Cash bid for Bristol's transport projects submitted

A £114m bid for government cash to overhaul Bristol's transport infrastructure has been put forward by the Liberal Democrat city council.

The funding is for three projects - a new road in south Bristol linking the Hartcliffe Roundabout with the A370 and two "rapid transit" bus routes.

These would run from Ashton Vale to Temple Meads and from Hengrove to Cribbs Causeway.

Councillors want the buses to be powered by hydrogen or biogas.

Average traffic speeds in Bristol are down to 16mph (26km/h) - among the slowest outside London.

Other cities including Manchester and Sheffield run trams but Bristol did not get previous projects off the ground and the city council now believes that option is too costly.

The bendy-bus "rapid transport" system it is proposing is a mixture of bus lanes, new roads and bus-only roads and bridges.

The three projects will compete with over 40 others from across the UK for £600m of government money.

A decision on that funding is due this December.