SOME of the area’s busiest roads will have their speed limit cut to 20mph next year.
The city council approved has approved a wave of new lower limits on around 75 streets, including Muller Road, Royate Hill, Rose Green Road, Gordon Road, Staple Hill Road and Speedwell Road.
Stapleton Road, Bell Hill, Frenchay Park Road and Begbrook Park will also have the lower limit from next summer.
It would also be introduced on city centre roads including Bond Street, Temple Gate and Old Market Street, on the A420 at Church Road and Lawrence Hill, the A37 Wells Road from the Three Lamps junction to Airport Road, Hotwell Road and Winterstoke Road.
The council says it assessed all roads in Bristol that currently have a 30mph limit.
Some roads in the initial plans were excluded from the final switch, including Filton Avenue and Airport Road, due to opposition during public consultation.
The new limits were approved by councillors on the transport policy committee on October 22.
The council says the changes will make roads safer and reduce the number of casualties from crashes. It says slower speeds also encourage more people to walk and cycle, as the roads feel less dangerous at 20mph than at 30mph.
However the plans are controversial, with drivers expressing frustration at driving at 20mph on large “wide and straight” main roads.
Public opinion was split across Bristol, the council consultation found. More people living in the suburbs tended to oppose the new limits, compared to people closer to the city centre.
Conservatives said many affected roads were well designed for faster speeds.
Councillor Mark Weston (Con, Henbury & Brentry) said residents in his area are “very heavily against” the changes.
He said: I think we’re going to make a mistake if we ignore overwhelming opposition from the public and crash this through. These arterial roads should remain at 30.”
A public education campaign will be launched alongside the new limits.
The council says 20mph limits improve air quality, make roads less noisy and save drivers money by using less fuel.
Council staff said the new restrictions would help reduce casualties even if drivers didn’t slow down all the way to 20: if for example a driver slowed down from 35mph to 25mph, it would still make a big difference.
Tim Rippington (Lab, Brislington East) said: “If it brings the overall speeds down on those roads, it will help to save lives and that’s the most important thing.”
Serena Ralston (Green, Clifton Down) said: “Nobody should feel they’re taking their life in their hands when they cross a Bristol street. Lower speeds save lives and reduce injuries.”
A decision on a separate project to cut the limit on the last part of Fishponds Road that is still a 30mph zone to 20mph is not now expected to be made before next year.
More than 1,600 people responded to a joint Bristol and South Gloucestershire consultation on plans to ensure the whole of the A432 between the Avon Ring Road and the bottom of Stapleton Road has a 20mph limit.
A council report published in the summer said the changes were “highly contentious”, particularly with South Gloucestershire residents.
By Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service