Council Criticised Over Zetland Road Junction Changes

Bristol City Council has been

criticised by local cyclists for changing the phasing of the traffic

lights at the junction of Zetland Road and Gloucester Road.

The

changes, which were carried out last week without consultation or

warning, now mean that cyclists turning right into Gloucester Road from

the cycle lane on Elton Road are forced onto the busy A38 at the same

time as cars turning right onto Gloucester Road from Zetland Road. The

idea is for the cyclists to merge with the right-turning cars.

Local

blog Bristol Traffic has criticised the change, which it claims risks

cyclists being sideswiped by cars competing for the same space or, even

run into by cars turning immediately left into Cromwell Road. Bristol

Traffic sees the change as an example of the council's failure to take seriously the needs of cyclists despite the much-publicised

Cycling City initiative.  

A council statement admits that the

changes will bring "significant benefits to all users of the junction

aside possible cyclists from Elton Road." The council statement does

claim, moreover, that cyclists travelling out of town on Gloucester Road

will benefit from the re-phasing of the lights.

Cycling

campaigner Chris Hutt, meanwhile, a critic of the Cycling City

initiative, which he says has failed to tackle key issues of

infrastructure change, claims that the change of the lights at the

Zetland Road junction ignores the fact that virtually all cyclists using

the lights will in fact be turning right into Gloucester Road and thus

putting themselves at increased risk of collision.