“a naive idea . get real.”

“Excellent idea! Well said Councillor Cook. Bristol is choked with traffic and we need to reclaim the streets for people. If treasures such as Corn Street, King Street or Park Street were in any other major European city they would be car free. With trees, benches, bicycles, cafe tables and PEOPLE rather than metal boxes.”

“ok ignoring the hills and weather, what roads would be closed exactly? and how would car, lorries, etc get from one side ot the city centre to the other?”

“I was born and bred in the Netherlands, pretty much came out of my mum on a bike! I have lived in the UK now for 12 years, and have never ridden a bike here. Why? Because there are not sufficient provisions for bike riders that would make me feel safe to do so. I am not blaming motorists - but due to there not being provisions cyclists have to share the same road. There is intolerance on all sides, and cyclists feel they have to be 'resourceful' to get on 'safely'. Pedestrians get annoyed with cyclists as they flout the rules, and I have to say it is very bad in Bristol! There are not enough laws for cyclists. I see them go down the wrong way in one way streets, shoot on the pavement when the traffic light goes red on the road so they can use the green pedestrian crossing light, not having a bell but using their voice to go through a busy pedestrian area - do you always look up when someone just goes round behind you shouting 'Excuse me!' or worse, 'Move!'? I even saw someone with a bike in the covered area of Cabot Circus - on opening day! Yes, I suppose there are a number of towns and cities in the Netherlands and other countries where cars have been banned from the centre - but in many cases you're not allowed to ride your bike there either and you are meant to stall them on the fringes where you can 'park' them securely. I don't think the debate will ever go away, unless laws change, and the mindframe of people.”

“Steve,
Sarah of Keynsham was the complainee in question. Now of course her disabled son and every disabled individual deserves consideration and various disability groups are consulted by the council on these projects (and yes I do support that). What I find erksome is she uses her son as some kind of excuse for poopooing this idea and worst of all suggesting that it would be discriminatory. Your overtly PC'ness defends this odious position so who really is the ghastly individual?

I would also like to reiterate the point that we don't actually know what closing off the city centre to cars actually does mean. And therefore we cannot make snap judgements or even worry about how it will affect any group of people be they cyclists or blue badge holders. It may not even come to anything.”

“We should all strive for equality. But this does not mean that some people should be more equal than others.”

“Sam, Bishopston:

Nope, as far as I know my friend doesn't read this website, which is a damn good job when idiots like you post here.

Hiding behind "you're too PC" rubbish just demonstrates your almost unbelievable ignorance.

Clearly you have no shame about labelling those less fortunate than yourself as "whining" - what a sad little person you truly are.

And there's nothing "bleeding heart" about having some empathy for people who's life is a daily struggle and can't do the things that the rest of us take for granted.

It's called common humanity - clearly a trait that you don't possess.

Don't even bother to try and qualify your cretinous comments by pointing out that the Council has to consult the disabled if they wanted to implement the car-free scheme - of course they do!

What do want - that they don't consult?

I think you probably do, Sam, as disabled people just get in the way, don't they?

Ghastly individual.”

“Steve, Southville

"Whining blue badge holders? Your arrogant, ignorant moron. God forbid you ever have the misfortune to need a blue badge, like the disabled, or the good friend of mine who is a mother of a severely disabled child.

She and her young son are utterly dependent on her car. A month or so ago her car broke down and she couldn't afford to have it repaired so they were stuck in the house, day after day after day, with the lad, literally, hitting his head against the wall the whole time.

I really do hope that Sam, Bishopston, isn't representative of the cycling lobby in our city."

Bleeding heart bullsh*t. Did your friend publish the post lower down whining about what the disabled were going to do or didn't she bother because she knows that the council has to consider her severely disabled child (it's the law) and consult the disabled before doing any kind of scheme like this? A whining idiot is an idiot blue badge or not. Shame you're too PC to admit that.”

“Jacqueline, (possibly without knowing it) you make a good case for restricting cars from the city centre.

If there was a car-free zone in the city centre, there'd be so much more room for everyone.”

“I, personally, am getting fed up with being almost run down by cyclists in the centre of Bristol. I catch a bus to Broadmead and then have to walk after that and the number of times cyclists have been on the pavements without a care in the world for the pedestrians makes me livid. I thought there were laws to stop cyclists riding on the pavements but obviously not. Please, all you cyclists out there, remember the pavement is for pedestrians - these are the people who use their legs to walk!!! Get on the roads where you belong.”