B&NES council is proposing to close Pulteney Bridge (consultation sheet as picture above, not otherwise available on-line) to all traffic, including buses. The 18 and 418 service (among many) cross Pulteney Bridge, so First Buses are making plans to divert.
From 5th September they propose that the orange buses use the same route as the blue buses; ie along Pulteney Road and North Parade. This will entirely cut out Great Pulteney Street and Edward Street. While the official residents’ association group for the Pulteney Estate has been campaigning to get rid of the buses from their street, many elderly residents in the area will be affected.
While no additional bus stops have been proposed, it may be useful to move the downhill bus stop at the lower end of Bathwick Hill closer to the roundabout and introduce a new downhill bus stop outside St. Patrick’s Court. Please put your thoughts in the comments.
There seems to have been little official publicity about this scheme — the notice reproduced above was only issued on 5 August and as I have been away for much of the time since then I have not been able to inspect the documents at the planning office. I am unclear as to whether the reason for the closure is concern for the structure of the bridge or concern for safety of pedestrians on the bridge or a wish to enhance the attractiveness of the bridge for visitors. I question if there has been sufficient consultation and I would like the LD Councillors to undertake to review the closure in light of experience if (as I hope) they take control of the Council next year.
I live on Bathwick Hill, do not have a car, mostly walk to and from the city centre but also use buses sometimes. The changes to traffic and public transport will not be important for me, though at 80 years old I sympathise with the objections by local elderly residents. I wonder if it is really necessary to ban taxis and whether smaller sized buses (i.e. not bendy buses) could not be permitted so as to provide a limited very local bus service.
Given the changes, I agree that the present bus stop below the parade of shops on lower Bathwick Hill should be moved near to the foot of the hill. Better still, stops should be put on Pulteney Road near to the light-controlled pedestrian crossing, being the nearest practical points to the Edward Street stops which will vanish.
As a separate point, I am aware and deplore that shopkeepers on Pulteney Bridge are seeing its closure as an opportunity to expand their domain onto the pavements, raising the shopping and entertainment use of the public space. An existing significant problem for pedestrians crossing the bridge is the obstruction of the pavements with A-boards and other bits of furniture put out by shopkeepers and restaurant owners. This is a problem across the city centre generally and ought to tackled by the Council.
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