University of Bristol’s Plans for Pedestrianisation of Tyndall’s Avenue
Letter from Avril Baker consultants
I am writing to you on behalf of the University of Bristol regarding emerging plans for public realm improvements to Tyndall Avenue and to invite you to take part in consultation on this project.
The scope of this project is to bring forward the re-design of Tyndall Avenue as a public space to serve the University, the local community and the general public. This includes proposals to pedestrianise Tyndall Avenue and re-route vehicular traffic along St Michael’s Park. This will enable the University to provide a high quality and flexible public realm at the heart of the University precinct, and to enhance the student experience by re-orientating the student focus and facilities along Tyndall Avenue.
The public realm proposals are still at an early stage and a first pre-application planning enquiry will be made to Bristol City Council later this month. The University and its project team would therefore like to share these initial proposals with key stakeholders and the local community before working up a more detailed scheme and submitting a planning application.
You may be interested to know that a public exhibition of the proposals will be on display in Senate House foyer until 22nd February. There will be a staffed session for near neighbours and the wider public at the exhibition from 4 – 7pm on 1st February.
From 1st February more information about the project, together with the exhibition material and a feedback survey, will also be online at www.bristol.ac.uk/estates/projects/tyndallplace/
OUR RESPONSE
Kingsdown Conservation Group supports the intention to “maintain two-way vehicular traffic and cycle routes” on Tyndall Avenue published in the University Of Bristol’s Master Plan, which was adopted by the city as planning policy in 2007.
The use of the road as Shared Space, which has been implemented on Exhibition Road in Kensington, is the design approach favoured by the Group, which does not support the proposed pedestrianisation of Tyndall Avenue outlined above. Members are encouraged to consider the wider consequences of these pre-application proposals and visit the exhibition.
5 comments on “Tyndall’s Avenue Proposals”
The university’s commitment to investing in the enhancement of the open spaces on its own estate and adjacent public realm is commendable and exemplary. Its encouragement of the use of these spaces by staff, students, and the public, and the preference given in these improvements to walking and cycling over motorised forms of movement should surely be supported.
It cannot be argued that the current conflict of use of Tyndall Avenue for buses, delivery vehicles, and through traffic, coupled with the very high pedestrian and cycle traffic flows, currently creates an attractive or safe environment.
The proposals should be supported.
If it has not already done so, could the Conservation Group consider approaching the Grammar School to encourage them to adopt more successful measures to reduce car-borne (‘Chelsea tractor’) traffic to their site in the morning and evening peaks?
I can see that this plan is very appealing to the University but Tyndalls Park Avenue is the main road link between Queens Road & St Michael’s Hill. Plus to suggest that buses and all traffic should be rerouted via St Michael’s Park is nonsense. It’s far too narrow and as well as being used by children walking to the Grammar School, it also contains the University nursery with parents dropping off & picking up young children. It is also ironic that the University suggests this change as it has taken a long time to get it to agree to not having buses going up and down Elton Road, which with its “traffic calming” could become dangerously blocked with large vehicles right by the Grammar School’s Infant & Junior schools.
If the University wants to do something along these lines for Tyndalls Park Avenue, the “shared space” option, as per Exhibition Road in Kensington, seems a far better way to go about this. Traffic will be calmed by the very nature of the urban environment. And if the University still wants to divert the buses away from this space, which I can understand, then they will need to go via Woodland Road & Tyndalls Park Road to join St Michaels Hill.
This is the main route from Kingsdown to Queens Road and beyond other than overused and clogged routes. If the rediculous ban on turning left a bottom of Tyndalls Park Road was removed it may have some merit but the idea of routing buses up and down St Michaels Park Road is absurd for such a narrow road. Even with the removal of all parking, which would be very unpopular, this must be regarded as unsafe route, turning buses in and out of the road would cause chaos on St Michaels Hill.
There is no need for it, it’s just another vanity project from the University to the detriment of local residents.
The University Day Nursery is located on St Michael’s Park. Consequently, this narrow street would not be a sensible alternative route for buses.
I have looked at the proposals for Tyndall Avenue and think that it is an excellent plan which will enhance the shared public space currently far too busy with heavy traffic. My one reservation is with the intention to re-route the buses down St Michaels Park.
This is a very narrow partly residential street which would not be able to have buses pass each other.
The obvious answer is to re-route all traffic down Tydalls Park Road and then up Woodland Road, both of which currently are bus routes and can accommodate the extra traffic flow.