PEOPLE have less than a week left to have their say on plans to extend a 20mph speed limit on one of the busiest routes through Downend and Fishponds, and introduce average speed cameras on part of the road.
Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire Council are working together on the plans, which affect Fishponds Road, Downend Road and Badminton Road.
If they are go ahead, the entire five-and-a-half mile stretch of the A432 from the Avon Ring Road to the city centre end of Stapleton Road would have a 20mph limit.
Average speed cameras are being proposed for Badminton Road between the ring road junction at Wick Wick roundabout and the Cleeve Hill traffic lights (see below): around a mile and a quarter of road that currently has a 30mph limit.
A new 20mph limit would also cover the high street area, extending along Downend Road to the Bristol boundary, and along North Street to join up with the existing 20mph zone there.
The remaining part of Fishponds Road which currently has a 30mph limit – between Lodge Causeway and Muller Road – would also see it reduced to 20mph.
People are being asked to have their say on the proposals, which also include extending the 20mph limit to 50 nearby side roads that currently have 30mph limits in Downend, and installing five new zebra crossings on Badminton Road.
The two councils were awarded £2.275 million in 2024 from the previous government’s Safer Roads Fund for schemes that could bring about “significant reductions in fatal and serious injuries”.
It has taken until now for the two councils to draw up plans, which they say will make the road “safer and more accessible for all road users”, and open them to public consultation.
The city council will spend £1.19m on its stretch of the road and South Gloucestershire will spend around £1.09m.
The Road Safety Foundation estimates the proposed improvements would reduce fatal and serious injury accidents on the road by more than 30% over the next 20 years.
The only length of road where speed cameras are being proposed is the Badminton Road section in Downend.
An average speed camera system records traffic passing between two cameras a set distance apart.
A photo is taken and the exact time a vehicle passes each camera is recorded, so a computer can work out how long it took to travel between them, and how fast the vehicle was going.
New zebra crossings
The new zebra crossings would be at:
*Either just north or south of the Westons Brake junction (see top picture), where there are currently two pedestrian refuges in the middle of the road
*Near the Britannia Close junction between The Paddocks and Church Lane
*At the Blackhorse Lane junction next to the Trident pub (see below), with another crossing on Blackhorse Lane itself.
*At the Leap Valley footpath crossing
*At the Cleeve Park Road junction, near Oakdale Road
20mph limits for side roads
Proposed new 20mph limits would also be introduced in around 50 roads including Aintree Drive, Fontwell Drive, Church Lane, Blackhorse Lane, Westbourne Road, Beaufort Road, Sutherland Avenue and all of their side roads.
The city council says that between August 2020 and August 2023 there were 140 collisions on the A432, including one fatal and 11 serious crashes, along with 128 “slight collisions”, resulting in 149 casualties.
South Gloucestershire cabinet member for transport Chris Willmore said: “This is one of the busiest routes in our area, and we know that safety is a real concern for residents and businesses. “These proposals are designed to make the road safer for everyone and provide improvements to encourage more people to walk, wheel, cycle or use public transport.
“Please let us know your thoughts – your feedback is vital to help us get this right.”
City council transport and connectivity committee chair Ed Plowden said: “The A432 has a poor safety record, and we want to make it safer and to feel more welcoming for everyone – whether you’re walking, wheeling, cycling or driving.
“The proposed road safety measures are designed to reduce collisions and make it easier for people to move around more safely and reliably.
“They also support our climate goals by encouraging more sustainable travel.
“I encourage people across both areas to take part in the consultation and tell us what matters most to you.”
How to have your say
The A432 Safer Roads survey is being run by the city council, and is open for comments until midnight on February 13.
It can be found online at bristol.gov.uk/a432-safer-road-survey.
Anyone who is not online can take part by calling 0117 922 2848 and asking for the survey in a different format.
The survey includes questions on whether people agree or disagree with the new 20mph limits, speed cameras and crossing points, and asks them to suggest other points on the A432 where they regularly need to cross the road.