Billboard unveiled imagining car free Bristol
It shows a futuristic Newfoundland Circus at the end of the M32, featuring trams and segregated cycle lanes
Last updated 24th Jan 2023
A billboard has appeared on a major junction in Bristol, reimagining what the area could look like if the city prioritised pedestrians and sustainable transport, over cars.
It has been created by a charity called Possible and shows Newfoundland Circus, at the end of the M32 by the Cabot Circus shopping centre, completely redesigned so it features trams, segregated cycle lanes and wider pavements.
While there are no formal plans in place to actually make the changes suggested, Rob Bryher who helped put the billboard together, says he hopes it will inspire Bristolians to think more about how things could be different in the future.
"We know that our cities are very dependent (on cars)," Rob said.
"Bristol in particular is the second most congested city in the country.
"We're very dominated by cars in the city and this is an attempt to show a different possible future where we take different decisions about our transport."
The billboard depicts one of the major entrances into Bristol, Newfoundland Circus, which currently features multiple lanes for cars on each side of the road, with effectively dead space in the middle.
However, the billboard shows it redesigned so the road now features a tram line on each side, one lane for cars or other vehicles and then a segregated cycle lane, while the central area features more greenery, seating areas and a food stall.
"If we put these measures in place we would see a massive change in the way people choose to move into the city," Rob claims.
"We don't have at the moment, effective public transport.
"We have some, but it's not as good as it should be, and we don't have protected cycle ways, two of the big things we need to have a sustainable transport system."
Bristol City Council claims there are 75 miles worth of segregated cycle lanes in the city already, but this is disputed by cycling campaigners.
Last year a group called called Bristol Loves Cycling organised a protest calling for better cycling routes and a petition was signed several thousand times.
Rob says he's confident that Bristol is capable of making such changes.
"When you ask people in Bristol, when you give them the information...people do come back and say they want these measures," he said.
Mike Birkin is a supporter of the idea and spoke to us at the billboard saying he's "extremely confident" the change can happen.
"You only need to visit a few cities just over the other side of the English Channel to see it happening in practice, in cities in the Netherlands, in Denmark, in France and Belgium," he said.
"In so many places now the city centres are being redesigned in exactly this kind of way...
"The barrier to making it happen is mostly one of getting people on side."
We have asked Bristol City Council if it will comment on the idea.