Traffic trial Report criticises poor communication

ALEX SEABROOK Local democracy reporter

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THE East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood trial could have been communicated more clearly according to new research that raises concerns about transparency. Ahead of rolling out a second trial in South Bristol, the research highlights what went wrong with the first trial.

Staff at Bristol City Council often used confusing and vague language to describe the plans for the liveable neighbourhood, such as a “modal filter” to describe a bollard. Some local residents in Barton Hill previously said they misunderstood what the scheme was actually about at first.

Inconsistent numbers in public documents also damaged the trust of local residents in the council, researchers found. A review of how staff spoke to residents about the trail was carried out by a public health expert working for the council, suggesting ways they could improve too. The report said: “Communication clarity could be improved. Vague feedback responses and unclear connections between feedback and resultant changes to plans reduced accessibility and transparency. Some outreach was too close to implementation to be optimally impactful. Inconsistencies in figures across documents could erode trust.”