Transport news

The horrific incident happened in the centre of the eastern German city of Leipzig

A car has driven into a busy crowd, killing two people, it has been reported. The incident occurred in the centre of the eastern German city of Leipzig as State police from the German state of Saxony confirm the suspect was arrested.

Ambulances, police cars, fire engines and an emergency helicopter were seen responding to the incident today (May 4) according to The Mirror. It reportedly took place on Grimmaische Street, a shopping street that links several landmarks with Leipzig’s market square.

At least eight people were injured as reports claim the driver was travelling at high speed. It was described as a damaged Volkswagen SUV with a person on top of it, the vehicle was seen speeding through a pedestrian zone, local broadcaster Radio Leipzig reported.

Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung told reporters at the scene: “It’s shocking. All I can do right now is express my solidarity with the victims’ families.

“Everything else will have to be determined by the work of the police and investigative authorities.”

Police have not yet released further details, describing the scene as a “dynamic situation”. The whole of Grimmaische Street has been cordoned off as police claim there is ‘no further danger to the public’.

It was also reported an emergency care centre has been set up at the Gewandhaus concert hall in Leipzig for people without visible injuries. It also includes those suffering from shock and in need of psychological support, reports German newspaper Bild.

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It’s even longer than the Chunnel.

Few obstacles are as formidable as Europe’s tallest and most expansive mountain range. Stretching 1,200km in a sweeping crescent from France to Austria, the Alps cut through eight countries.

Throughout history, crossing the Alps was a dangerous undertaking on foot or by mule. For as long as civilisation has existed in Europe, people have needed to traverse this mountain barrier that proved so crucial for commerce, travel and war.

The Romans battled to secure these routes. Legendary commanders such as Hannibal — with elephants in tow — and later Napoleon, marched their forces across these peaks for tactical wartime advantages.

Luckily, in modern times we have something like the Gotthard Base Tunnel. With a price tag of about £11.5bn, the rail passageway between northern and southern Europe opened in 2016 when it became the longest and deepest tunnel ever built.

The 57km tunnel is an essential link for both European travel and commercial freight transportation. It reduces journey times from Basel to Zurich and Milan to Lugano by as much as an hour, reports the Mirror.

The Gotthard tunnel is 2.3km (35 miles) under the surface, a remarkable depth comparable to the deepest mines in the world.

And thanks to its ingenious engineering, it takes about 20 minutes to cross, with trains racing through at maximum speed of 155mph.

Unlike older tunnels that wind their way up mountainsides, the Gotthard is entirely level. It is the first flat route through the Alps or indeed any comparable mountain system.

As the world’s longest tunnel, it surpasses the Channel Tunnel linking England and France by 7km.

It beats out the previous world record holder in Japan by 3km. The Seikan tunnel joins Honshu and Hokkaido, the country’s two largest islands.

The tunnel was built to replace the original Gotthardbahn rail tunnel, regarded as an engineering triumph of its time when it opened in 1882. Proposals for its successor began 100 years later in the 1980s.

The ambitious project took that 17 years to build. With 35 miles of mountainous terrain bearing down on the passage, one of the challenges was preventing the tunnel from caving in.

Thankfully, reinforced steel rings stretching across the tunnel bear the immense weight of the mountain overhead.

Builders employed a drill that measured the length of four football pitches. At 410m long and 10m wide, it bored through 40m of rock daily.

The budget airline has confirmed it will shut its seven-aircraft operating base at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) from October

Ryanair is poised to slash flights from several UK airports following confirmation it will shutter a significant base in Germany.

The budget carrier revealed it will close its seven-aircraft operation at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) from 24 October 2026. Alongside this development, Ryanair announced it will halve its flight capacity to and from the German capital throughout its winter timetable.

Consequently, routes linking Berlin with UK destinations such as London, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh are anticipated to face disruption. The airline presently operates direct services from these airports to Berlin multiple times weekly, with journey times of approximately two hours, according to the Express.

While Ryanair hasn’t specified exactly which UK routes face the axe, it disclosed that Berlin passenger numbers will plummet from 4.5 million to 2.2 million in 2027.

The operator added that upwards of two million Ryanair seats annually will vanish as a consequence of the base closure. Ryanair confirmed it will maintain Berlin connections, albeit using aircraft stationed beyond Germany’s borders.

All seven Berlin-stationed aircraft will relocate to more economical airports across other EU nations, encompassing Sweden, Slovakia, Albania and Italy. The carrier attributed the decision to escalating airport fees and aviation levies in Germany.

Ryanair DAC CEO Eddie Wilson stated: “We regret to announce this planned closure of our seven aircraft Berlin base from 24 Oct 2026, but we have no alternative following the Airport’s latest 10% fee increase to its already high airport fees.

“This comes on top of the 50% increase in Berlin’s airport fees since 2019. Despite Berlin Airport losing 30% of its pre-Covid traffic thanks to its excessive airport charges, and Germany’s stupid aviation tax regime, they have now decided to increase charges by a further 10%, which will result in the loss of more than 2m Ryanair seats p.a. and seven based aircraft.

“Ryanair will still serve Berlin but on a/c based outside Germany and our Berlin traffic will fall by 50% from 4.5m to 2.2m pax in 2027.”

He added: “German aviation is broken. The Govt. admits that it is uncompetitive, yet there is no strategy to cut aviation taxes or high airport fees – despite Ryanair warning that Germany would lose traffic, connectivity, jobs and trade.”

Mr Wilson stated that additional reductions across Germany were “now inevitable” unless substantial cost reforms were implemented.

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He continued: “Efficient operations and competitive airport fees are the foundation which enable Ryanair to deliver long-term traffic growth and increased connectivity for airports and regions.

“This is impossible at Berlin following the German Govt’s failure to abolish its harmful aviation tax and Berlin Airport’s decision to again increase its already high airport fees.”

The airline confirmed that pilots and cabin crew stationed in Berlin have been informed of the proposed base closure.

Consultations with staff will commence in the near future, with affected personnel given the opportunity to seek alternative positions across the carrier’s European operations.

‘I’ve done a lot of work highlighting the beauty of north Wales on social media. But I now wonder what’s the point of ever going back up there.’

A campervan influencer claims parts of Wales are becoming increasingly unwelcoming towards motorhome drivers. Bristol-based businessman Neil Marsh is fond of visiting Wales but he believes the steps being implemented to address campervan-related issues are having the opposite effect and could prove costly for the economy in Wales.

Neil, who particularly enjoys venturing to north Wales, criticised the move after Eryri National Park Authority (ENPA) decided to impose overnight parking restrictions across 11 car parks.

The park authority took the action after monitoring revealed unauthorised campervan use, informal camping, littering and anti-social behaviour had become worse at the site.

The authority dismissed claims that Eryri had become a “no-go zone” for campervans. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.

Neil, who has a substantial online following through his page Nemo’s Camper Adventures, said a “small entitled minority” of owners were spoiling campervan privileges for the vast majority, and he pleaded for a more collaborative strategy rather than blanket prohibitions.

He urged for enhanced facilities and oversight, including better communication with campervan owners. Patrols and penalties were also necessary to tackle the “1% of idiots who have now ruined it for people exploring north Wales”, he said.

“I just really can’t understand why the majority are being punished because of the minority,” said Neil. “Councils should set up meetings for campervan owners highlighting local businesses and showing beautiful places to visit. They should also give them parking hints and tips rather than just go for automatic bans.

“Councils could mount patrols to enforce these rules, fining people if necessary. Or they can put a contract out to tender to a security company to do it instead. It seems to work well in mid Wales. You have car parks down there where you can stay one night in every seven.

“Most of these car parks have CCTV and ANPR and I’ve also seen some of these car parks being patrolled by the police. People do respect it – but the minority do take the p*** and stay longer.”

Recognising their tourism importance, local authorities have started establishing overnight stopping points specifically for campervans and motorhomes.

Cyngor Gwynedd pioneered the approach with six “Arosfan” locations. Anglesey Council is presently trialling three car parks across the island, while Denbighshire Council revealed last week it would be creating six stopover locations throughout the county. Conwy Council provides basic motorhome spaces in certain car parks but otherwise prohibits overnight parking.

Critics said this response falls short of meeting the needs of campervan owners. On social media, one person criticised ENPA’s position saying: “Down the line the decision will bite them in the backside as tourist numbers dwindle.”

There are worries that overnight parking prohibitions at some of Eryri’s most frequented car parks will restrict the early morning hiking sector. Growing numbers of walkers are ascending peaks like Yr Wyddfa before dawn to arrive at the summit by sunrise. There are also concerns that Eryri’s ban might prompt parking in residential areas and rural lanes.

“I think this ban will simply push people to park on verges and side roads rather than tackle the problem,” said a Gwynedd woman on social media.

However, there is considerable backing for the overnight prohibition. Frequently it is residents who must contend with the less pleasant elements of campervan tourism. While many vehicles are completely self-sufficient, some are not.

A Tanygrisiau campervan owner said: “Some of the walks I go on are near lay-bys that are full of human faeces and emptied toilets – self contained or not. I’m not talking a little bit of mess, it’s bucket loads.”

Locations such as Llanberis have endured issues with littering and thoughtless parking for years. A local woman said visitors also discharged their toilet cartridges or cleaned their dishes in Llyn Padarn, amongst the largest natural lakes in Wales.

She added: “My partner drives to work over Pen-y-Pass to Betws y Coed every day and she has seen a lot of inconsiderate, stupid and downright dangerous parking and driving. But I don’t believe bans change behaviour. Better facilities and tourism management are needed.

“Part of the challenge too is the attitude of people when asked politely not to do something. The amount of times I’ve been told to “f off” and mind my business when trying to explain to people not to wash their oily bike in a llyn (lake) that has one of the most protected underwater grasses in the world, use a BBQ in a meadow of special scientific interest, is unbelievable. Or not to park so a car, never mind an ambulance or mountain rescue team, can get past.”

Neil described himself as “disgusted” by such selfish and disrespectful behaviour. Last year he shared footage of himself clearing bags of rubbish from farmland below Nant Gwynant’s breathtaking viewpoint in Eryri.

However, he insisted that such individuals were in the minority and that sweeping bans were not the answer. “I’ve done a lot of work highlighting the beauty of north Wales on social media,” he said. “But I now wonder what’s the point of ever going back up there.

“Locals are worried that if you take away the campervans and motorhomes, you will take away a massive chunk of incomes from businesses. I don’t want to see that happen and I’m pretty sure the people of north Wales don’t want that to happen as well.”

But others say that campervan owners should accept the situation and use campsites. For many, this undermines the sense of freedom that owning a campervan offers. Others claim that campsites are prohibitively costly and overly restrictive.

One Derbyshire motorhome owner noted that campsites were increasingly becoming the sole viable option. “I have started to look for basic sites and pub stopovers,” she said. “There is no such thing as a hidden gem anymore.”

Eryri National Park (ENP) said the authority’s overnight restrictions across 11 car parks has been erroneously reported as an outright ban on all campervans or motorhomes within the national park. ENPA said that all its car parks remained accessible to all visitors throughout the day.

At nine of the affected car parks, the restrictions are from 10pm–3am; at the two Llyn Tegid facilties, Bala, they are from 10pm-6am. ANPR cameras will shortly go live at the Bala car parks.

ENP said that the restrictions were enforced at car parks “where pressures have been greatest”. A spokesperson added: “These measures have been introduced following a period of monitoring and data collection, in response to increasing issues linked to overnight stays, including unauthorised campervan use, informal camping, littering, environmental impacts and some instances of anti-social behaviour.

“Importantly, many car parks remain available for use during the day (for up to 17 hours), and some key locations continue to operate on a 24-hour basis.

“Our car parks are designed primarily for daytime access to leisure opportunities and are not equipped with facilities for overnight stays by motorhomes or campervans.

“Our position has not changed in regards to overnight camping at our sites, the new operating hours is a formalisation of our car park use.

“We continue to welcome these vehicles during the day, but encourage those planning to stay overnight to use official campsites, designated motorhome facilities or Arosfan sites.

“These provide appropriate amenities while also supporting local communities and reducing pressures on sensitive locations.

“We recognise that the majority of campervan and motorhome users behave responsibly. However, the restrictions are aimed at addressing the cumulative impact caused in specific high-pressure areas.

“The measures will be kept under review and any necessary adjustments will be implemented over the summer. More broadly, these measures are about balancing access with protection.

“While some recent comments suggest the area is becoming a ‘no-go zone’ for campervans, this is not the case. Visitors travelling by motorhome remain very welcome, and there are ample facilities both within and just outside the national park to support overnight stays in a more sustainable way whilst contributing to the local economy.”

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They had helped their son move house earlier the same day. They had no idea of what was coming

12:50, 03 May 2026

Mike and Pat Webb waved goodbye to their beloved son Harry on a warm early autumn day after helping him move house.

He was set for the next chapter of a life in which, aged 27, he had already achieved so much.

Hours later only child Harry rang his parents, by now back home in Crickhowell, Powys, to thank them for their help in carting his possessions across London.

Harry, a music production student at the London College of Contemporary Music, was on his way for an evening swim at London Fields Lido and was calling them though the handsfree feature on his earphones with his phone clipped to his bike.

Mike was on the line that evening, on September 10, 2023, when speeding driver Tiffany Treanor-Johnson, who was 24 years old at the time, crashed her Audi A1 into Harry.

Having heard the loud noise an understandably distressed Mike started shouting.

A passer-by heard Mike’s voice coming through the phone, picked it up from the pavement, and told him what had happened.

Mike, 66, said: “The passer-by we spoke to told us said that Harry had his helmet on.

“He was trying to reassure me, I think, but we could hear the sirens.

“We then got told an ambulance had arrived and was taking Harry to hospital.

“We both packed some things into a bag thinking he’d got a broken leg or something.

“That was until a surgeon from the hospital rang us. They said we needed pull over so we did.

“Then we were told Harry had suffered major brain trauma and he likely would not survive.

“He died two days later surrounded by his family and about 20 of his friends.

“He had only rang up to say: ‘Thanks mum, thanks dad’ for helping him with the move.

“The reason we’d gone back up to university with him was that he had moved flats, from one side of London to the other, so we were helping to move his stuff.

“He was probably only on Kenworthy Road for about 50 yards and then on to the next one. People local to that road have been campaigning for about 15 years to make it safe.”

On the first day of what was supposed to be Treanor-Johnson’s trial the couple, who run department store Webbs of Crickhowell, were in court to hear her change her plea and admit causing death by dangerous driving.

The court was told Treanor-Johnson had been driving at 53mph in a 20mph road at the time of the collision and was found to have taken nitrous oxide, a Class C drug.

Mike said: “I guess you could say it is good that we don’t have to sit through the two-week trial.

“But she had no defence anyway and she has been totally in denial of what she’s done.

“There has been no remorse. No remorse whatsoever.”

Pat added: “She drove off after fatally injuring Harry. Another car swerved and crashed into her to stop her from getting away.

“There were two other girls in the car at the time too who have not been held accountable for their role. Yet we have a lifetime of grief to endure and it does not get any easier.

“I keep thinking: ‘It’s going to get less’ but it seems to get more.

“When you’re a decent person you honestly cannot believe that something could make you feel so awful towards another person. I’ve not experienced those feelings before. Never.

“I have never wished anybody any ill but there has been no remorse so it makes you mad, you know?

“After all of this time we have not heard anything from her or her family – not even an: ‘I’m sorry’ or a: ‘Sorry for your loss’. Nothing.

“It has all been about her, about how hard her childhood was and other things, when we are the victims – our son is dead. He has been robbed of his future.”

Harry was described by his parents as somebody who had the ability to “light up a room”.

Pat said: “Harry was a drummer and he played the piano, he wrote music. If he was doing something he liked to do it right.

“He travelled the world for his music. He went solo to Cuba to learn the clave and he also went to Spain to learn a certain rhythm called flamenco.

“He loved learning and he was so clever. He had such a bright future ahead of him.

“He didn’t see people for their race, their ethnicity, or anything like that – he just saw people as human. The world would be a much better place if people were more like Harry.

“He expressed himself through fashion. He was unique and outgoing. He loved music and philosophy. We loved it, when he was with us, always hearing the piano being played.”

Harry had a maths and philosophy degree from Bristol University and a master’s in philosophy from the University of Amsterdam. He was studying in London at the time of his death, in the second year of a master’s degree in music production.

“He always saw the good in life, the fun in life – and where he got his brains from with us two I don’t know,” she said while laughing.

They remembered a school awards night where Harry was to be receiving an award but did not fancy attending. Harry eventually agreed to go but only if he could choose what he was wearing.

He opted for a tail coat-style suit, blue pointed shoes, a waistcoat, a top hat, and a cane.

Mike said: “We were, and are, so proud of him. He was just Harry. He taught us to and lived by just accepting people for who they are.

“Whoever knew Harry loved him and I know people say this about their children all of the time but Harry was one in a million. He truly was.”

Both Pat and Mike believe more needs to be done across the country in terms of road safety.

Pat – who turned 66 on May 3 but, like Mike, no longer celebrates birthdays – said: “Lots of deaths on the road are preventable. Road deaths are not treated seriously enough and the punishments are nearly always unjust.

“Road deaths must be taken seriously. Drivers must look out for cyclists and pedestrians. People do have a responsibility driving vehicles.”

They will continue campaigning for reforms within the justice system on how victims are supported and how defendants are dealt with.

On Friday the Metropolitan Police issued a statement saying it will be changing the way it responds to serious crash investigations.

Metropolitan Police commander Charmain Brenyah said: “Following a review of the roads and transport policing command we will be fundamentally resetting how the Met investigates fatal and serious collisions.

“This will ensure our response to incidents of this nature are more effective, providing better support and outcomes for victims and families.”

Detective inspector Mark Braithwaite, of the Met’s serious collision investigation unit, added: “Harry’s life was cruelly stolen from him by Tiffany Treanor-Johnson.

“Her decision to initially contest the case put his family and loved ones through months of unnecessary pain as they prepared for the trial.

“This has been a lengthy and complex investigation and I am incredibly grateful to my officers and for the patience and understanding of Harry’s parents.

“My thoughts remain with Harry’s family and I hope that this guilty plea provides some comfort to them.”

Treanor-Johnson is due to be sentenced in July this year.

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The driver failed to stop at the scene

A woman has been left seriously injured after being struck by a car while walking through a Welsh town centre on Friday.

North Wales Police were called to Russell Road in Rhyl alongside paramedics at around 11pm.

The woman suffered life-changing injuries as a result of the crash and the driver failed to stop at the scene.

A 32-year-old male from Prestatyn was later identified by police and arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop.

He has been bailed while police inquiries continue.

Police are now appealing for any witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward.

A North Wales Police spokesman said: “We are appealing for witnesses after a woman was seriously injured following a collision in Rhyl on Friday, May 1.

“The collision, which involved a car and a pedestrian, occurred at approximately 11.50pm on Russell Road in the town centre between the junctions of High Street and Clwyd Street near to The Swan Public House.

“The driver failed to stop at the scene but was later identified and arrested.”

Serious collision investigation unit detective inspector Tim Evans added: “I am grateful to members of the public who immediately came forward to assist the female pedestrian who has sustained significant life-changing injuries.

“I would like to thank officers and staff for their swift efforts to identify the vehicle and driver.

“A 32-year-old male from the Prestatyn area has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop and has been bailed whilst inquiries continue.

“I am aware of social media reports relating to the collision and would ask that people do not speculate as some of this information is incorrect and could potentially be damaging to any possible judicial process.”

Anyone who witnessed the collision, or who may have dashcam footage from the area at the time of the collision is asked to contact North Wales Police via their website or by calling 101 quoting incident reference O066725.

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‘From big schemes to little projects, nothing ever seems to actually work out successfully’

Tristan Cork

23:48, 02 May 2026

You know how, when you watch a random video on YouTube just once, the algorithm then thinks this is what you’re apparently obsessed with now, and so proceeds to show that kind of video to you every three seconds for the next ten years….?

This, before you ask, is how I have become endlessly gripped by watching the many, many videos – more than you’d think, believe me – where people from all over the world, but mainly the USA or Britain, visit Bristol and film themselves being tourists for a day or a few days.

There is also a spin-off of this genre, where people who have properly but recently moved to Bristol give their guides to the city, or tell the YouTube world what they have learned, and what people considering a similar move need to know.

For me, it’s a fascinating insight into what people who are outside the Bristol bubble see and think about the city, although it does get a bit samey after a while.

Yes, they all go on a boat down the harbour, look at the Suspension Bridge, eat street food at St Nick’s Market and if I’ve seen one Japanese tourist point at Banksy’s Well-Hung Lover I’ve seen 50. But you know what the other thing they ALL do is? Complain about transport.

It might be complaining about the traffic, the congested roads. It might be complaining about the transport connections from Bristol Airport, or why Temple Meads is a mile from the city centre and it’s really confusing to get a bus from it or to it.

Or if they are wizened veterans reporting from the trenches of living here for three months, then their more nuanced takes will lament the lack of a bus across Bristol from, say, Clifton to St Andrews or Bedminster to Brislington, the lack of a decent suburban railway, or any kind of mass transport system that cities all over the UK and Europe now have as standard.

It’s something we all know. It doesn’t matter if you’ve lived here seven weeks or 70 years. It doesn’t matter if you only ride a bicycle, or if you have to drive around the city a lot every day, commute by bus, try to travel by e-scooter or navigate the Avon Ring Road twice a day. And yet, the city and its people are hit by multiple reasons why no one appears able to do anything about sorting it out.

There are lots of things constantly going on with roads, roadworks, making new bus lanes, changing roundabouts, creating ‘Liveable Neighbourhoods’, school zones, and so on. It’s not like nothing is happening and Bristolians and their transport woes are being neglected or ignored. But, from big schemes to little projects, nothing ever seems to actually work out successfully.

The council – and I’m lumping in all local authorities, councils and metro mayor administrations in this sweeping generalisation and definition – seem to have good ideas to make things better for people who might not want to drive a car everywhere, but not the actual courage to do it properly.

So cycle lanes are installed for a quarter of a mile but then abruptly stop at a main road junction, for example, leaving cyclists – and motorists – wondering what the point was. Those in charge embrace the e-bike and e-scooter hire scheme but haven’t got the cajones to create proper parking spaces for them.

You could fit 10 e-scooters in their own segregated little zone, just by painting a few markers on an on-street parking space taken up by one car, but that hasn’t happened, because those in charge appear too frightened to do anything to challenge people parking their cars.

The upshot of that is the e-scooters are unpopular because they have to be left parked up on a pavement, getting in people’s way. That failure also means there are nowhere near enough places to park an e-scooter or e-bike legally out in the wilds of Bristol, leading to hefty fines for lots of people, and the scheme not being as successful as it could be. It’s been nearly six years that this scheme has been in place in Bristol – you’d have thought they could have sorted this by now, but no.

Perhaps the most bizarre example of a lack of courage came this year with a great new scheme that has seen lampposts fitted with electric car charging points. There’s loads of them around Bristol now, and it’s a trial period yes, but that trial will undoubtedly see hardly anyone using them because the parking space on the road next to the lamppost hasn’t been marked just for electric cars.

Anyone with an electric car who wants to charge it up with a lamppost can’t get anywhere near the lamppost to use this great new facility – because those in charge are cowards who just do things like this half-heartedly.

It’s all about getting grant funding – yes, obviously this has come from taxpayers’ money – ticking boxes and meeting criteria to make it look like you’re doing something, rather than actually creating something that will bring about meaningful change or be useful.

The box-ticking exercise phenomenon has had its fingerprints all over Bristol’s transport woes for decades. The lamppost thing is just the latest, but it’s the big projects too.

Remember the Metrobus debacle? We spent north of £220 million on the last great attempt to bring about meaningful change in Bristol’s transport system. What did we get? Four new bus routes, a bus lane and bus only junction on the M32, and a strange and very expensive rollercoaster flyover next to Ashton Gate.

The Metrobus project was only eligible for government grants of millions of pounds because it originally promised something ‘new and innovative’ – guided bus rails. That qualified it for the investment from Westminster but it turned out guided bus rails are next to useless, pretty pointless, and actually not only slow buses down but it means you have to have special buses, which are more expensive.

By the time the Metrobus was a reality the amount of guided bus rails in Bristol’s grand project was reduced to just a few hundred yards near Ashton Vale, and the only reason this was kept in at all was so that the entire project still qualified for the original government money.

Anyone looking for a tangible example of how ridiculous Metrobus was – and still is – should look at those guided bus rails, and also the fact that this grand transport project passes Ashton Gate but was specifically and intentionally designed not to serve big events or matches there.

This same phenomenon seen with Metrobus – of transport chiefs chasing the money from upon high and designing projects to fit the grant criteria to get it, rather than designing something people want and will actually work – is now in play with the Liveable Neighbourhoods.

The money to create nicer areas for people who walk, scoot and cycle – maybe wider pavements, cycle lanes, more crossing points, better street environments, parking controls – will only come from the government via WECA if it includes the much more radical idea of ‘modal filters’.

For those still blissfully unaware what a ‘modal filter’ is, it’s a neat little idea of a planter or road block which stops up the road for four wheel vehicles and thus create cul-de-sacs for people in cars, while allowing two-wheels and pedestrians through – and they have been by far the most controversial part of this bigger scheme.

There was hardly any attempt to sit down with local residents and ask them what they wanted in east Bristol – modal filters were always going to be a big part of it, because otherwise the money wouldn’t be there for any of it. Perhaps the point to have a rethink comes when you have to summon 60 police officers and install a bus gate at three in the morning, but then again, maybe not.

In South Bristol the deception continued. Residents were invited to suggest improvements – maybe pedestrian crossings, wider pavements, parking restrictions, whatever it may be – but in the background, modal filters were always going to be the ‘answer’, because that’s the only thing different enough to bring in the grant money.

The council went around South Bristol to ‘consult’ with local residents at drop-in sessions, and local residents emerged pointing out none of the council officers appeared to take any notes of what people said to them. The Liveable Neighbourhood projects are pretty Marmite – some people hate it, some people living in the same street love it.

For many people, having no constant traffic on their road has transformed their lives for the better. There’s no doubt something needs to be done – especially in areas like St George, Easton, Bedminster, Southville, Brislington, St Andrews – where densely packed Victorian streets contain people who all want to live in roads that aren’t busy with traffic, and clogged up with parked cars, but at the same time want to be able to drive where they want and park near their home – and yes, I’m guilty as charged. But imposing a template project just to meet the criteria of a grant to pay for everything isn’t the answer.

There needs to be genuine, grassroots, door-to-door community-led decision-making. A street should only have a modal filter on it if a majority of people living there want that. We may well find, if three streets around say yes, that the street that said no change their mind when all the traffic is funnelled down their road. Driving a car in Bristol is riddled with paradoxes though.

We drivers all complain about traffic when we are the traffic, complain about parking while trying to park. There’s a paradox that residents claim blocking up residential roads with ‘modal filters’ isn’t needed because they are not used as rat-runs clogged with traffic, but at the same time, the same residents warn that blocking up residential roads will see loads more traffic funnelled onto the main roads around an area.

At the same time, that paradox is also the case the other way. The council claim – and that claim is hotly disputed – that blocking up residential roads is needed to stop people rat-running through the area, but doing that so won’t see a damaging increase in traffic on main roads in the area.

This is Schroedinger’s Traffic – simultaneously a problem in one road but not in another, simultaneously existing for one argument but not for its counter-argument. Both sides, as it were, can’t have it both ways.

In South Bristol, the biggest concerns among residents of Southville and Bedminster are about how dangerous it seems to be to cycle or scooter down North Street, a road which has seen three serious RTC just this year with one being a tragic fatality. And yet the council’s plans are to block up the side roads, make anyone that may or may not have been driving along the side roads drive on North Street instead, but with no apparent or detailed plans to make that road safer for cyclists. So what kind of city are we creating here?

If there’s a long-term strategy at play here it’s hard to see it. Every other week the city gives permission to developers to build hundreds of new flats or student accommodation. The next generation of young Bristolians will be living in build-to-rent flats in places like St Philips, St Judes, Fishponds, Bedminster, the Cumberland Basin, the city centre and Lawrence Hill, and they won’t really be able to contemplate owning their own car – where would they park it?

This, combined with the increased cost, means young people just aren’t driving as much anymore. In the 1990s, almost half of Bristol’s teenagers drove, and three-quarters of people passed their tests and drove around by the time they reached their late-20s. Now, it’s dropped considerably.

In the UK, only around a quarter of 17-19 year olds get a driving licence and drive now, and nationally less than two-thirds of people are driving by the end of their 20s. In Bristol, a big city, that’s even lower. But if we’re building thousands of new homes for people in areas around the inner city where we expect the residents not to drive, where are the extra buses, trains and the public transport system the city needs?

There have been some new stations and there are plans for more – but will there be more trains? The metro mayor’s stubborn refusal to consider taking control of public transport in Bristol now means she has to launch a consultation on what people think about the buses so that she can go to First West of England and ask nicely for them to change or improve things.

The lack of any coherent transport system that is fit for purpose in Bristol can be seen in the way the e-scooter scheme works here. Everywhere has these scooters now – from Athens to Dublin. In almost everywhere else – cities with a functional transport system – they are used by people zipping about all over the city on random journeys, and often as a fun method of transport.

Bristol however, has long been the place where they are used the most, and in Bristol they are very much used as an alternative to the daily commute. The transport system is so bad in Bristol – the roads are so clogged, the buses are so unreliable or non-existent, there is nothing in the way of a meaningful mass transit system – that people travelling in from the suburbs to the city centre in the morning see the fun little e-scooters as the most reliable way of doing that. It’s why there are hundreds parked up and unused in the city centre every day, waiting for people to ride them home again.

Emergency services were called to the scene of a multi-vehicle crash on Friday

Four people have been treated in hospital after a multi-vehicle crash in Swansea.

South Wales Police and paramedics from the Welsh Ambulance Service were called to Fabian Way at around 9pm on Friday. They had received reports of a crash involving four cars.

It has been reported the crash occurred when one vehicle was driving into oncoming traffic on the wrong side of the road though police have not confirmed this.

Four people were taken to hospital and a 37-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of drink or drugs.

A police spokesman said: “Officers were called to reports of a collision involving four vehicles on Fabian Way, Swansea, just after 9pm on Friday.

“Paramedics also attended and four people were taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be life-changing or life-threatening.

“A 37-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of driving whilst being unfit through drink or drugs.”

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