TRAFFIC restrictions at the Hambrook traffic lights will have to stay in place for the time being, South Gloucestershire Council says.
The ban on drivers on the westbound A4174 turning right towards Winterbourne, and traffic heading north from Frenchay going straight across the junction was introduced in 2019 after the government told the council to cut nitrogen dioxide pollution to within legal levels.
Since that time traffic has had to go around the roundabout at the M32 junction to reach Winterbourne.
A petition calling for the restrictions to be dropped last year gained more than 4,100 supporters.
The council monitors air pollution at the site and submits it to the government’s Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU).
It announced in February that JAQU had confirmed the roadside nitrogen dioxide levels recorded in 2023 were within the legal limit – but 2022 readings were not.
The council said: “Unfortunately we cannot review the restrictions at Hambrook until we achieve two consecutive years of compliance. The 2024 data will be assessed by JAQU during 2025.”
The petition can be found online at tinyurl.com/fusdxhk