Latest news with #EdPlowden
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Banana bridge' reopening after year-long closure
Bristol's so-called "banana bridge" will reopen at midday after £1.4m in repairs. Langton Street Bridge - given its nickname because of its shape and colour - was closed to pedestrians and cyclists in May 2024. The bridge's structure, masonry and decking have been repaired and a handrail installed. Its renovation was paid for from a £16m fund secured from the previous government for a programme of eight bridge repairs along the New Cut of the River Avon. Councillor Ed Plowden, chair of Bristol City Council's Transport and Connectivity Committee, said he was "delighted" the bridge is reopening. "The refurbishment has safe-guarded this Grade II listed structure for many years to come," he added. The council said the work had been completed five months earlier than scheduled, though the road closure on York Road continues while the sides of the New Cut are shored up. A group of local residents said a better approach to maintaining the bridges would be more monitoring of potential problems, to avoid so many routes over the river being shut for so long. Ed Hall, from Friends Of The New Cut, said: "They've not maintained this. They've allowed trees to grow along the edges of the New Cut. "These bridges are the major carbon-free ways that thousands and thousands of people use to cross the river." Bristol City Council has been contacted for comment. The following bridge works have been completed as part of the project: Langton Street Bridge, finished in 2025 New Brislington Bridge on Feeder Road, repaired in 2024 Gaol Ferry Bridge, completed in 2023 The following work is still ongoing: Bathurst Swing Bridge was closed in the spring and will be shut for up to two years Sparke Evans Parke Bridge linking Paintworks with Avonmeads was shut in October 2023 for up to two years Vauxhall Bridge closed in October 2023 for up to three years The following repairs are still to come: Bath New Bridge, twin crossings on Bath Bridges Roundabout near Temple Meads Bedminster Bridge, twin crossings which form a roundabout Crucial footbridge reopens after repairs overran Bridge closure having big impact on businesses City bridge closed as final repairs get under way Bristol City Council
BBC News
17 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Bristol 'banana bridge' to reopen after £1.4m of repairs
Bristol's so-called "banana bridge" will reopen at midday after £1.4m in Street Bridge - given its nickname because of its shape and colour - was closed to pedestrians and cyclists in May bridge's structure, masonry and decking have been repaired and a handrail renovation was paid for from a £16m fund secured from the previous government for a programme of eight bridge repairs along the New Cut of the River Avon. Councillor Ed Plowden, chair of Bristol City Council's Transport and Connectivity Committee, said he was "delighted" the bridge is reopening."The refurbishment has safe-guarded this Grade II listed structure for many years to come," he added. The council said the work had been completed five months earlier than scheduled, though the road closure on York Road continues while the sides of the New Cut are shored up.A group of local residents said a better approach to maintaining the bridges would be more monitoring of potential problems, to avoid so many routes over the river being shut for so Hall, from Friends Of The New Cut, said: "They've not maintained this. They've allowed trees to grow along the edges of the New Cut."These bridges are the major carbon-free ways that thousands and thousands of people use to cross the river."Bristol City Council has been contacted for comment. The following bridge works have been completed as part of the project:Langton Street Bridge, finished in 2025New Brislington Bridge on Feeder Road, repaired in 2024Gaol Ferry Bridge, completed in 2023The following work is still ongoing:Bathurst Swing Bridge was closed in the spring and will be shut for up to two yearsSparke Evans Parke Bridge linking Paintworks with Avonmeads was shut in October 2023 for up to two yearsVauxhall Bridge closed in October 2023 for up to three yearsThe following repairs are still to come:Bath New Bridge, twin crossings on Bath Bridges Roundabout near Temple MeadsBedminster Bridge, twin crossings which form a roundabout
Telegraph
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Mystery road dots leave Green-led council in a spot of bother
A Green-led council has been branded 'absolutely insane' after it painted spots on a road as part of a measure to calm the traffic. Residents in Bedminster, Bristol, were left confused after a series of green dots were painted on Greville Road. Various theories circled the street while Bristol city council initially said it was 'investigating'. However, it has now been confirmed they were painted as part of a traffic-calming scheme. Ed Plowden, a councillor and chairman of the transport and connectivity committee, said the markings had been placed in response to residents who had requested a reduction in 'through-traffic and improve safety in the area'. 'Vision-zero' It comes after the council unanimously voted to pass a motion from Green councillors calling for a 'vision-zero' approach to road safety in 2023. The motion aimed to achieve zero road related accidents within Bristol by 2030. However Tracy Francis, a resident who often uses her bicycle within the area, was concerned about how these dots would impact her as a cyclist. Ms Francis said that road was already 'slippery' and she was worried that the additional markings would mean that her 'bike tyres will slide away', especially when the roads were wet. Cllr Mark Weston of the Conservative party said the road markings were an 'absolutely insane' attempt to balance traffic, and argued there were other more important ways the council could be spending its time and money. Cllr Weston also said the 'childlike' dots could encourage children to play in the road, likening their design to games such as hopscotch. These markings are not the first attempt at 'road art' by UK councils. In 2023, Hounslow council spent £50,000 creating a 'rainbow junction' to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. However, this received backlash from disability campaigners who said it was confusing residents with visual impairments.
Miami Herald
13-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Story behind mysterious green road spots that showed up overnight
By Karen Johnson Mystery green spots that appeared on a road are a traffic calming measure by Britain's only Green Party-led city council. The dots on Greville Road in Bedminster in Bristol were painted overnight this week, leaving locals baffled. Various theories were rumored to be behind them and Bristol City Council initially said it was 'investigating'. But it has now been confirmed they were painted after a joint effort between community members and the Green-led council. Chair of the transport and connectivity committee, councillor Ed Plowden, said the dots were a way of improving "safety in the area". He said: "The newly added green markings are part of a community-led traffic calming scheme in partnership with the council, following requests from residents to reduce through-traffic and improve safety in the area. "The project is similar to several other creative traffic calming schemes in South Bristol and has also included the installation of planters. Creative road marking has been used for several years right across Bristol." The green dots are believed to be between 30cm to 1.2m in diameter Plowden further added that even though residents in the area had been consulted about the markings in 2023, "this part of the project needed to wait until the road was resurfaced, which took place as part of our citywide maintenance recently". Tracy Francis, who lives on the road and often cycles around the area, was concerned about what these dots meant for her as a cyclist. The road in question, according to Francis, was already "slippery" and she was scared that the addition of these circles would mean that her "bike tires will slide away", especially when the roads were wet. She told Bristol24/7: "I asked the people who installed them whether they knew what they were for. But they didn't. "I do know that the people who have moved into this area want to stop cars coming up and down here." The green dots can be spotted on various stretches of Greville Road Another resident also denied knowing anything about the intention behind these markings, but confirmed that it had caused a "stir" in the neighbourhood. The post Story behind mysterious green road spots that showed up overnight appeared first on Talker. Copyright Talker News. All Rights Reserved.
BBC News
13-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Green spots on Bristol residential street are for 'traffic calming'
The mystery behind a series of large green spots that appeared on the surface of a residential street in Bristol earlier this week has been described how dozens of the markings"popped up" seemingly overnight on Greville Road in City Council said that they are part of a traffic calming measure but have not explained how they calm traffic."Local residents were consulted in 2023 but this part of the project needed to wait until the road was resurfaced, which took place as part of our citywide maintenance recently," said Councillor Ed Plowden, chair of the transport and connectivity committee. "The project is similar to several other creative traffic calming schemes in South Bristol and has also included the installation of planters," he added."Creative road marking has been used for several years right across Bristol."The council have not commented how the green spots work as a traffic calming measure. 'Very Bristol' The spots appear in three clusters in the middle and at each end of the road and range in size from around 30cm (1ft) to 1.2m (4ft) were initially surprised to see the spots but reactions were broadly positive."They seem quite cool, anything that's colourful is nice," said local resident Brook Morris."It's just very Bristol. The city is very creative so this is nothing unusual," said fellow resident Caggs residents suspected they were a traffic calming measure but questioned their effectiveness."I don't think it will make much of a difference," said Claire Ogden."I wonder if they're maybe waiting to paint little frogs or lilies or something else on them?"
