Blocked-off bus lane in Fishponds, Bristol, sends motorists round the bend
BUSES are having to swerve out of a new bus lane in Fishponds because vehicles have been banned from turning left at a busy junction.
The ban on the left-hand turn into Hockey's Lane from Fishponds Road came into force on February 6 and plastic cones and a sign were placed in the bus lane in an attempt to enforce the new measure.
It means that buses using the new Greater Bristol Bus Network (GBBN) route, which is unpopular with many residents and traders, have to leave the dedicated lane and move into the main lane of traffic, causing hold-ups on the already busy road.
Meanwhile, because of the ban on turning left, the traffic light sequence at the junction has also been changed.
This means that when traffic going straight on is given a green light, a pedestrian crossing across Hockey's Lane also turns green.
But this then causes a problem when vehicles flout the banned left turn – which is so far not being enforced in any other way apart from the cones and sign.
The Evening Post has seen pictures of near misses, where cars have nearly collided with pedestrians who think it is safe to cross.
The green light at the pedestrian crossing also shows that the left turn into Hockey's Lane has been banned to cyclists – as cyclists turning left could also hit people crossing the road.
It is not clear what alternative route shoppers, who used to turn left into Hockey's Lane to reach Morrisons supermarket, should now use.
It is also uncertain which route HGV drivers will use when making deliveries to the supermarket.
Other nearby roads include Station Road, which was re-opened by the council and during consultation with residents was named as the preferred route to Morrisons.
However residents claim the road was originally due to be widened but this has not happened.
Due to cars being parked up on each side of the road it is currently single-track.
Residents say that at formal consultation stage the GBBN team was proposing a 1.2mile detour via Lodge Causeway.
Another possible route to the supermarket could have been New Station Road but this has been blocked by a bus stop and is now only available to pedestrians and cyclists.
Other possible routes include Forest Road, which is narrow, and a complicated route which would see drivers turning right just past Hockey's Lane into Channon's Hill and crossing Fishponds Road into Hockey's Lane. David Mock, spokesman for the traffic and transport subgroup of the Greater Fishponds Neighbourhood Partnership, told the Post: "The council is very obviously blocking and slowing down buses so that cars and other vehicles don't turn left into Hockey's Lane.
"The cones are absurd – on the one hand the council put in a new bus lane to make bus journeys quicker, but now it's being blocked off.
"It's obvious that most drivers cannot understand why this ban has been implemented – I've seen quite a few near misses when pedestrians have tried to cross Hockey's Lane and have almost been run over."
Ward councillor Lesley Alexander (Conservative, Frome Vale) says she has received many inquiries from people who are confused about the banned turn.
"I've had so many people coming to me saying how ridiculous the ban is.
"I've asked the council so many times why it is needed, until I'm blue in the face, and I will continue to ask those questions."
A Bristol City Council spokeswoman said the cones had been placed in the bus lane on a temporary basis as part of other temporary traffic management signs to advise motorists that they can no longer turn left into Hockey's Lane.
She said that once the cones were removed early next week the enforcement of the ban will be in the hands of police.
When asked which alternative route motorists should take, she said: "For motorists heading along Fishponds Road into town alternative provision has been made via Station Road for left-turning vehicles, removing them from the general traffic approaching Hockey's Lane and therefore reducing congestion on that stretch.
"This provides pedestrians with a better crossing across Hockey's Lane and also helps to reduce congestion at the junction for cars and buses.
"If drivers miss the left turn into Station Road they can go round the gyratory but presumably drivers who know the area will not need to make this movement."
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by FishpondsMan
Wednesday, February 22 2012, 12:42PM
“Re Downend Blue
The Lib Dems will probably get voted out in Fishponds but unfortunately it'll be Labour back in again. Always worth remembering it was the Labour council that originally came up with the idea of the showcase bus routes. Unfortunately until Lab/Lib Dems change their fundamental view that spending rafts of public money on pointless public sector projects is a good idea this will go on and on and on.........”
by DownendBlue
Wednesday, February 22 2012, 11:54AM
“I just hope that this useless lot of councillors get voted out at the next elections and let common sense prevail and get the whole area doen to Eastville Park restored. This will of course cost a lot of money.
Any chance of the morons who have been responsible for the mess being tried for mis-use of public funds?”
by MarkBS9
Wednesday, February 22 2012, 11:14AM
“Have I just read this correctly or am I losing it: they spend £78M of public money on a bus route, and immediately block it with cones? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea in the first place.
Just sayin'.”
by FishpondsMan
Wednesday, February 22 2012, 9:55AM
“Noticed still 'no left hand turn' signs on the junction, watched 2 policeman sat in their car whilst they watched about 6 cars turn left while people were trying to cross on their green man. They both then just drove off, it would be amusing if it weren't so dangerous.
However lucky that the police are enforcing the 'no left turn'. Heard from a local that the police aren't even aware of it.”
by Ems12321
Tuesday, February 21 2012, 6:48PM
“People are still turning left though, i was nearly knocked down there the other day. The crossing was green and i was about to cross and a car came speeding around the corner.
It's so dangerous.”
by Hipocrite
Tuesday, February 21 2012, 4:36PM
“Just been watching the traffic at this junction while waiting for a bus, Dowend bound. I think the new arrangements are absolutely Stupid and a terrible waste of tax payers money. I don't understand why goods vehicles have a long diversion to Morrisons. I see north bound traffic can turn right into Hockeys Lane. Unless there is a weight restriction why cant the transport from the North pass over the junction and turn right into Channons Hill.then right again in the one way system , then they will be facing Hockeys Lane to cross the lights into it. I realise some long arctic vehicles could cause hold ups, But its a lot shorter than the proposed route up the Causeway.”
by DM_Fishponds
Sunday, February 19 2012, 7:33PM
“@Brizz_Tony - "Short of fencing the road off, I can't see there is any way to stop people turning left, either deliberately or just because they are stupid."
Hi Tony
Whilst I agree with you that it would be nigh-on impossible to prevent people from turning left into Hockeys Lane, I believe that it is wrong to ban the left turn and try and block the lane.
Hockeys Lane is THE main access to Morrisons Supermarket; The company that originally built the supermarket may have even contributed Section 106 money to enable the widening of the lane.
Fishponds Library has just relocated to Robinson House in Hockeys Lane, AND Aldi is building a new supermarket on the opposite side of the lane from Morrisons within the next 18 months.
So requirements to access Hockeys Lane are increasing since the GBBN Team decided to ban the left-turn solely to improve the speed and profits of a privately run bus company through Fishponds. The GBBN Team did not consider any of these facts when they made their proposal and Cllr Tim Kent, although aware of impending additional traffic in Hockeys Lane, chose to ignore the facts to the sole benefit of First Bus.
As Tony said, it is impossible to block the lane, so the left-turn should be re-instated and pedestrians revert to cross-on-demand.
This is probably the cheapest solution to any of the problems introduced by GBBN on Fishponds Road. Hopefully a combination of public pressure and the possible threat of "corporate manslaughter" will make Cllr Kent see sense for perhaps the first time since he campaigned to have the "Whitchurch Lane Chicanes" removed in his own ward.
It should also be noted that while Cllr Kent wishes to inflict GBBN and BRT on most residents of Bristol, he still opposes a South Bristol Ring Road running through his own ward.”
by Brizz_Tony
Sunday, February 19 2012, 3:42PM
“It seems as though we will have to wait for someone to be badly hurt or worse before this is sorted out. Short of fencing the road off, I can't see there is any way to stop people turning left, either deliberately or just because they are stupid. Why should this junction be any different from the dozens of other places where instructions are ignored? The police don't bother about them either.”
by DM_Fishponds
Saturday, February 18 2012, 9:42PM
“@KNIGEL - "DM, however if I drived, I don't think I would want to risk turning left into Hockeys Lane just in case I'm caught. I like to think I obey the law...even when the law is an as*."
Hi Knigel,
I agree. I haven't turned left into Hockeys Lane since the ban started either.
Some will intentionally break the law, but the driver I saw this morning looked completely unaware (perhaps one of the 'terminally confused') that there is now a banned left-turn and bemused that there was a pedestrian crossing his path.
The thing is that the GBBN Team has NOT carried out any survey on the number of pedestrians crossing at that point so, for much of the time there are no pedestrians and the banned left-turn is completely pointless.
At the moment, with the temporary bollards and signs in place, on average one vehicle per light-change is still turning left. I'm sure that this will increase once the bollards are removed.
When someone gets knocked over it will be no consolation to say, "We told you so!"
At least this news item will make it easier for the casualty or their family to sue the council, the GBBN Team or the individuals who ignored our concerns! The council is aware of our concerns and seem to have dismissed them by the statement in the item above. The term "corporate manslaughter" springs to mind.
The Hockeys Lane Junction is not delaying buses getting to the city on time. There is no bus lane between Emersons Green and Fishponds, or through Easton.
Contrary to what the council would have us believe there is more to quality of life than allegedly saving 30 seconds on buses travelling through Fishponds!
SOLUTION: Re-instate the left turn and have an on-demand pedestrian crossing as before. The equipment is already there, the crossing lights just need re-programming.”
by roly12345
Saturday, February 18 2012, 7:24PM
“@ fatfek
Crash investigators regularly make recommendations after the event for a change, but I have never yet heard of them condemning the existing road layout as contributory.
"The road has been designed in a way that fatalities like this are unavoidable, I personally name several GiBBoNs who should no longer enjoy the freedom of the city, but like their namesakes should be behind bars, for the protection of the wider community"
Yeah dream on, professional always has and always will mean, not responsible for anything you get paid a whopping salary for.”