Closing road through Downs will ‘lose council income’ from future parking charges plan

Bristol: So, there’s this talk about closing a road through the Downs for a few weekends. Some folks are worried it might mean less cash for the council from future parking fees. They’re thinking about trying it out later this year, but some councillors are raising eyebrows about the potential loss of income from parking on Ladies Mile.

Right now, parking on Ladies Mile is free, but they’re planning to put in parking machines soon. Another thing people are concerned about is that residents living north of the Downs might have to drive a longer route to get to Clifton.

The idea for the trial closure came from the Downs Advisory Panel, and the committee discussed it on November 13. A few councillors weren’t on board, but most voted to move forward with the trial, even though the specifics are still a bit fuzzy.

Labour Councillor Kye Dudd mentioned that while it sounds good to return the road to nature, there are some important factors to think about. He pointed out that with plans for parking charges on the Downs, the council could miss out on future income, which is a big deal given their financial situation.

Another issue is for folks in Stoke Bishop who usually drive down Ladies Mile to get to the shops in Clifton. If the road closes, they’ll have to take a longer route, which isn’t ideal.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Caroline Gooch chimed in, saying Stoke Bishop doesn’t have many facilities. If residents want to get to Clifton, they’ll have to take a longer way around, which could just push more traffic onto Blackboy Hill.

The Downs committee can’t make the final call on closing Ladies Mile, but they can suggest it. The decision will go to the events sub-group, which will then pass it to the transport policy committee for the final say. Despite some pushback, most of the Downs committee is in favor of trying out the closure.

Green Cllr David Wilcox expressed his support, saying that closing the road for just one or two weekends isn’t enough to gather solid data on the impact. He believes it’s not a huge detour to get to Clifton, just a few traffic lights to deal with.

So, it looks like there’s a lot to consider before any final decisions are made. It’s definitely a hot topic in Bristol right now!