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Green councillors have welcomed the announcement that next week Bristol bridge, Baldwin Street and Union Street will be closed to through traffic and new bike lanes installed along Park Row, Upper Maudlin Street and Marlborough Street.
The changes mark much needed first steps towards improving dangerous levels of air pollution in Bristol. They will also help people move safely about our city during the pandemic by making more room for walking and cycling.
Councillor Martin Fodor said:
“This is a much needed first step towards addressing Bristol’s dirty air, which shortens over 250 people’s lives every year. With more people keen to walk and cycle since the pandemic started, we now need a network of safer segregated walking and cycling networks more than ever. ”
“Bristol bridge has always been a difficult and confusing junction for pedestrians and cyclists, and Upper Maudlin Street is constantly dangerous and intimidating so I welcome the bridge closure to most traffic and new route to make the city safer and improve air pollution.”
Councillor Jerome Thomas added:
“There is growing evidence that those who have to breathe dirty air are more likely to be badly affected by coronavirus, so we have to act now to protect communities across our city.”
“Wherever we live in Bristol, we should be able to walk our children to school, or cycle to work safely and this means dramatically improving walking and cycling infrastructure. It also means introducing a clean air zone across the city which charges older polluting vehicles.”
“I am very pleased that after many years of talking, some real changes to make our city more bike and pedestrian friendly are being delivered. Now it’s time to up the pace of change across our city so that all communities can benefit.”
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