There’s a reason Bristol has seen such an influx of new people over the past few years - it’s simply the place to be with year-round events, an amazing vibe and a good place to work.
But we’re also aware that if you scratch the surface, not everything is perfect. Ask any motorist coming into the city each day, or someone trying to get on the housing ladder.
So we decided to put the question out to our readers on Facebook. What would make Bristol a better city? It generated quite a response with a variation of answers, some achievable, some definitely not!
Here’s a round-up of 10 of the answers:
1. A Premier League football team
Not since 1980 has Bristol had a top division football side. Bristol City came close in 2008, but the wait goes on. Surely a city the size of Bristol deserves a team in the top flight. We’ll have to see if Bristol City can achieve that this season, or if Rovers come up strong over the next few. Wouldn’t it be brilliant Photo: Marc Atkins
2. Outdoor swimming pools
What a great idea from Ros Evans. Yes, Clifton Lido does have an outdoor pool, but where else can you go apart from swimming in the River Avon where sewage has been pumped into the water? The city council did recently run a trial of open swimming in the Bristol Harbour, which appeared successful. But let’s have some outdoor pools please!
3. Tidy the city up
A pretty obvious idea, really - but one shared by many people. There is concern some areas of the city have been impacted by rubbish or graffiti. The city council does have a Clean Streets Enforcement Campaign running with environmental enforcement company 3GS to tackle environmental crimes. But it appears people are still unhappy over the waste, unwanted posters and graffiti. This idea can definitely be achieved.
4. Less traffic
This was a popular answer. A common complaint was our roads are clogged up, and who would argue? Roads like the A4 Bath Road and A430 Church Road are areas to avoid at certain times of the day. But how to remove the traffic? Liz Lewis says reliable transport, Joe Hall says a Park and Ride at the bottom of the M32 and Ken Wo says an underground or tram system. Whatever the solution, the city has someway to go to meet this well-supported aim as concern grows about the pollutive impact of vehicle emissions.