Bristol is the largest city in southwest England, around 160km west of London, located at a key interchange on the national motorway network. As the de facto regional capital, the city acts as a centre of employment, education, shopping, and leisure for a wide area. The city of Bristol is home to 400,000 people, and sits within a travel to work area with a population of almost one million.
The port of Bristol, at the mouth of the River Avon, is a major reason behind the city's growth in past centuries. Since the 1970s, the city has been home to an increasing number of financial institutions. There is currently a booming office market for company relocations, and large areas of regeneration benefiting from new residential units and retail outlets.
The Bristol City Council (BCC) came into being in 1996 when the County of Avon was divided into 4 unitary authorities. The area governed by BCC covers a highly urbanised 110km2, with a radial road network focussed on the city centre.
Bristol City Council, as the sole tier of local government, has responsibility for all matters pertaining to planning, transport, and the environment, as well as education, social services, and leisure. The Council is divided into 6 departments, including the Department of Planning, Transport and Sustainable Development, which will manage the Council's work in Connected Cities.
Like most major European cities, Bristol suffers from the congestion and pollution of too much traffic. BCC, through the Local Transport Plan (LTP), actively develops and markets public transport alternatives to reduce these negative affects of private car use, working with national and European sources of funding.
One element of the transport strategy is the development of 'Showcase Bus Corridors', where bus priority measures are allied to improved stops, real-time information, and new vehicles. One has been completed to date, with a second under construction at the moment.
The large areas of regeneration in the city also pose significant challenges for the transport infrastructure. New mixed-use (housing-office-retail-leisure) developments are being constructed near the city centre, which need to be supplied with sustainable transport through such measures as new car clubs and individualised travel marketing.
Through Connected Cities, BCC will concentrate on two measures. We will examine the development of the Showcase Bus Corridors, as the new sub-regional LTP proposes implementing a further ten corridors in the next five years. It is a long-term consideration to move these from bus priority corridors to guided bus routes, which are more like trams than 'traditional' buses. There are cities in Europe, particularly Eindhoven, with such measures in place with which Bristol can share knowledge and experience.
In addition, one of the major regeneration sites in Bristol city centre is adjacent to Temple Meads railway station, a key interchange in the national rail network. BCC will examine how the development of this site, including the implementation of car club and travel planning initiatives for the new houses and businesses, may be viewed in the context of a Transport Development Area.
