Up to Four-Hour Delays at Cabot Circus as Faulty Traffic Light Triggers Bristol Gridlock

Drivers face long waits after traffic signal failure at Cabot Circus

Drivers experienced delays of up to four hours trying to exit the Cabot Circus shopping centre car park in central Bristol on Saturday afternoon after a faulty traffic light caused severe gridlock.

Motorists reported moving only a few feet over several hours, with dozens of vehicles backed up inside the multi-storey car park and long queues forming on surrounding roads.

Council and centre response
A Bristol City Council spokesperson said contractors were on site working to repair the malfunctioning traffic signal. A Cabot Circus representative confirmed the lights were down and said the council had since rectified the fault, which had created the backlog at the car park exit.

Eyewitness accounts

"We've been waiting for four hours. We've gone back down into Cabot Circus, had some food and come back out again. We've only seen one staff member on level three helping people — it's been chaos and there's been no support from Cabot Circus," said Sam Hill.

James Bleeg, 53, said he and his family had been stuck on the sixth floor for about two-and-a-half hours by 17:00 GMT, moving only a few metres. He had come into the city to shop and visit the nearby Christmas market with his wife and 12-year-old son.

By 19:00, traffic wardens had been deployed to each floor by the exit ramps to help direct vehicles and ease the situation. Somerset councillor Lucy Trimnell described the scene on X as "absolute bedlam" after spending three hours in the queues, saying there was gridlock across the area.

Google Maps showed multiple jams affecting Bond Street, Temple Way, The Haymarket, Newfoundland Way and the St James Barton Roundabout. The council reiterated that contractors were on site addressing the traffic light fault.

If you experienced delays or have updates, local news outlets requested readers to share their stories via the provided contact channels.