Lib Dems oppose M32 bus lane proposal
Plans to extend the M32 bus lane into the city would actively worsen traffic, a recently published report shows.
Removing a traffic lane from Newfoundland Way would cause queues to back up to beyond the Ashley roundabout (junction 3) according to the council’s own traffic model, causing driver delay and pollution costs worth £68m. The scheme’s Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR), a measure used to determine the overall value of a project, is -35.9.
“This is the worst BCR score I have ever seen,” says Cllr Nicholas Coombes (Liberal Democrat, Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze). “There would be minimal benefits to public transport journey times in this location, balanced against delays to other road users which are valued 35 times worse.
“It is unrealistic to say that car drivers are going to switch to the bus before we even have plans for a park and ride. Even ignoring the delay costs to car drivers, the pollution costs caused by the queueing traffic still outweighs the public transport benefits four-to-one.
“The proposals for Bond Street and a new cycle route seem reasonable, but I can’t support a package that knowingly causes 35 times more harm than good.”
The CRSTS Bond Street Full Business Case will be presented to the Transport Committee on 15 May 2025.
Notes to editors:
- Cllr Nicholas Coombes is the Liberal Democrat member on the Transport and Connectivity Committee. He is a professional infrastructure planner with ten years’ experience of developing major highway schemes.
- The proposal is included in Item 10 ‘City Centre Transport Corridor – Bond St Full Business Case Submission’ in the papers for the Transport and Connectivity Committee on 15th May. The papers can be found here: ModernGov - bristol.gov.uk