2 days ago
Mystery road dots leave Green-led council in a spot of bother
A Green-led council has been branded 'absolutely insane' after it painted spots on a road as part of a measure to calm the traffic.
Residents in Bedminster, Bristol, were left confused after a series of green dots were painted on Greville Road.
Various theories circled the street while Bristol city council initially said it was 'investigating'.
However, it has now been confirmed they were painted as part of a traffic-calming scheme.
Ed Plowden, a councillor and chairman of the transport and connectivity committee, said the markings had been placed in response to residents who had requested a reduction in 'through-traffic and improve safety in the area'.
'Vision-zero'
It comes after the council unanimously voted to pass a motion from Green councillors calling for a 'vision-zero' approach to road safety in 2023. The motion aimed to achieve zero road related accidents within Bristol by 2030.
However Tracy Francis, a resident who often uses her bicycle within the area, was concerned about how these dots would impact her as a cyclist.
Ms Francis said that road was already 'slippery' and she was worried that the additional markings would mean that her 'bike tyres will slide away', especially when the roads were wet.
Cllr Mark Weston of the Conservative party said the road markings were an 'absolutely insane' attempt to balance traffic, and argued there were other more important ways the council could be spending its time and money.
Cllr Weston also said the 'childlike' dots could encourage children to play in the road, likening their design to games such as hopscotch.
These markings are not the first attempt at 'road art' by UK councils.
In 2023, Hounslow council spent £50,000 creating a 'rainbow junction' to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.
However, this received backlash from disability campaigners who said it was confusing residents with visual impairments.
