Launched in January 2016, the Good Transport Plan sets out a vision for the future of travel in Bristol. As part of Bristol Green Capital in 2015, Sustrans agreed to take the lead in developing the plan, with organisations like Life Cycle, First Bus and the Bristol Civic Society contributing ideas and suggestions to the vision, followed by six months of public consultation. Bristol Civic Society’s name appears amongst a long list of supporting organisations on the back of the document.
The plan aims to show how getting around the city could be cleaner, cheaper and more efficient if we reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. The aim is to inspire people to see the potential for the future of travel in Bristol.
The Good Transport Plan identifies nine objectives that Bristol needs to continue to address to create a sustainable city with travel options and public spaces that can be used by everyone.
- An affordable and reliable public transport system
- A well-connected walking and cycling network that is of high quality
- Increasing the use of low-emission, shared vehicle usage and accessible refilling points
- Reducing the number of heavy vehicles on the road and coordinating delivery vehicle patterns
- Creating a people-centred city centre environment by reducing traffic flow
- Encouraging and empowering communities to help redesign residential spaces
- Giving employees the chance to work from home and travel sustainably
- Allowing children the opportunity to walk, scoot and cycle and play outdoors to improve their well-being
- And overall, to show that sustainable and active travel can be easy and enjoyable for everyone.
There are of course local authority transport plans in existence already which outline how infrastructure will be built and managed, but the Good Transport Plan aims to do something different. It does not try to duplicate these plans, but instead aims to bring about a change in mood and culture around transport and enthuse people about sustainable transport and the options we have as a citywide community for creating better transport. It is very relevant to the strategic issues in the 2016-36 sub-regional plan, for which the first round of consultation ended in January 2016.
Alan Morris