Motorists in Bristol are the worst off in the UK, according to a drivers’ group.

The Alliance of British Drivers claims that Bristol is plagued by problems with congestion, parking and speed limits. Group director Brian Macdowall told the Bristol Post that the city serves up all of the “typical UK town’s everyday traffic nightmares.”

Mr Macdowall continued to say in a video that many see Bristol as an “anti-car” city with space on the road deliberately taken away from motorists. He said: "The main A4 road into the city has a mix of speed limits, which bear no relation to the natural speed of the road and have not prevented a number of deaths on the road.”?

He points out that off-street parking can cost £20 for a working day in the city centre. Macdowall said: “This causes many commuters to park in surrounding residential streets."

"We are taking a more balanced approach to make it more attractive and practical to travel sustainably, with less hassle for those people who really need to use their cars."

Macdowall went on to say that mayor George Ferguson had turned his back on motorists since being elected and had “gone out of his way to change the roads, with things like the 20mph zone, and has just generally clamped down on drivers but seems to have just added to traffic congestion.”

Mayor Ferguson said to the Bristol Post in response that 57,000 Bristolians commute by bike or foot. He continued: “Over 43,000 car commutes are less than three miles and 13,000 of these 1.5 miles or less, which is bad for the drivers' health, for other people's health and even for the health of their cars.?

"The car has its place as part of a sensible mix of transport options, but currently the city suffers from congestion caused largely by car commuting with an average occupancy of 1.1 [people] per car.”

Ferguson urged people to resist the mentality of always using their cars. He concluded: “We are taking a more balanced approach to make it more attractive and practical to travel sustainably, with less hassle for those people who really need to use their cars."

Picture: Fotolia – Christian Muller