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What a carve-up!

Outcry over plans
to keep cars out
of village centre

RESIDENTS and businesses in Westbury on
Trym are up in arms over proposals they say
could kill the village and cause traffi c chaos.
Bristol City Council has come up with a series
of measures for the A4018, which it believes are
needed to cope with additional commuters from
the new developments at Filton Airfi eld.
It says that as part of its scheme, it wants
to enhance the “attractiveness and vitality of
Westbury Village and reduce rat-running. The
outline proposals include creating bus lanes,
improvements for cyclists, new junctions with
traffi c lights, and reduced speed limits.
But local people say the suggested restrictions
would be hugely damaging. Under the plans, only
buses, taxis and cyclists would be able to continue
along the High Street past the Post Offi ce.
Hundreds of people have turned out for
consultation sessions and nearly 3,000 have
signed a petition started by Bristol North West
MP Darren Jones.Mr Jones said that while he
welcomed improvements to bus and cycle lanes,
he believed this could be done without carving
up Westbury, without cutting off Brentry, without
so many turning restrictions on Falcondale Road
and without reducing current road capacity.
Hilary Long, chairman of the Westbury on
Trym Society, said residents were in a state of
disbelief over the plans. She said: "It is a model
that will wreck daily communications and
businesses, done by traffi c boffi ns who do not live
here!"
Mrs Long urged all residents to make their
views known during the consultation, which runs
until March 10.