£300k windfall will for jam-busting roadworks across Bristol area

A GOVERNMENT windfall of nearly £300,000 will be used by councils in the former Avon area to ease traffic congestion.

The money is seen as a reward for work by the West of England Partnership (WEP) to free up nine major routes into Bristol.

Traffic congestion remains one of the biggest issues in the Bristol area with commuters suffering daily in jams in and out of the city.

In April, the Evening Post reported traffic in Bristol is the slowest in the country.

Figures from motoring group the AA showed average car speeds during the Bristol rush hour are around 16.1 miles an hour – the slowest in Britain outside London.

Estimates suggest congestion is costing the greater Bristol area at least £350 million a year and the figure is set to soar to almost £600m by 2016.

Four councils – Bristol City, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset – make up the WEP and representatives from each sit on a committee to try and address the area's transport issues.

And, despite a predicted congestion growth rate of 14per cent for last year, the partnership has actually managed to cut jams by 0.4 per cent on the nine routes.

As a result, the Department for Transport has granted £289,000 to the WEP, most of which will be spent on the roadworks currently taking place at the Totterdown junction of St John's Lane and the A37 Wells Road.

There are also plans for changes to the junction of York Road and St Luke's Road, in a bid to improve traffic flow.

Mark Bradshaw, Bristol City Council's transport boss, said: “This is a very welcome additional investment by the Government that will help us tackle one or more congestion hotspots in the city and its surrounding sub-region.

“The money has been secured as a reward for the excellent work the partner authorities have been doing together to identify hotspots and set out a clear plan to tackle them.

“It is further evidence of the Government's recognition of the difference that the four authorities' good partnership working across the sub-region is now making.”

Apart from the A37, eight other arterial routes around Bristol have been identified as being in need of investment.

They are: the A4018 up Whiteladies Road and on to junction 17 of the M5; the eastbound and northbound routes of the Avon Ring Road; the A432 to Yate; the A420 to the A46 and Chippenham; the A4 to Keynsham and Bath; the A370 to Weston-super-Mare and the A4 to Avonmouth and Junction 18 of the M5.

Many of these will see showcase bus routes installed, estimated for completion by 2011.

Others will have redesigned traffic junctions and new signalling.