Launched in January 2016, the Good Transport Plan sets out a vision for the future of travel in Bristol. As part of Bristol Green Capital in 2015, Sustrans agreed to take the lead in developing the plan, with many organisations contributing and six months of public consultation. BWA members, Bristol Civic Society, Bristol Ramblers and Living Streets are all amongst a long list of supporting organisations on the back of the document.
The Good Transport Plan identifies nine objectives that Bristol needs to continue to address to create a sustainable city with travel options and public spaces that can be used by everyone.
- An affordable and reliable public transport system
- A well-connected walking and cycling network that is of high quality
- Increasing the use of low-emission, shared vehicle usage and accessible refilling points
- Reducing the number of heavy vehicles on the road and coordinating delivery vehicle patterns
- Creating a people-centred city centre environment by reducing traffic flow
- Encouraging and empowering communities to help redesign residential spaces
- Giving employees the chance to work from home and travel sustainably
- Allowing children the opportunity to walk, scoot and cycle and play outdoors to improve their well-being
- And overall, to show that sustainable and active travel can be easy and enjoyable for everyone.
The second objective, well-connected walking and cycling system, covers many of the aims of BWA’s manifesto – clearer signage, good lighting at night, and shorter waiting times at traffic lights, pavements that are clear of obstacles such as cars, accessibility to work, school and leisure destinations.
There are of course local authority transport plans in existence already which outline how infrastructure will be built and managed, but the Good Transport Plan aims to do something different. It does not try to duplicate these plans, but instead aims to bring about a change in mood and culture around transport and enthuse people about sustainable transport and the options we have as a citywide community for creating better transport. It is very relevant to the strategic issues in the sub-regional-plan for the next 20 years, for which the first round of consultation ended in January 2016.
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