Bristol roadworks: Do the benefits outweigh the negatives?

Thousands of cars use the A-Four Portway every day — it’s one of Bristol’s busiest routes into the city

Transcript

00:00If you're heading home late at night this May, Bristol's A4 Portway will be completely shut

00:08overnight for roadworks on selected days. The road between West Town Road and Barrow Hill Road

00:15will close from half past nine in the evening until 5.30 in the morning. It's all to speed up

00:21the access from the Portway Park and Ride, but drivers may need a plan B. But how are locals

00:27coping with overnight road closures like this one? And are they a smart way to avoid daytime

00:33chaos or are they just shifting the problem? I'm just a bit laid back about it, I suppose.

00:40I think they need more repairs. There are some places where you can put your foot down almost

00:48a foot, you know, that far. So they do need repairing. Thousands of cars use the A4 Portway

00:58every day. It's one of Bristol's busiest routes into the city. But late-night drivers could

01:04face delays as the council has fast-tracked improvements to public transport infrastructure.

01:11With the work now starting earlier than planned, some commuters are finding themselves caught

01:18off guard. But let's find out if locals think Bristol gives the users enough notice about

01:24these kind of road disruptions.

01:27Er, I'm not sure I've noticed that actually. I just notice when a road's closed. I actually

01:32don't notice when it's going to be closed. So yeah, maybe I should be told more.

01:35Again, I'm not too sure. I know when they pave the roads, this is one thing that does

01:41annoy me, right? We don't really get noticed when they retarmack the roads. So you always

01:47have, especially in Redlands, where I live, they'll repay the roads. And then you'll have

01:53footprints all over it on tyre tracks. And I've ruined my Air Force Ones leaving my house

01:57because who knew they've redone the paths. So yeah, a bit more notice on that would be good.

02:04It is disgusting. Shutting off command routes and like the things like that over there.

02:09Old days pensioners, nowhere to walk down. To us doctors or nothing.

02:14The roadworks are part of a wider plan to upgrade Bristol's park and ride system. The idea is

02:21to cut congestion and make public transport more attractive. But while long-term goals may

02:27be clear, the short-term impact can be frustrating, especially when it's your route that's affected.

02:34I don't know. My son, judging by him, even if buses were free, I don't think he'd go on them.

02:46You know, people want the convenience of going exactly where they're going. And sometimes

02:51I benefit from that by having a lift. So, you know, I understand.