Inside the lives of people living under the M5 motorway
Residents living under motorways in Bristol have shared their experiences of the noise, litter and lack of sunlight that comes with their unique location. The M32 in the city centre and the M5 at Avonmouth Docks are two such locations where homes sit beneath flyover bridges.
The locals describe a life dominated by the constant roar of traffic, falling debris and a towering structure that blots out the sun. Jackie Payne, 66, who moved to her home under the M5 in Avonmouth five years ago, has expressed regret over her decision.
She stated: “We want to move somewhere quieter. We can’t open the windows because you can’t hear the TV.”
“I have got about six fans in the front room because it gets so hot. When the lorries hit a particular drain it makes such a noise.
“We can’t sit in the garden because you can hear it and hear the lorries all day – it gets on my nerves. I come from a village.
“I would go out into my garden and all you could hear was the cows mooing.”
Homes near the M5 motorway (Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)
Jackie said the bridge did pose its own problems. She said: “It blocks the sun to the front room and we get litter in the garden.
“I am always worried that a lorry will crash through the barrier.”
Philip Jacobs, 84, moved to his home in Avonmouth when he was just eight years old – before plans for the M5 bridge had even been tabled. He said: “I was here when it was built. They built it in sections.
“I was doing shift work as a lorry driver at the time, often working at night, and the noise was unbelievable – I couldn’t get any sleep.”
Philip Jacobs, 84, who lives under the M5 motorway (Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)
Philip, who still lives in the property with his wife Carol, 69, said he had gotten used to traffic noise but conceded the bridge was still a nuisance. He said: “There is a lot of noise, but I have got used to it.
“The bridge blocks the sun and it’s an eyesore. It is convenient for people driving, that is how the world works.”
Philip’s neighbour, Joan Seoker, 86, has also become acclimatized to the clamour after more than forty years living under the bridge.
Homes near the M32 motorway in Bristol (Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)
She said: “We have got double glazing. We don’t take any notice of it anymore. We got used to it.”
Kelly, 40, who withheld her surname, said projectiles had been hurled down at her house from the bridge.
She said: “People throw things from the bridge, which is a problem for the kids.
“Our conservatory was smashed twice by laughing gas canisters three years ago.”
In nearby Eastville, the M32 passes above the rooftops on its dissection of north-east Bristol.
Tom Benoy, 27, who lives near the M32 motorway. (Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)
Tom Benoy, 27, moved in five years ago and has found the traffic noise to be the main drawback of the area.
He said: “The only thing I don’t like is not being able to peacefully sit outside. We have the river, it’s a nice area.
“The only reason I would ever move is to get away from the noise.”
Tom, who is a technical consultant, conceded that the constant hum of traffic can sometimes be meditative. He said: “The drone can be quite nice.”
Tahir, 64, has become accustomed to the racket of the bypass. He said: “Living here for twenty years, I don’t have a problem with it.
(Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)
“My bedroom faces it. When you open the window you can hear it, of course you hear it.”
Tahir said the motorway was inevitably very audible in his well-kept garden. He said: “You can’t double glaze a garden.”
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References
- ^ Street in Bath ‘ruined’ by ‘eyesore’ Virgin Media telecoms box (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
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