The dearth of cycling facilities at Cabot Circus has already been noted, but what about pedestrians? Even in Bristol, you might think that walking around a shopping area should be pretty straightforward. In fact anyone walking from the 'Circus' (the middle-market bit) to Quakers Friars (the posh bit) or towards Broadmead has no choice but to cast themselves into a neverending stream of traffic. No zebra crossings, no lights, nothing, nada, nichts.
The crossing point (such as it is) from the Circus* to Quakers Friars is particularly dangerous, as traffic backs up from the lights by Harvey Nicks. It's just a matter of time before a pedestrian dodging through the traffic gets broadsided by a bike or motorcycle coming up the other side.
*As I walked around Cabot Circus, Erasure's excellent 'The Circus' (YouTube) started up unbidden on my internal jukebox. The lyrics seemed rather apt, so in true Kerry McCarthy style I'll be cannibilising them for post titles on this lofty subject. Although with apologies to Andy Bell and Vince Clarke, perhaps this one should be 'Just A Walker Waiting In The Pouring Rain'.
