We, the undersigned, urgently call on Bristol City Council to immediately halt the South Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood (SBLN) scheme as it relates to Southville, and to reconsider the implementation of any such drastic changes without proper consultation and consideration of their full impact. 

We believe the current proposals risk causing serious disruption to everyday life, especially for older residents, disabled people, and those on lower incomes. 

The planned modal filters would block key roads and force all traffic onto Coronation Road and North Street, drastically increasing distance and time of travel journeys for many residents, increasing pollution and congestion with displaced traffic.

Our concerns about the proposals

The roadblocks (modal filters) will:

• Delay emergency services, carers, delivery services, waste services and tradespeople
• Displace traffic unnecessarily, increasing safety risks and pollution
• Unnecessarily and disproportionally increase distance and journey time for essential vehicle trips
• Create traffic bottlenecks and congestion on smaller roads
• Make it harder to access shops, schools, and health services
• Create unsafe dead-end roads
• Reduce parking availability
• Trap some residents inside the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) with no exemptions for non-compliant vehicles

Our concerns about the consultation 

• We don’t believe the consultation process has been adequate or transparent.
• Many residents do not feel properly informed of the details of the proposals. Details such as road blocks are presented towards the end of the consultation survey after much of the response has been gathered.
• We are also concerned that the consultation process has not allowed space for objections or alternative ideas, and that key data, such as traffic modelling and emergency access plans, has not been shared.

Community suggested alternatives to road blocks

We urge the Council to consider more inclusive and practical alternatives, including:

• Raised zebra crossings at the end of roads to replace modal filters to slow traffic and improve pedestrian safety
• Road narrowing for traffic calming instead of full closures
• Improved cycling infrastructure to local streets
• A more transparent and inclusive consultation process that reflects lived experience

What we would like from the Bristol City Council

• An immediate halt to the South Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood scheme in its current form.
• A comprehensive review and re-evaluation of the Southville neighbourhood proposals, taking into account the overwhelming opposition to modal filters from local residents and businesses.
• The development of alternative, more cost-effective, and community-supported measures (zebra crossings, traffic calming measures)  that will reduce congestion, improve safety, and protect our local economy, without the waste of public funds or disruption to our daily lives.

We hope you will take these concerns seriously and work with the community to find a solution that balances environmental goals with fairness and accessibility.