An action group has been set up campaigning for an inner-city road in Bristol to shut to traffic.
The Mina Road Action Group has set up a petition calling for Bristol City Council to ban traffic on the road in St Werburgh's - or for an experimental traffic order to be put in place to trial the changes for 18 months.
Kathe Jacob - who has been living on the street for 20 years and is part of the group - said Mina Road is a very convenient shortcut for divers cutting through towards Ashley Hill or Eastville, adding they "nip through" what should be a quiet, residential street.
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"The majority of traffic goes very fast and is not residential traffic, some of the traffic will be going into town or St Paul's," she said. "The other option is for people who want to avoid the traffic at the Ikea junction.
"The whole of Bristol is busy because people keep driving everywhere and it is just going to keep getting worse. It [the traffic on Mina Road] is totally inappropriate - it is not the kind of place that takes heavy traffic."
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The resident carried out a traffic audit on the morning of March 1 between 6.30am and 9am and she said 702 motor vehicles travelled down Mina Road. She claimed at least 88 drove at real speed, often over 30mph. In that same period, 277 cyclists passed through the area.
She said there is no space for cyclists and that, for instance, there is no dedicated cycle lane despite being on a cycle route. This leads to a situation where cyclists are having to manoeuvre as they share this small space with all the other road users, Ms Jacob added.
"It is dangerous, particularly for cyclists," she said. "They drive like they are still on the motorway, but drivers need to change the way they drive now that they are on a residential area.
"It is a 20mph zone but most of them drive over 30mph, at night it is much worse and sometimes you see them driving at over 40mph." Ms Jacob said there is a lorry ban in place on Mina Road but claimed this is not enforced, which leads to big lorries and trucks driving down the small road.
"They are all squished together in this tiny space," she continued. "There is a zebra crossing but, because of the way drivers behave, it is quite dangerous - drivers do not always respect or see the pedestrians.
"It is very unpleasant for the people who live here."
The resident said there is a park opposite, meaning the area is quite busy, and she thinks access should be closed onto Mina Road from the M32. She added there is also the option to enforce an experimental traffic order for 18 months to trial these changes and monitor their impact.
"It would be so nice to close the road, this has been going on for 20 years and it is just getting worse," continued Ms Jacob. "There are businesses here who are very supportive as, if you eliminate the traffic, people enjoy their shopping experience more so they spend more time there and spend more money.
"It would benefit local businesses.
"It is about the quality of life for people living here and shifting the priority to the local community who live here and also encouraging active travel."
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A Bristol City Council spokesperson said: “The council welcomes petitions and recognises they are one way in which people can let us know their concerns. If a petition contains 3,500 signatories or more from people who live, work or study in Bristol it can then trigger the right to be debated by the Full Council.
"This means that the issue raised in the petition will be discussed at a meeting which all councillors can attend."
So far the petition on Change.org has gained more than 100 signatures in the space of a few weeks. One supporter who commented on the petition wrote: "The traffic is ridiculous on this road. Something needs to change!"
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