The South Glos Post

A number of overnight road closures have been scheduled for the M32 junction 1 and Coldharbour Lane during September.

The closures take place between 8pm and 6am and form part of work to increase road capacity and improve traffic flow prior to completion of the showcase bus corridor scheme in Spring 2012.

On the M32 junction 1, the northbound slip road from the ring road onto junction 1 of the M32 will be closed on 8th, 9th, 10th, 22nd, 23rd and 24th September for resurfacing works. Temporary diversion routes will be clearly signed.

Coldharbour Lane will also be closed on 5th, 6th and 7th September for resurfacing works, again with clear temporary diversions. On 19th, 20th and 21st September there will be lane closures at Coldharbour Lane but the road will still be accessible to traffic.

Read on for full details of the diversions that will be in force »

South Gloucestershire commuters can ‘dial and park’ for a special discount price at the new park & ride facility off Hunts Ground Road in Stoke Gifford (close to Bristol Parkway Station).

During September, all commuters who use their mobile phone to pay for parking will be charged just £2 per day, plus normal text charges – a saving of £3 on the normal daily rate.

The facility is the first of its kind in South Gloucestershire and gives residents the opportunity to leave their car behind before transferring to a train or local bus for onward journeys into Bristol and other parts of South Gloucestershire.

The park and ride is also on the route of the proposed North Fringe to Hengrove rapid transit network, which the council hopes to gain funding for from the Department for Transport later this year. If the bid for funding is successful, it would provide links to Cribbs Causeway, Aztec West, UWE and Emersons Green, and to Bristol city centre and on to Hengrove.

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A new congestion-busting transport link road has been included as part of a flagship rapid transit scheme, delighting local campaigners.

Approved by South Gloucestershire Council’s Cabinet on Monday (25th July), the North Fringe to Hengrove Package rapid transit scheme includes the ‘Stoke Gifford Transport Link’ – also known locally as the Stoke Gifford bypass.

The bypass had been due to open over ten years ago in order to deal with the huge congestion in the North Fringe of Bristol created by the development of 8,000 homes at Bradley Stoke and other nearby developments. It was cancelled when South Gloucestershire Council was run by the Liberal Democrats. A long campaign has been fought by local Conservatives to revive plans for the new road.

Speaking at Monday’s Cabinet meeting, Stoke Gifford Conservative councillor Keith Cranney said:

“I welcome the North Fringe to Hengrove Package rapid transit scheme and feel that the Stoke Gifford Transport Link is the most important element of it.”

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Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council

South Gloucestershire Liberal Democrats have welcomed a major step forward in achieving an integrated transport system fit for the 21st Century.

Lib Dem Transport Spokesperson Cllr Pat Hockey said, “I welcome the Cabinet’s decision to move forward with its bid for Government funding to enable work to start on the South Gloucestershire element of a rapid transport system. This will link The Mall, the main employment areas, including the Science Park at Emersons Green, Bradley Stoke and UWE, with Bristol City Centre and beyond.

“This may not be the tram we had originally hoped for but it is new and exciting and will offer a very attractive alternative to sitting behind the wheel in a traffic jam. It is regrettable that this progress has to be linked to the loss of Green Belt at Harry Stoke. The original proposals if they had gone ahead would have meant not only the loss of the countryside but a wide dual carriageway attracting even more cars on to the Ring Road joining the queues at the Hambrook roundabout.”

Cllr Hockey added, “We don’t have to abandon our dreams for a tram. If the funding becomes available the extra width needed to convert the bus rapid transit into a tramway is being safeguarded with these proposals.”

More info: North Fringe to Hengrove Package (Travel+)

Source: South Gloucestershire Liberal Democrats