The village on Bristol’s outskirts that’s turning into a rat-run

People living in a picturesque village on the outskirts of Bristol are unhappy with how their infrastructure has been neglected, despite expansion of the surrounding areas. Last week, Bristol Live reported that large trucks passing through Pilning had been shaking one man's house[1], and now other residents have expressed their ongoing concerns of how the building-up of Bristol and South Gloucestershire[2] is affecting the village. Pilning is your typical homely rural village, home to popular traditional family-run pubs The Plough Inn and The King's Arms, as well as a beautiful Victorian parish church.

The village is served hourly by the Stagecoach 12 bus from Bristol Parkway to Severn Beach, but residents must travel on this route to Cribbs Causeway before being able to reach Bristol city centre[3].

(Image: Google Maps)

One resident described the road past his house in Pilning as a "rat run", adding: "Whenever the A403 is closed from Pilning traffic lights, then the vehicles are diverted through Pilning and Easter Compton." The resident, who doesn't want to be named, described a "near miss" with a truck he had in the car recently, which was considerably overhanging to the other side of the road. Though trucks exceeding 7.5 tonnes should not pass through Easter Compton and Pilning, these restrictions were lifted whilst work was carried out on the A403, between August 21 and 31.

The Western Approach Distribution Centre is just a four-minute drive from Pilning. One resident felt that traffic has "increased exponentially" since the Tesco[4] and Amazon warehouses were built there. Pilning is home to a train station, which has previously been reported to be one of the least used stations in the UK.[5] According to GWR, the station has an "extremely sparse service", only running two trains a week to Penzance.

(Image: Western Daily Press)

South Gloucestershire Council's local plan leading up to 2040 sets out plans to build 20,490 new homes.

In Pilning's neighbouring village Easter Compton, there are plans to build 790 homes, and residents are concerned that key roads such as the B4055 are not being upgraded despite this expansion. The construction of the new M49 motorway junction should help relieve pressure on local roads in the area. The latest update from South Gloucestershire Council was in March 2024, announcing that construction would begin this summer and last approximately 12 months.

A spokesperson for South Gloucestershire Council[6] said: "We are aware of local concerns around traffic in Pilning and our Highways Officers have liaised with residents, the Local Ward Member and Parish Council around ways of making improvements. Over recent years we've implemented a 20mph zone and various traffic calming schemes, including the installation of speed tables in the local area. "Monitoring of the reduced speed limits in place is encouraging and motorists and road users are responsible for adhering to these limits, along with the weight restrictions in place, as failure to do so may result in a criminal conviction.

Although the council has some limited powers to enforce certain traffic restrictions, instances of dangerous or inconsiderate driving should be reported to the Police."

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References

1. ^ shaking one man's house (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
2. ^ South Gloucestershire (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
3. ^ Bristol city centre (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
4. ^ Tesco (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
5. ^ one of the least used stations in the UK. (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
6. ^ South Gloucestershire Council (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
7. ^ Click here to join our WhatsApp group (tinyurl.com)
8. ^ Privacy Notice (www.bristolpost.co.uk)