MP fears Bristol gridlock when tolls go on Severn bridges

The Severn Bridge tolls will be abolished at the end of this year

More action is needed to prevent gridlock in Bristol once the tolls on the Severn crossings go, an MP says.

Labour's Darren Jones said he tried to raise the issue with the region's metro mayor, Conservative Tim Bowles, but nothing had been done.

Mr Bowles said he offered to arrange a meeting to discuss the issue but it was not taken up by the MP.

Highways England estimates there will be 16,000 more car journeys a day to Bristol once the tolls are abolished.

Westbound tolls on both the M48 Severn Bridge and the M4 Second Severn Crossing (The Prince of Wales Bridge) will be abolished at the end of this year.

It is feared the abolition of the tolls will make daily commuting by car into Bristol more attractive.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Jones, who represents Bristol North West, said: "Since the announcement to reduce, and then remove, Severn Bridge tolls, I have raised the issue of gridlock and air pollution with government time and again.

'6m cars a year'

"I have also tried to engage with our regional mayor to tackle local transport.

"Now we know - 16,000 extra cars are expected on our roads every single day - that's six million a year - and with no thought for advance mitigation."

He added the issue needed all political parties to work together.

In response, a spokeswoman for the West of England Combined Authority, which is led by Tim Bowles, said: "The regional mayor has offered Darren Jones a number of dates to meet but he's not taken him up on any of them."

The Labour MP said the mayor was invited on numerous occasions to a cross-party gridlock conference in July but failed to attend or send a senior infrastructure advisor.

He added he was instead offered other meeting dates which he could not make.

Mr Jones is now petitioning for funding to solve traffic problems in North Bristol.