Our vision for the West of England is a region with great public transport and active travel, in and between our cities, towns and rural communities. We support walking, buses, trains, trams, cycling, playing out in the streets, access to green space, 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. Below is a summary and you can read the full manifesto here

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).

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