South Gloucestershire Council leader defends ring road plan

Kingsfield Roundabout, one of the five roundabouts, could have a new throughabout that is hoped to alleviate congestion

A council leader has defended its £30m plan to widen a ring road and create what opponents have labelled as five "monstrous mega-roundabouts".

South Gloucestershire Tory leader Toby Savage said the idea government funds could be "spent as we see fit...is an erroneous statement".

He was speaking amid criticism that the money could be better spent elsewhere.

Changes to the A4174 in Bristol are expected to reduce congestion and improve air quality in the area.

If approved, work on the three-year project could start in 2022.

The new Bristol ring road would include extra lanes, "throughabouts" and more traffic lights at five roundabouts from Lyde Green to Kingsfield, but no bus lanes, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. 

South Gloucestershire Conservative leader Toby Savage defended the plans at a Weca meeting

Speaking during a West of England Combined Authority (Weca) meeting, Mr Savage said: "I want to be very clear that it is the DfT that has invited us, as the highways authority, to bid for funds that support improvements through the major routes network.

"The debate isn't about whether it's £30m we should be spending on something else, the debate is whether this £30m will come into the West of England area."

South Gloucestershire Greens coordinator Dan Johnston said the party "strongly opposed" the changes.

"The council claims these plans will reduce CO2 emissions but they are building capacity for more cars on our roads," he said.

"The proposals for five monstrous mega-roundabouts will do nothing to tackle the climate emergency."

He said the Greens want the council to scrap the scheme and focus instead on improving cycling infrastructure and bus routes.

Green campaigner Oliver Owen added: "The money being spent on the current proposals could fund a cycling revolution in South Gloucestershire and bring life back to the heart of our communities."

A public consultation is due to run until 16 August, after which the council could make amendments before submitting its plans to the Department of Transport (DfT) for approval.