Red route 'could make small businesses go extinct'

Business owners say they are concerned about the impact of a proposed road scheme which would ban drivers from stopping at any time.

Lucie Wise, owner of printing business Minuteman Press in the Bedminster area of Bristol, said the proposed red route would "restrict" deliveries, customers and make it harder for those wishing to collect heavy goods.

If approved, the restrictions would see the introduction of double red lines to prohibit vehicles from parking, loading or unloading.

Bristol City Council, which said the scheme would reduce congestion and improve public transport, said it would consult and work with businesses while working to improve the transport system for everyone.

Red route restrictions are already in place in some parts of Bristol Airport but this would be the first time they were used in the city itself.

The scheme is also in place in other cities around the country.

The proposed red route would run through Redcliff Street, Redcliffe Roundabout, Redcliff Hill, Bedminster Bridge Roundabout, Nelson Parade, Bedminster Parade and East Street between Dalby Avenue and Philip Street.

Wise, who has owned the printing business for more than 20 years, said she was "angry" over the proposals.

"It just feels like it's happening without our say... it's going to be really hard for us.

"If [couriers] can't stop, it's going to be really hard to schedule the deliveries. We've been told that there will be bays for certain times where deliveries can happen or people can load, but we can't really dictate our suppliers on when to deliver and how.

"You will only have walking trade and that's only at certain times. It's just not going to work for us," she added.

Michal Grabowski, a tattoo artist from INKubatoR Tattoo in Bedminster, said the red routes would be bad for businesses along the road.

"I won't be as affected as my neighbours because I don't have any loading stuff, but my clients won't have anywhere to park.

"We cannot expect everyone to ride a bike or walk. In my case, my clients are coming from all around the UK," he said.

He added that he thought the scheme would not improve the amount of congestion in and around the city.

"It won't change anything at all in terms of the traffic, but it will change the businesses and everything.

"All the small and medium business owners will go extinct," he added.

The council said it had contacted business owners and residents who would be affected by the scheme and had sent surveys to gather people's thoughts, as well as offering an online consultation until 30 October.

Councillor Ed Plowden, chair of the transport and connectivity committee, said the scheme aimed to reduce congestion and speed up buses, particularly at peak times.

"What we're trying to do is make the city more efficient.

"We know that if we don't do anything, the congestion is going to go up significantly over the next few years because of economic growth and population growth.

"We've got to balance a lot of things… We don't want to put anyone out of business, we absolutely want to work with people to make sure that we can get the loading bays and the car parking for their customers as best as we can whilst still trying to improve our transport system for everyone," he added.

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