page_title: M32 motorway
section_title: Community and environment
hierarchical_section_title: M32 motorway / Community and environment
caption_attribution_description: The M32 motorway, Bristol, England, seen from inside Stoke Park, with Duchess Pond (a fishing lake) in the foreground. The view is looking east. The blue motorway sign says that it is one third of a mile to Junction 1, which is the exit for Filton, Kingswood, the north Bristol Ring Road, and the A4174. The black car and the red car are travelling towards Bristol. A road bridge crosses the motorway, on the left of the picture.
context_page_description: The M32 is a motorway in South Gloucestershire and Bristol, England, which at roughly 4.4 miles is one of Britain's shortest. It provides a link from the M4, a major motorway linking London and South Wales, to Bristol city centre and is maintained by Highways England, the national roads body.
  The motorway was planned concurrently with the M4 in the 1960s, and construction was complete to Eastville in northeast Bristol by 1970. The southernmost section was delayed by engineering challenges and industrial action, and did not open until 1975. Since the mid-2000s, there have been plans to use the M32 as part of a park and ride facility which would reduce congestion in Bristol.
  Though the M32 has a small traffic flow, it is one of the most congested motorways in the region as it connects a number of key areas. As well as providing one of the few high-quality routes into the centre of Bristol, it is the only significant link from the M4 to the A4174 Bristol Ring Road. Parts of the M32 are reaching the end of their intended lifespan, leading to reduced speed limits and occasional closures for remedial work.
context_section_description: The M32 has been criticised for severing longstanding links in Bristol. Older residents have claimed that formerly close-knit communities such as Easton have been shut off by the imposing concrete barriers next to the motorway. It has been criticised for running alongside the grounds of Stoke Park, spoiling the local atmosphere and requiring part of the estate including the Duchess Pond to be demolished. In 2008, Jeremy Isaacs claimed the motorway was a reason that Bristol did not win the European Capital of Culture award that year, adding that the M32 had created a "concrete divide" between Eastville, St Paul's and Easton.
  Local residents have complained about the noise on the M32. A report by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs showed that traffic noise can be as loud as 75 decibels in neighbouring estates. In 2014, a petition was created to campaign Bristol City Council to install quieter road surfaces and noise barriers along the motorway. 
  In 2011, a council gardening scheme created a horticultural landscape next to the southern end of the M32. The project included planting of red poppies, cornflowers, and marigolds. A spokesman said they hoped it would enhance the view from the motorway and provide additional habitats for wildlife including bees and butterflies. The gardens were well-received by locals and led to a city-wide project called Meadow Bristol, to grow similar meadows elsewhere.
caption: The M32 has been criticized for passing close to Stoke Park and part of the estate grounds were given up for the motorway.
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