TRAFFIC restrictions at the Hambrook junction of the Avon Ring Road and Bristol Road have been removed.
A ban on drivers on the westbound A4174 turning right towards Winterbourne, and traffic heading north from Frenchay going straight across or right at the junction, was introduced in 2019.
The then government told the council it had to make changes to cut nitrogen dioxide pollution to within legal levels.
Since that time traffic from Downend and Frenchay has had to go around the roundabout at the M32 junction to reach Winterbourne, and traffic from Frenchay has only been able to turn left at the lights.
The authority was told it could not reverse the changes until the Joint Air Quality Unit – part of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – could confirm that the site had met national air quality standards for two years running.
In 2021 the government said it would not accept figures from pandemic years because of the reduction in traffic during lockdowns.
Now the council has received a letter from DEFRA, which says monitored air quality in both 2023 and 2024 met the national standards.
The improvement is believed to be partly because of an increase in the number of electric cars on the roads and in engine efficiency for other vehicles.
The council fully reopened the junction, removing the concrete barriers that stopped drivers from making banned turns, on Monday, April 27.
It also reinstated the bus lane on the westbound ring road on either side of the traffic lights – so other traffic passing through will be restricted to two lanes instead of three.
Cabinet member Cllr Sean Rhodes said: “We know how significant this junction is for road users, residents and local communities, and we have listened carefully to the concerns raised about the measures. I recognise they have caused inconvenience and we have worked hard behind the scenes to secure clear direction from the government on this matter.
“We have to be confident that any return to previous routes through the junction will not result in a return to unacceptable air quality. But because air quality at the junction has improved markedly in the past couple of years (and it seems likely that this is due to improvements in engine efficiency, and the increase in hybrid and electric vehicles), we can be confident that this will not happen.”
The removal of the restrictions has been welcomed across political lines, with Liberal Democrat Frenchay & Downend ward councillor Raj Sood, and Conservative ward councillor and group leader Liz Brennan both welcoming the change.
Labour MP Claire Hazelgrove said: “I know this will be welcome news – and perhaps hard to believe until you see it after so long!”