Implied Zebra Crossing Trial Monitoring - What will it prove?
Bristol City Council published their revised plans for the SBLN Scheme.
A major change was:
Trialling side road zebra crossings, which reinforce pedestrian right of way on side roads, including on North Street's junctions with Raleigh Road
The nine locations for the Implied Zebra Crossings on North Street junctions can be seen on this map.
On the 17th September2026 this question was submitted to the Transport and Connectivity Committee.
With this answer given:
Cameras are already active on North Street, capturing baseline "as-is" data before implementation.
A Freedom of Information Request reveled that three VivaCity Cameras were installed in May/June 2026 and have been collecting data since August 2026.
A question submitted to the Transport & Connectivity Committee on 22/10/2026 confirmed that these three VivaCity Cameras are being used to monitor the Implied Zebra Crossing trial.
These sensors form part of the North Street side road zebra crossing trial, which aims to make it easier for people walking and wheeling to cross side roads. The sensors will be used to monitor how pedestrians and vehicles interact with the crossings. The information collected will be used to assess the effectiveness and safety of the trial by comparing conditions before and after implementation.
The diagram below shows the locations of the VivaCity Cameras. The purple lines on the photographs show where movements of vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists will be recorded, with one countline on the road junction and one on the pavement.
Two of the cameras are on junctions where Implied Zebra Crossings will be trialled (Raleigh Rd and Exeter Rd), whilst the third camera is on a junction where no Implied Zebra Crossing will be installed (Balfour Rd).
What do the VivaCity Cameras Record?
These cameras record the number of "Movements" on each Countline.
They record movements in both directions across the Countline.
This is the data that was recorded on 29/10/2026 for each Sensor/Countline.
Raleigh Road (Road Countline)
Raleigh Road (Path Countline)
Exeter Road (Road Countline)
Exeter Road (Path Countline)
Balfour Road (Road Countline)
Balfour Road (Path Countline)
What is the monitoring for?
The sensors will be used to monitor how pedestrians and vehicles interact with the crossings. The information collected will be used to assess the effectiveness and safety of the trial by comparing conditions before and after implementation.
The purpose of the trial is to understand how pedestrians and vehicles interact with the crossings. The best way to monitor this would be to record the amount of time pedestrians spent waiting to cross the junction, and the amount of time that vehicles were waiting to enter/leave the junctions. If pedestrians spent less time waiting to cross the road then the benefits to pedestrians would be clear.
If vehicles spent more time waiting to enter the junction from North St, then this would evidence an increase on vehicle congestion on North St.
What if the number of pedestrian movements increased?
The before/after data would show if the number of movements changed. This could evidence that more pedestrians were walking along North St, or fewer vehicles were using North St junctions.
But the purpose of the crossings is to encourage vehicle users to give priority to pedestrians, not to increase the number of pedestrian movements. There is no evidence to suggest that pedestrians avoid North St because they have to wait to cross junctions.
What about School Safety?
It is likely that crossing Greenway Bush Lane will be easier when a crossing is installed on the junction of North Street and Greenway Bush Lane. This would be a benefit for Ashton Gate Primary School pupils and parents.
I regularly drive along North St and always let pedestrians cross junctions if they are waiting. When I stop to allow pedestrians to cross at this particular junction I have often been "beeped" by other drivers who do not seem to think pedestrians should have priority. The pedestrians can also seem surprised that I have stopped to let them cross.
There is funding for a School Crossing Patrol at this location, but the post is currently vacant. Perhaps the Council could increase the salary to help fill these roles, which improve safety for students and parents walking to and from Ashton Gate Primary School.
What about Cyclists?
These crossings will not provide any benefits for Cyclists and may actually make Cycling more difficult.
Pedestrians will have a higher expectation that vehicles will allow them to cross more safely, but there will be some cyclists who will not stop at these crossings to let pedestrians cross. This would also be true of other vehicles, but based on anecdotal evidence of crossing at the Zebra Crossing in North St, pedestrians are more likely to experience cyclists crossing the zerbra crossing while they are using it rather than other types of vehicle.
Motor Vehicles travelling across Zebra Crossings are much more dangerous for Pedestrians, but it is easier to identify and prosecute drivers of vehicles who drive dangerously which acts as a deterrent.
BBC News
If the new crossings result in more queuing traffic on North St then this could result in cyclists on North St being in more danger as they try to maneuver around stalled traffic.
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