 Road-Works Have Knock-on Effect on Surrounding Neighborhoods

bristol | transport | feature Friday June 20, 2008 13:45 by imcvol

Loss of pavement and cycle lane affect the residents of the local community, while cars in transit are prioritized above our quality of life

Angry in St Agnes writes: My son was rudely awaked from his nap this morning by a sound that had my partner shouting 'the tanks are coming, the tanks are coming', and only partially tongue-in-cheek. The whole building juddered and shook to the vibrations of a huge digger equipped with hammer drill, tearing up the pedestrian pavement and the bike lane on Lower Ashley Road in St Agnes.

As part of the road-works to Junction 3, plans include removing the bike lane entirely, and narrowing the pavement. I was kindly informed by one of the planners when I went along to the 'community consultation' that this pavement was classed as 'wide'. Odd then, that you can't get a buggy down it 90% of the time. Perhaps this is also due to the council being less than enthusiastic when it comes to rubbish collection in poor neighborhoods? But I digress...

The community consultation was an opportunity for local residents affected by the Junction 3 road-works to come and look at plans, express their concerns, and have them totally dismissed by the planners. Works began about a month later. I'm still waiting for the promised response to my written complaint - or perhaps they're replying by actions?

Lower Ashley Road is already one of the busiest roads in central Bristol. It is a vital artery not only for cars but for cyclists and pedestrians as well. However, being so stuffed full of cars, it will be fantastically dangerous for cyclists now that the cycle lane has been removed. It will be even more lethal, considering that the plans call for an extra lane to be added to the road (hence the pavement theft) which will be a left-turn feeder lane, making it necessary to cycle up the middle of the road if you do not want to turn left. Full Article.

UPDATE TO THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE: At about 9.30 am the Goon Squad drilled through a water supply line under Lower Ashley Road, cutting off water supplies to at least part of the street (total affected area unknown). When I asked if they were the ones who'd just cut our water off they said they'd done it 'because we didn't bring them any tea out' and that they were 'just waiting for a part', no ETA on when we might have water back.

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