00:00The A4 Portway is one of the main routes linking the M5 and Avon Mouth with the Avon Gorge and
00:06Hotwells Road.
00:07It's also the focus of a multi-million pound project intended to change how people travel into Bristol.
00:13More than £23 million has been committed to improvements along the route.
00:18The work includes 24-hour bus lanes, lower speed limits, upgraded junctions, resurfacing and better shared paths for pedestrians and
00:28cyclists.
00:28But the cost has attracted criticism.
00:32At a Bristol City Council Audit Committee meeting, Conservative Councillor Jonathan Hooker, who represents Stockwood, questioned how the final bill
00:41would compare with the original construction cost.
00:45The Portway opened in 1926.
00:48Councillor Hooker said it cost £800,000 to build at the time, equivalent to around £42 million in today's money.
00:56He told the committee that, given its history as what he described as the world's most expensive road,
01:02he suspected the upgraded route could have the world's most expensive bus lanes when the project is finished.
01:09The scheme's budget was increased by £1.35 million in February, taking it from £21.7 million to £23.1
01:21million.
01:22The funding comes from the government and is distributed through the West of England Combined Authority.
01:29Bristol Conservatives have previously described the project as an appalling waste of public money,
01:34arguing that the changes could make it harder for vehicles to get around the city.
01:39Labour supported the road changes when it ran the council, and the Green-led administration has continued to back them.
01:45The project comes amid a wider debate about the future of buses around Bristol and the West of England.
01:51Passenger numbers have recovered substantially since the pandemic,
01:56but the latest annual figures for Bristol stand at around 40 million trips,
02:02still below the 41 million recorded in 2019.
02:07The city recorded around 26 million bus trips in 2012,
02:12before numbers increased over the following years.
02:15However, rising fares are creating another challenge for efforts to attract passengers.
02:21A single journey in Bristol now costs £2.60 under the regional fare cap.
02:28Popular return tickets have also been withdrawn,
02:30meaning a return journey into the city can cost £5.20.
02:36Elsewhere in England, single fares remain capped at £2.00 in Greater Manchester,
02:41West Yorkshire and the Liverpool City region,
02:43while London's single fare is £1.75.
02:47The portway is one of several schemes intended to encourage more people to use buses.
02:52Further proposals for bus funding are due to be considered by the council's transport committee.
