A New bridge could be built over the River
Avon to ease traffic going in and out of Bristol. The
low-level bridge at Avonmouth could relieve the M5 bridge of
traffic and also reduce the impact of incidents which cause
major traffic congestion.
And it
could also carry a light rail transport link to
Portishead.
Both schemes have been included in the
Greater Bristol Strategic Transport Study (GBSTS) - a 25-year
blueprint for transport in the West of England.
It also
includes a number of measures to encourage alternatives to car
travel. But the suggestions have been met with opposition by
some campaigners.
The study, funded by the Government
and local councils, looked at the future of the main transport
routes and movement of people in the area over the next 30
years.
The final recommendations have now been handed
over to the Government Office for the South West.
The
GBSTS also suggests reducing the number of parking spaces,
increasing parking charges and introducing workplace parking
charges and road charging to cut the number of car
trips.
Measures to improve public transport, from
improvements to bus services to an expansion of the rail
network, have also been suggested. And it also recommends the
extension of the park-and-ride system and the expansion of
existing sites in Bristol and Bath.
The GBSTS has also
proposed measures to improve the region's roads and to look at
the growth of passenger and employee numbers at Bristol
International Airport
But Transport 2000 representative
David Redgewell said he was "disappointed" with the proposals,
saying they did not place enough importance on public
transport.
He said: "We are very disappointed with the
study. They haven't recommended investment in the local rail
network - especially as that's where lots of new housing
is.
"It should be more about public transport, but
instead it is looking at controversial road networks and a
bridge over the River Avon.
"Their priorities for a
great European city like ours are all wrong.
"Our
public transport system is worse than parts of South Africa -
I know because I have lived there.
"The city
desperately needs a better public transport
system."
Other measures recommended in the study
include a South Bristol ring road linking the A4 with the A38;
a new road linking the A38 and the A370 in North Somerset;
links between south Bristol and M5; improvements to
Weston-super- Mare's motorway junction; widening the M4
between junctions 19 and 20; and a Stoke Gifford
bypass.
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