It’s a visual issue, but also a safety one. The plan is part of a trial to make things clearer and cut down on what the council calls “conflict between users.” The bold colour has already been rolled out in several European cities – and it works.
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00:00Bristol, a city with more than 75 miles of dedicated cycle lanes, is once again at the heart of a debate about road safety, shared space and red paint.
00:12That's because Bristol City Council is considering painting sections of the city's cycle paths bright red in a bid to reduce the number of accidents between pedestrians and cyclists,
00:25particularly in the city's centre, where many bike lanes are almost indistinguishable from the pavement beside them.
00:34It's a visual issue but also a safety one. The plan is part of a trial to make things clearer and cut down on what the council calls conflict between users.
00:45The ball colour has already been rolled out in several European cities and it works.
00:51So will Bristol follow suit? On Thursday May 15th, councillors on the Transport Policy Committee met to approve the trial.
01:01And if the scheme proves successful, it could be rolled out more widely across the city.
01:07But not everyone is convinced it'll change behaviours.
01:10One Facebook commenter, Antoinette, welcomed the idea.
01:16Writing is good. The pedestrians will not be knocked down by speeding cyclists.
01:21So far, both cycling and pedestrian groups have backed the plan.
01:25But as always in Bristol, the street layout isn't just about transport.
01:30It's also about identity, space and who's expected to go where.
01:34As the trial begins, the city will be watching closely to see if a lick of red paint is enough to bring a bit more order to Bristol's busy roads.