Challenge as study shows Bristol second worst for traffic

The BBC Radio Bristol reporters were challenged to use different modes of transport to commute

Bristol has recently been found to have some of the worst traffic problems in the UK.

In a study carried out by traffic news provider Inrix, the city was ranked as second only to London in terms of congestion.

To test how bad - or good - the traffic was in the city, BBC Radio Bristol held a commuter challenge with five reporters trying to get from Bristol Parkway railway station to the BBC in Clifton.

Each used a different form of transport during the morning rush hour - bike, car, train, e-scooter and bus.

• You can listen back to the Commuter Challenge on BBC Radio Bristol here

Pete Simson won the challenge on his bike

First place: Bicycle, Pete Simson, Political Reporter

Time taken: 35 minutes

Cost: Purchasing and maintenance of bike, but £0 per journey.

"My first thoughts after setting-off on my trusty road bike were: 'Why are we doing this in the dead of winter?'

Commuting by bike for any great length is often not for the faint-hearted and, freezing temperatures aside, there are plenty of points along the route where you feel like you are in a battle with traffic.

That said I felt safest along the Gloucester Road - which has pretty awful cycling infrastructure - purely because there were around a dozen other cyclists around me.

Even with its many hills, cycling is the quickest way to get around Bristol. If you can, I'd definitely recommend trying it."

Elliot Darby came second but his journey took 42 minutes

Second place: Car, Elliot Darby, Presenter

Time taken: 42 minutes

Cost: Seven miles is £1.59 in fuel costs - but there's the cost of purchasing a car, insurance, tax and maintenance.

"I was confident that I'd do well in the car but by the time I'd got to the Bristol Parkway car park and defrosted it, I was already on the back foot.

I made up some time initially, avoiding the M32 and instead going towards Gloucester Road where the traffic was stop-start.

James overtook me on his e-scooter at one point but I soon overtook him and was well on my way to BBC Radio Bristol.

The traffic was frustrating but it's worth mentioning how cold it was outside and I was sitting in a warm, comfy car."

James Craig used an e-scooter and was only marginally slower than a car

Third place: E-scooter, James Craig, Reporter

Time taken: 45 minutes

Cost: £7

"This was definitely the longest - and coldest - e-scooter journey I've ever made!

I got off to a slow start when I had to run a few minutes from Parkway Station to actually find a scooter to hire.

The main challenge of commuting via e-scooter today was dealing with the -4C temperatures.

But where there was congested traffic, I was mostly able to bypass that, particularly because of the growing number of segregated cycle lanes along the route."

Chris Arnold used the bus but had to change to get to Clifton

Fourth place: Bus, Chris Arnold, Reporter

Time taken: 1 hour

Cost: £3.50

"I got the bus and came in fourth place although I think I would have come last had the train not had so many issues!

I got the brand new M4 service from Bristol Parkway which goes from Cribbs, via Parkway to the UWE campus then into town.

Once at Cabot I had to get off to get another bus. I got 4 as that came first and then headed to Whiteladies Road."

Sacha used the train but the parking and ticket were expensive

Fifth place: Train, Sacha Bigwood, Reporter

Time taken: 1 hour 15 mins

Cost: Parking and train tickets came to a total of £16

"I took the train for the commuter challenge and sadly came last.

I got off to a flying start. The train from Bristol Parkway to Temple Meads was on time and there were seats but then I had to wait for my connecting train to Clifton Down.

That slowed things down but it was made worse by the fact the train then had to wait for 10 minutes at Stapleton Road for the line to clear.

As a working parent who needs to do the school run, relying on public transport doesn't work for me.

Despite all that it's a nice way to travel and watch the world go by."