The next WECA Mayor will decide the fate of transport in the West of England
Come and ask them your questions at the Transport Hustings
More information on Hustings event
The West of England Mayor is the person with the most decision-making power on the future of transport in our region. Should our buses be brought into public control? Should we invest more in cycle infrastructure? Will we ever get trams? When will our pavements be fully accessible with dropped kerbs everywhere there should be? Should there be a single ticket you can use across trains and buses?
A new Mayor will be elected on the 1st May 2025 - come and find out what they have to say about transport before you vote!
Come and ask these questions and more at the Watershed or online on Wednesday 2nd April. To register for the event at the Watershed click here.
Candidates confirmed so far:
Helen Godwin - Labour Party
Oli Henman - Liberal Democrat Party
Mary Page - Green Party
Steve Smith - Conservative Party
Also invited:
Ian Scott - Independent
Other candidates will be invited if and when they are announced.
Chaired by: Martin Booth, Editor at Bristol 24/7
With welcome from My World, My Home group, City of Bristol College.
Agenda:
7pm to 8.30pm - Hustings
We will invite you to submit your questions for the candidates when you register to attend. There will also be some time for questions from the floor on the day.
Accessibility information:
We are holding this as a hybrid meeting - there is a separate eventbrite for the in person version here, which includes venue accessibility information. The event will have BSL interpreters, and we will be using Zoom which has automatic captions you can enable. You will have the option to tell us about any additional access needs when you register.
Voting information:
Election Day: 1st May 2025
Register by: 11th April 2025
You can get a ticket for the in person event at Watershed here.
This event is organised by a coalition of transport related organisations:
Bath Trams
Bristol Cycling Campaign
Bristol Rail Campaign
Bristol Sustainable Transport Network
Bristol Walking Alliance
Bristol Business Improvement Districts
Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership (Community Climate Action, Climate & Disability)
Reclaim our Buses West of England
Sustrans
Walk Ride Bath
West of England Friends of the Earth
West of England Shared Transport and Active Travel
West of England Transport Association
For all forms of sustainable transport:
Our vision is a city with great public transport and active travel. We support walking, buses, trains, trams, cycling, playing out in the streets, access to green space, and more.
We support and work with other groups including:
Walk Ride Bath Bristol Cycling Campaign Bristol Rail Campaign (FoSBR) Playing Out Campaign for the Protection of Rural England Bristol Walking Alliance Transport for Greater Bristol
And more!
WESTACT Manifesto
In 2021 we put together a manifesto for the West of England Combined Authority elections, under our previous name of Moving Bristol Forward.
1. Make public transport fast and efficient
Improving public transport is key to overcoming traffic congestion and making sure everyone gets where they need to go in good time. Buses and trams will have priority on every road and junction along their routes – alongside walking and cycling. This will make them faster and more cost-effective to run. As public transport becomes a cheaper, more reliable option, more people will use it to get to work, school and elsewhere. Those who really need to use their cars will then benefit from clearer roads, where they’ll be less likely to get stuck in traffic.
2. Improve walking and cycling to make ‘active travel’ the top choice
By designing neighbourhood streets to give people a better experience of walking and cycling, we can make these the most appealing choice for short trips. There will be separate routes for walkers and cyclists – kept free of traffic – and these will join up, making it quicker and easier to get between neighbourhoods or to transport hubs
3. Improve air quality and tackle climate change
To make Bristol a clean, green place to live, we must aim for zero carbon emissions from transport and cut air pollution drastically.
4. Make transport accessible and affordable for all
We’ll design transport services to be accessible to the most vulnerable – which means they’ll be accessible for all. Public transport will be affordable, especially for people on low incomes.
5. Make transport work for local communities
By prioritising the needs of local people, we can design transport to enhance life in our neighbourhoods and communities. The majority of travel will be local journeys, connecting us to our neighbourhood and neighbours. Some longer trips, using wider transport networks, will also be vital.
6. Make it easy to get between neighbourhoods
Transport will be designed to allow people to get between different neighbourhoods without having to go through the city centre. Travelling from one neighbourhood to another by foot, bike, or public transport should be quick, simple, and enjoyable.
7. Join up transport services to make journeys simple
Different modes of transport will run in a joined-up way, meaning they’ll be timed so you can easily change from a tram to a bus (for example) to complete your journey.
One ticket will give you access to any transport service – buses, trains, trams, rented bikes, community transport like taxicard journeys, etc. – however you get around.
8. Give everyone a say in the future of our transport in Bristol
Local people from all walks of life will be consulted and have the chance to share their ideas and concerns about transport – not just people who typically attend transport forums (because they have the time and money to do so).
Themes
Youth
Our vision is for a city where children and young people have full access - to play, education, work, culture, health services and more.
Resources
In 2021 we commissioned a set of studies of the policy context. All of these are available to download from the website.
Access
Accessibility is a major issue in public transport. Everyone should be enabled to get around whatever their mobility needs.
Our 2021 Manifesto was been Endorsed By:
Other people and organisations that
have endorsed our manifesto:
Bradley Stoke Zero Carbon
Air Quality Management Resource Centre, UWE Bristol
Room 13 Hareclive
Smaller Footprints Bristol Limited
XR Rebel Elders
Rob Bryher, car free cities campaigner for Possible in a personal capacity
Imagine living in a city-region where it’s quick, affordable and reliable to get to where you need to go without a car.
People of all ages and mobility needs can safely get around the streets.
Walking, wheeling, cycling, buses, trams, and trains are the main way of getting around; cars and vans can be used when needed by those who need them.
No-one dies prematurely due to poor air quality.
We keep our streets cool in summer with trees and greenery and fewer parked cars.
Better buses are essential to a city that is less reliant on cars. Achieving this requires public control.
Sign up to our mailing list
Keep up to date with our campaign and how you can help us make this vision for Bristol transport a reality. Don’t worry, we promise not to bombard you with emails.