Residents Express Alarm Over Speeding on Bristol Road

A resident has stated that individuals are “frightened” by uncontrolled vehicle speeds on a frequently used road segment. Roy Egan, residing in north Bristol close to Cribbs Causeway, discussed the circumstances on the A4018, which extends to the shopping centre, during an interview with BBC Radio Bristol. He indicated that drivers are able to travel at “whatever speed” they choose, attributing this to insufficient enforcement resulting from inadequate signage in the vicinity. South Gloucestershire Council acknowledged “some confusion” regarding road signs in the area and stated it was “working to resolve this”. Mr. Egan reported that problems on the road commenced in 2020 with the start of nearby construction, which led to roadworks. He quoted, “Because of muck-ups by the council the police couldn’t enforce a 30mph speed limit, so we had cars going through a single carriageway and the roadworks at 60, 70mph.” He asserted that speeding on the road was effectively unpoliced, as drivers were improbable to incur court penalties due to ambiguous signage. He stated, “You could come down here, doing whatever speed you like, and the police can’t do anything about it.” He further added, “Especially of an evening, when you get the boy racers up and down here, they’re doing 70, 80, 90mph.” He concluded this point by saying, “They use the traffic lights as a racetrack.” Mr. Egan recounted being dismounted from his bicycle on three occasions and witnessing a woman with a pram become “frightened to death” as a substantial lorry, moving at “plus-60mph”, drove past her. He elaborated, “She bent down and had to grab the pram to stop it being sucked under the wheels of this eight-wheeler.” A council statement indicated that efforts were in progress to alleviate the issues. The council stated, “The speed limit has been reduced from 50mph to 40mph and we are in the process of arranging for the current signage to be updated to reflect the new limit.” It further explained, “This involves decommissioning the current illuminated signs and carrying out the relevant surveys for utilities.” The statement concluded, “This scheme will take the adjoining roads into account, including ones that are not adopted as part of the highway network, and we hope to begin work in the coming weeks.”