Bristol traffic. Is it just me or...
Discussion
... Has it got SUBSTANTIALLY worse in the last month?
It feels like all of the roadworks, 20mph lunacy and relatively low recent fuel prices have come home to roost. Every single day I end up in queues everywhere, and I don't even generally drive at rush hour.
Queuing at 10pm to come into town. In the late evening following people doing 18mph everywhere.
It's getting really, really painful.
Discuss.
It feels like all of the roadworks, 20mph lunacy and relatively low recent fuel prices have come home to roost. Every single day I end up in queues everywhere, and I don't even generally drive at rush hour.
Queuing at 10pm to come into town. In the late evening following people doing 18mph everywhere.
It's getting really, really painful.
Discuss.
I'm up the other end of Bristol but I tend to find if I avoid rush hour its not too bad though I don't do that much driving into the city. It's certainly still possible to make decent progress to/from work at 1000 & 1800 on the A roads out of town to the north.
The M32 during rush hours is pretty dire but I think that's always been the case I don't remember it being great even 10-15 years ago. The new 20 limits are an obvious annoyance when people decide to actually follow them and i've noticed more and more people doing so recently. Of course I think it's fair to assume they are here to stay forever even if red trousers gets ousted. I suppose in a few years people will just accept it as the norm but for now it does feel painfully slow.
The M32 during rush hours is pretty dire but I think that's always been the case I don't remember it being great even 10-15 years ago. The new 20 limits are an obvious annoyance when people decide to actually follow them and i've noticed more and more people doing so recently. Of course I think it's fair to assume they are here to stay forever even if red trousers gets ousted. I suppose in a few years people will just accept it as the norm but for now it does feel painfully slow.
carreauchompeur said:
... Has it got SUBSTANTIALLY worse in the last month?
It feels like all of the roadworks, 20mph lunacy and relatively low recent fuel prices have come home to roost. Every single day I end up in queues everywhere, and I don't even generally drive at rush hour.
Queuing at 10pm to come into town. In the late evening following people doing 18mph everywhere.
It's getting really, really painful.
Discuss.
You are the traffic.It feels like all of the roadworks, 20mph lunacy and relatively low recent fuel prices have come home to roost. Every single day I end up in queues everywhere, and I don't even generally drive at rush hour.
Queuing at 10pm to come into town. In the late evening following people doing 18mph everywhere.
It's getting really, really painful.
Discuss.
S10GTA said:
You are the traffic.
What a bizarre comment. Actually, I'm not most of the time. I cycle to work because it's quicker and I would argue that using a car at work is pretty essential. Based on my observations recently the traffic is building massively outside of traditional peak times and I can't fathom why.
carreauchompeur said:
... Has it got SUBSTANTIALLY worse in the last month?
It feels like all of the roadworks, 20mph lunacy and relatively low recent fuel prices have come home to roost. Every single day I end up in queues everywhere, and I don't even generally drive at rush hour.
Queuing at 10pm to come into town. In the late evening following people doing 18mph everywhere.
It's getting really, really painful.
Discuss.
It's not just you, CC, I've felt it getting worse lately. I used to be a courier driving round Bristol in an estate and regularly got lairy at the state of the traffic. Nowadays, I think I'd be dead inside a week if I was still in the job.It feels like all of the roadworks, 20mph lunacy and relatively low recent fuel prices have come home to roost. Every single day I end up in queues everywhere, and I don't even generally drive at rush hour.
Queuing at 10pm to come into town. In the late evening following people doing 18mph everywhere.
It's getting really, really painful.
Discuss.
Tonight, had to go from Oldland Common to Aztec West, pick up two bags of mail, take them to Avonmouth and back home again. I have done it inside ninety minutes before but lately, I can't break two hours at all. Motorway was screwed tonight, the alternative way via the A403 through Severn Beach etc has traffic lights by the power station and the third alternative round the back of Henbury and Lawrence Weston was nose to tail.
Hate it but at least I only do that run once a week now.
I think it's partly a side effect of some truly daft choices (that goddam bus gate on Redclff Way for example - 85% of the time green to buses, hence the rest of all traffic trying to exit via Temple Way roundabout backing-up to the Arnofini, also reducing Redcliff St and the route over the hill past St. Mary's to a complete stall); and the rest a recent surge in painted lane restrictions linked to idological BCC issues inc. newish traffic-lights at uselessy-short spacings. Mostly because the useless bunch of barstewards who comprise BCC traffic engs cannot understand why anyone might want to traverse the city at greater than 4mph, or that traffic light phasing could even be linked on major routes to the benefit of everything. Meanwhile BCC are too risk-averse/politically-led-by-the-nose to realise that the city's wellbeing relies on being able to actually conduct business.
I have/had some potential clients who now simply refuse to do (significant, 6-7+ fig investment to local economy) business in Bristol - including even merely visitng the place - simply because of BCC transport policy makes even visiting for meetings too tedious to for them to accept on a costs basis. Its not me losing here, or the company I work for: it is Bristol. 'Green City' my (trimmer-than-formerly, cyclists) butt.
PS even as an occaisonal commutng cyclist in the city, some of the new route works are equally daft and useless/unjoined-up/misplaced. Come the Revolution...
I have/had some potential clients who now simply refuse to do (significant, 6-7+ fig investment to local economy) business in Bristol - including even merely visitng the place - simply because of BCC transport policy makes even visiting for meetings too tedious to for them to accept on a costs basis. Its not me losing here, or the company I work for: it is Bristol. 'Green City' my (trimmer-than-formerly, cyclists) butt.
PS even as an occaisonal commutng cyclist in the city, some of the new route works are equally daft and useless/unjoined-up/misplaced. Come the Revolution...
Edited by Huff on Saturday 20th June 00:56
Traffic worse in the past month or so. As already said "THE 20 Limit " has not been around for long. I mean the city wide 20 they have brought out. Traffic is going to get worse as you have people who will only do 19MPH. and if they hit 20MPH and see the f
king flashing 20's brake down to 15MPH.
the Majors a and has stupid ideas to get people out of cars.
bristol as a whole(Major and council) are only after 1 thing. To reduce the cars in the and get us to use expansive, smelly and late public transport or to walk or cycle.
I would like to say to them. Go fk yourself 
Sorry about that. Just needed to get it off my tits
king flashing 20's brake down to 15MPH.the Majors a
and has stupid ideas to get people out of cars. bristol as a whole(Major and council) are only after 1 thing. To reduce the cars in the and get us to use expansive, smelly and late public transport or to walk or cycle.
I would like to say to them. Go f
k yourself Sorry about that. Just needed to get it off my tits
Simbu said:
Yesterday walking to the hippodrome from Clifton Down on the way to work, I beat a bus into town. That put the traffic stfest into perspective for me!
The 20mph limits are a joke. They're unnecessary and no one keeps to them.
It seems to have turned the pedestrians into lunatics. Walking in front of moving traffic because "they're only supposed to be doing 20" is now apparently acceptable. tfest into perspective for me!The 20mph limits are a joke. They're unnecessary and no one keeps to them.
RemaL said:
Traffic worse in the past month or so. As already said "THE 20 Limit " has not been around for long. I mean the city wide 20 they have brought out. Traffic is going to get worse as you have people who will only do 19MPH. and if they hit 20MPH and see the fking flashing 20's brake down to 15MPH.
the Majors a and has stupid ideas to get people out of cars.
bristol as a whole(Major and council) are only after 1 thing. To reduce the cars in the and get us to use expansive, smelly and late public transport or to walk or cycle.
I would like to say to them. Go fk yourself
Sorry about that. Just needed to get it off my tits
Don't apologise, it's a valid opinion.king flashing 20's brake down to 15MPH.the Majors a
and has stupid ideas to get people out of cars. bristol as a whole(Major and council) are only after 1 thing. To reduce the cars in the and get us to use expansive, smelly and late public transport or to walk or cycle.
I would like to say to them. Go f
k yourself Sorry about that. Just needed to get it off my tits
Re the buses... when they dropped the fares a while ago, they had a decent increase in the numbers of passengers who used them. So much so that they had to bring in extra vehicles and drivers which in turn meant that that the fares had to go back up to cover costs....
I work from home in South Glos and the 20 limit's the last straw. Going to a job in Redland I had to park 1/4 mile away because of the RPZ and having gone to town for a meal it took ages to pay to park as the machine did not take cash (which I had in my pocket) and I'd left my wallet and cards with my wife and mum, who I'd dropped off the the restaurant. Last month I thought I'd get the bus in for the Italian car show, only to find that it's £6.40 and takes 2 hours and 4 minutes (excluding time getting to and from the bus stops and waiting), so about 2.5 hours just to go 10 miles there and back.
So I've decided to make my point. I charge a fixed price for a job - typically £333.33+vat which is the £400 total quoted. So what I'm now doing is charging £300 + £33.33 George Ferguson surcharge and then vat, so its still £400, but a point seemingly made.
So I've decided to make my point. I charge a fixed price for a job - typically £333.33+vat which is the £400 total quoted. So what I'm now doing is charging £300 + £33.33 George Ferguson surcharge and then vat, so its still £400, but a point seemingly made.
The only good thing Bristol ( And surrounding areas) do for me is allow me in Bus lanes when i'm on the blade. Not that I wanted to go into bristol when i'm on the bike. Well it's the last place to think of it.
Only time I made use of them going into bristol was when my youngest was in the Children's hospital. Which was handy as I could park the bike right outside the door and was free
Only time I made use of them going into bristol was when my youngest was in the Children's hospital. Which was handy as I could park the bike right outside the door and was free
It's pretty dire lately, seems to be the perfect storm of ongoing roadworks/motorway work, many council policies seeming to be aimed squarely at increasing congestion (20mph zones, RPZs, random "traffic calming" measures and odd road/lane markings) and an increase in traffic.
I avoid Bristol at all costs now, sometimes getting the bus down (from South Glos) if I absolutely have to go into town to meet someone, unless it's later on a weekday once the chaos has settled down a bit.
I work shifts, thankfully up the Motorway rather than down, so miss most of it. I definitely wouldn't want to commute during peak times to Bristol itself.
I avoid Bristol at all costs now, sometimes getting the bus down (from South Glos) if I absolutely have to go into town to meet someone, unless it's later on a weekday once the chaos has settled down a bit.
I work shifts, thankfully up the Motorway rather than down, so miss most of it. I definitely wouldn't want to commute during peak times to Bristol itself.
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