A councillor has called for a rethink on the £15 million scheme to introduce bus gates on Park Street.
Councillor John Goulandris (Conservative, Stoke Bishop) said the proposals risked excluding severely disabled people, who have no choice but to travel by car.
He told a meeting of Bristol City Council’s strategy and resources committee in April that the Park Street project was in conflict with the authority’s aim to improve accessibility.
“Unfortunately there are lots of complications, partly funding, partly also that trying to achieve full access to some groups will actually clank against some policies we have because the harsh reality is that a large number of disabled and very elderly people rely on one mode of transport that is not very popular at the moment and that’s the motor car. I see very little provision for disabled and elderly people using their motor cars with blue badges,” he said.
Cllr Goulandris said that if the Park Street scheme, which would block through traffic to cut congestion, went ahead, an exception would have to be made for the most disabled drivers.
Cllr Ani Stafford-Townsend (Green, Central) said people with physical disabilities were currently at risk from air pollution, so the proposed Park Street changes were welcome, and that it would be easier for those who did need to drive to get around because there would be fewer motorists.
The Park Street scheme was approved by the Green-led city council in March but the full business case has to be approved by the West of England Combined Authority, so a final decision will be made by whoever is elected Metro Mayor on May 1.
Includes reporting by
Adam Postans, LDRS