| Five major changes planned for Bristol in 2026 Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 10:23, 1st January 2026 |     |
From the BBC:
Five major changes planned for Bristol in 2026
Some major projects are expected to be completed this year, which could have dramatic impacts on our city.
From the opening of a £11m youth zone to possible reforms to how vehicles move around Bristol, 2026 is set to bring some significant changes.
Below, we take a look at five of Bristol's biggest schemes for the year ahead - some definitely happening, others potential controversies to watch.
...
Car-free Park Street?
Under the new plans, cars will still be able to access the street via side roads but will not be able to drive from end to end
At some point in the not-too-distant future, the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is going to have to respond to Bristol City Council's request for money that would stop cars driving through one of the main streets in the city.
In March 2025, Green Party councillors approved the £15m plan to limit Park Street to only buses, cyclists and pedestrians. Under the new plans, vehicles will still be able to access the street via side roads but will not be able to drive from end to end.
However, the funding needs to come from WECA, which has a budget from the government for "sustainable transport" schemes.
WECA is yet to respond to the council's request, but Labour mayor Helen Godwin previously said she was "very unsure" about the proposal. So will she give the council the money it wants? Either way, there will still be plenty of roadworks and building going on around the city.
Temple Quarter opens
The £23m Eastern Entrance is set to welcome its first rail travellers in September 2026
The Temple Quarter redevelopment covers an area roughly the size of a hundred football pitches - and while it will not be totally finished, parts of it are due to open towards the end of 2026. A new eastern entrance to Temple Meads will change the way people access the train station, with predictions it could be used by more than two million people per year.
The £23m project will connect with the University of Bristol's new Enterprise Campus, which is due to open in September. As well as providing a home for about 5,000 students and staff, the campus is expected to be a space for start-ups and community work, and will be open to everyone. It is the first major piece of infrastructure delivered under the ambitious Temple Quarter regeneration programme, which is being administered by WECA.
(BBC article continues)
Some major projects are expected to be completed this year, which could have dramatic impacts on our city.
From the opening of a £11m youth zone to possible reforms to how vehicles move around Bristol, 2026 is set to bring some significant changes.
Below, we take a look at five of Bristol's biggest schemes for the year ahead - some definitely happening, others potential controversies to watch.
...
Car-free Park Street?
Under the new plans, cars will still be able to access the street via side roads but will not be able to drive from end to end
At some point in the not-too-distant future, the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is going to have to respond to Bristol City Council's request for money that would stop cars driving through one of the main streets in the city.
In March 2025, Green Party councillors approved the £15m plan to limit Park Street to only buses, cyclists and pedestrians. Under the new plans, vehicles will still be able to access the street via side roads but will not be able to drive from end to end.
However, the funding needs to come from WECA, which has a budget from the government for "sustainable transport" schemes.
WECA is yet to respond to the council's request, but Labour mayor Helen Godwin previously said she was "very unsure" about the proposal. So will she give the council the money it wants? Either way, there will still be plenty of roadworks and building going on around the city.
Temple Quarter opens
The £23m Eastern Entrance is set to welcome its first rail travellers in September 2026
The Temple Quarter redevelopment covers an area roughly the size of a hundred football pitches - and while it will not be totally finished, parts of it are due to open towards the end of 2026. A new eastern entrance to Temple Meads will change the way people access the train station, with predictions it could be used by more than two million people per year.
The £23m project will connect with the University of Bristol's new Enterprise Campus, which is due to open in September. As well as providing a home for about 5,000 students and staff, the campus is expected to be a space for start-ups and community work, and will be open to everyone. It is the first major piece of infrastructure delivered under the ambitious Temple Quarter regeneration programme, which is being administered by WECA.
(BBC article continues)
I have quoted from the BBC item selectively, concentrating on the main transport infrastructure aspects. CfN.
| Re: Five major changes planned for Bristol in 2026 Posted by Red Squirrel at 12:47, 1st January 2026 | |
Interesting to see Park St lining up as a classic Bristol vs
Bristol's leaders think that limiting private motor car traffic will help buses get through, and make it a more attractive place to visit.
WECA would presumably have grounds for objection if the scheme had a negative impact on the wider region's traffic.
Park Street is part of an important route from central Bristol to the north. Bristol City Council presumably thinks the alternative routes via Anchor Road will work out. They will have done the usual analyses; as I understand it this is their job not WECA's.
So: can WECA legally block this?
| Re: Five major changes planned for Bristol in 2026 Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 14:06, 1st January 2026 | |
I don't know the detail of any legalities, but could WECA not respond,
"We are not convinced by your business case, Bristol City Council: we prefer the Anchor Road / Jacobs Wells Road alternative*, so we have decided the money is not available for your Park Street scheme."
As I say, I don't know the legal details - any funding for such civic schemes seems to have an element of 'smoke and mirrors' about it, to me.
* Just to use an example.
CfN.
| Re: Five major changes planned for Bristol in 2026 Posted by Noggin at 09:59, 2nd January 2026 | |
Daughter takes the bus along Park Street most days and reckons there's rarely congestion due to private cars - it's mainly the Anchor Road junction at the bottom which backs up.
Also, vehicle access still needs to be provided to Charlotte & Great George Streets where there is considerable residential and office property - Hill Street is not safe for any significant volumes of traffic.
| Re: Five major changes planned for Bristol in 2026 Posted by Red Squirrel at 10:47, 2nd January 2026 | |
I'd agree with Noggin's daughter's analysis.
We need to be clear that private vehicles would not be banned from Park Street by this scheme. Park Street and all its side roads would all be accessible to private cars. Only through traffic would be banned, diverted via Anchor Rd. Here's the map:
Many small retailers believe that cars passing their shop are good for business, and that having heavy traffic outside encourages people walking by to linger or even go in and buy something. Are they right? Or would removing through traffic make this a more attractive place, increasing footfall and bringing more business?
| Re: Five major changes planned for Bristol in 2026 Posted by WelshBluebird at 21:07, 6th January 2026 | |
Maybe I'm being too cynical based on what I've seen from local Labour councillors since they lost Bristol council but I wouldnt that surprised if the Labour controlled WECA use things like the Park Street proposal to play politics a bit.
