Buses will no longer stop in city shopping area


Buses will not be allowed to travel through Broadmead from 30 August

Several bus routes that currently serve a busy city centre shopping area are going to be redirected.

Bristol City Council has announced that 25 bus services will be rerouted away from Broadmead as part of its "Bristol on the Move City Centre project".

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said the changes come alongside a range of "transformational investment", which includes new homes, shops and public spaces in Broadmead and Castle Park.

From 30 August, all bus stops on Union Street, The Horsefair and Penn Street will close. The council said bus commuters will need to find alternative routes or bus stops to use.

Some of the bus routes affected include: 1, 2, 3, 4, 41, 42, 43, 375 and Y6. These services are operated by First Bus and Stagecoach.

As part of the changes there will be new and upgraded bus stops on Fairfax Street, Broad Weir, Lower Castle Street and Bond Street.

David Redgewell is a member of the South West Transport Network that campaigns for transport users in the region. He said the project is going to be the most significant change to happen to Bristol City Centre in 40 years. "The last time something this big happened was when Broadmead was pedestrianised and we got the Galleries," he said. "The most important thing is Helen Godwin and her team need to take responsibility for making sure passenger information is clear on bus stops."


David Redgewell said this project is the biggest change in 40 years

The West of England Combined Authority (Weca) said to ensure people know what is happening before the changes take effect, it will work with the council, bus operators and Broadmead businesses.

Councillor Ed Plowden, Bristol City Council's Chair of the Transport and Connectivity Committee, said he recognised the change will affect "thousands of people". Plowden said: "Our travel advisors will be available on the ground before and after the changeover date to help people find their new bus stops and plan their journeys. Once the bus routes have changed, there will be bespoke information displayed on each bus stop that is closing to direct people to their new bus stop," he added.

Why do the press so often term bus or rail users "commuters" when they're clearly not?  Almost as irritating as being called customers!

Agreed. ‘Passenger’ is a much better word, covering every type of user. Perhaps it’s its ubiquity that makes journalists look for a different word, but it is a bit like calling every cat a mouser.

At the risk of sounding facetious or cynical, may I suggest that the buses are being cleared out of the way, to allow for Helen and Andy's mass transit system ie trams to be  installed ?