Bristol City Council wants drivers to ditch polluting cars and get more people onto public transport. It has now proposed a mass transit system linking Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset, with a network of underground and overground railway lines that, it says, could be built in the next 10 to 15 years. Hundreds of thousands of people living in the area will have the chance this summer to give their views on the ambitious plans for a mass transit system. Bristol's Mayor Marvin Rees has outlined more details of the plans, which he believes will help the city cope with a growing population and meet its environmental targets.
The new transit system would link Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset. (Credit: Bristol City Council)
The mayor said: "A quality transport system will make more places in the city viable for housing, because areas will be closer in terms of time. What people may see as a half hour car ride, and in rush hour that's a brutal journey, will be a 15-minute journey on our mass transit system. That's a segregated reliable, affordable mass transit system. That makes living more possible for people in Bristol." Outlining his short and long-term vision for the city's transport system, the mayor described a number of other plans, including:
A park and ride on the M32, north of the city, with segregated bus lanes running to and from the city. A site has yet to be named.
A clockwise bus loop around the city, to complement an anti-clockwise loop that is almost complete, taking buses out of the city centre.
Ensuring all buses run on green bio-gas around the city.
New bus stops around the city.
New railway stations at Henbury, Portway and Ashleigh Down.
A feasibility study into a new station at St Anne's, along with possible stations at Lockleaze and Ashton Gate.
The plans are intended to help cut emissions in Bristol and get more people onto public transport. In February, the city council submitted its plans for a clean air zone to the Government. If approved, some motorists could be charged £9 to drive in the city by the end of the year.