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Bedminster residents can discuss concerns and future improvements for their local area in an online engagement event with Bristol council at 2pm today.
The Liveable Neighbourhood signage encouraging residents to submit their feedback.
These online events form the second phase of public consultations with residents, as part of the South Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood project.
The project will span across Ashton Vale, Southville, Bedminster, Windmill Hill to the edge of Totterdown.
Initial consultations ran between July to mid October, with the council hosting drop-in sessions across the area in partnership with Action Greater Bedminster, as well as an interactive map where residents could pinpoint and comment on local issues.
Bristol City Council’s interactive map covering the project boundary.
Ruth Green, project manager on behalf of Action Greater Bedminster, told us how the drop-in consultation sessions saw over 600 attendees, whilst the interactive map garnered 5000+ comments.
“At pre-launch meetings of BCC/AGB, it was decided that paper maps at face to face events would be essential to ensure that those not online could have their say — residents’ verbal/paper feedback/comments were captured and populated onto the interactive map.”
Ruth also shared how dedicated sessions were held in sheltered housing blocks, local food clubs, older people’s lunch groups and with the BS3 Disabled People’s Voice group, to make them accessible to those who may ‘find it hard to either engage with the online map or make it to the events’.
What is a liveable neighbourhood?
‘Liveable Neighbourhoods’, also known as low-traffic neighbourhoods, are those that facilitate walking, cycling and the use of public transport, as well as the use of safe public and green spaces. They tend to focus on improving transport and pedestrianisation.
The council suggests that liveable neighbours are designed to ‘make places safer for people, reduce noise and air pollution, encourage exercise, reduce loneliness, and make life better overall.’
The junction between North Street and Luckwell Road, which residents note as being a spot for congestion.
Local Green party activist Jai Brietnaur was supportive of the project — “I think anything that makes the area more liveable is a bonus. We need to create and develop communities, which is what the Liveable Neighbourhood projects are about.”
She suggested that cars and parking were prioritised over people in her local area, with on-pavement parking resulting in pedestrians having to walk in the road, and being inaccessible for those in wheelchairs and with pushchairs.
One local resident, who asked to remain anonymous, told us how she relied on her car for caring responsibilities and that a lack of residential parking left her and her daughter walking a long distance in the dark during the winter months. She expressed concern about pedestrian-only zones replacing existing parking spots.
Residents frequently noted other concerns on the map too, particularly regarding safety and accessibility — a lack of cycle paths and poor road signage resulting in danger to cyclists, a lack of accessible crossings for pedestrians and local green spaces for public use, and the use of residential roads by speeding vehicles to avoid traffic on main roads.
North Street Green was praised for being a well-kept outdoor space for locals to use, with residents keen to see more implemented in the area.
The project is the second of its kind to be implemented in Bristol — the first was in East Bristol, encompassing Barton Hill, Redfield, St George and surrounding areas. Various improvements, including bus gates and modal filters, have been trialled in the area since September, with resident’s opinions highly divided.
Jai Brietnaur referred to ‘scaremongering’ and ‘misinformation’ being spread across social media about the Liveable Neighbourhood projects and how they will affect local communities, in light of this.
The online engagement events, in which the council aim to collate residents feedback in order to shape proposals for improvement, conclude on 31st October.
Originally published on Bower News, 28th October 2024. Available here. All media is my own unless otherwise stated.