The outcomes of the trial, collected over six months, includes traffic and air quality data as well as public feedback, and is set out in a single member decision (SMD) report to be approved by Councillor Mark Elliott, cabinet member for Resources.
The aim is to prevent motorists from using the streets as a shortcut to avoid main roads, and to a create a safer environment for those walking or cycling through the area, including residents, commuters, school children and visitors to nearby amenities.
The council installed the trial in April 2024 under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) for a minimum of six months so that impacts could be monitored, and the community could experience it before submitting feedback.
The comprehensive report before Councillor Elliott reveals that, before the trial, New Sydney Place and Sydney Road carried 4,466 to 4,770 vehicles a day, on average, and that 75 per cent (3,259 vehicles) was through traffic i.e. passing through within three minutes.
The trial, which comprised a row of bollards across the Sydney Road junction with New Sydney Place, prevented through traffic but maintained vehicle access to homes from either side of the restriction. As a result, vehicle numbers reduced by up to 90% on New Sydney Place and 70% on Sydney Road.
Walking rates on Sydney Road improved against baseline during all in-trial monitoring. In June, 182 more pedestrians a day, on average, brought total rates to 1027. Cycling rates fluctuated above and below baseline. Both cyclists and pedestrians reported feeling that with the trial in place, it is a safer environment for active travel.
The report also notes that support for the scheme was 24 per cent of all those who chose to respond to the public consultation survey, yet most objections came from people living outside of the Bathwick area. It also notes that during an end-point survey conducted with residents and businesses on the trial streets, 34 out of the 50 respondents felt that the trial had improved the area.
The council received 1887 unique responses to the public consultation survey. 1090 (83%) of these came from outside the trial streets and the wider Bathwick area.
Most respondents objecting to the trial cited increased traffic, congestion, and delays as reasons.
The council conducted traffic monitoring several times during the trial. The report shows that while major routes saw an increase in vehicle numbers, the impact on traffic flows, travel times and queue lengths was not seen to be significant. Additional vehicle numbers on the minor roads that surround the trial was very small where it was seen at all.
Across a full day, average travel times on main roads in the area increased by up to 13 seconds and on some roads travel times reduced. At the most extreme, the greatest average increase was 52 seconds at peak times on one main road.
The report also reveals that the A36 Darlington Street to Warminster Road journey (via Beckford Road) took up to 5 seconds longer during the trial when comparing monthly GPS tracking data. In total, the journey took up to 1.8 minutes, on average, before and during the trial. Drivers who once took Sydney Road as a short cut were typically saving up to 40 seconds.
The report acknowledges that work to improve the phasing of traffic signals in the area has helped to keep traffic moving. It also states that the council conducted its monitoring outside of the closure of the A36 at Limpley Stoke on 12 August (which reduced levels of traffic in the area).
This is a detailed and thorough analysis of a comprehensive trial and consultation which I will consider carefully. It is interesting to see from the feedback how people’s opinions have shifted over the course of the trial to be more positive, although a significant number are obviously still opposed. The consultation process allowed people to express a wide range of views. The trial is a result of years of campaigning by residents, and it’s important that I assess whether the reasons for objecting are supported by evidence.
Councillor Mark Elliott, cabinet member for Resources
I also note that the Bath Walking, Wheeling and Cycling Links scheme aims to further improve connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists by proposing a safer route connecting Bathwick and the city centre than the current National Cycle Route 4, which currently follows the busy A36.
The report concludes that ‘on balance, it is felt that the trial has been successful in reducing the excess traffic on this residential road without significant or intolerable displacement of traffic or congestion onto neighbouring roads, or excessive increases in journey times. In addition, it says there has been no significant negative impact on the environment in terms of air pollution and all levels remain below the government legal limit and the council’s acceptable limits.
If approved, the decision will be reflected within the formal statutory Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) decision-making process, noting that the final sign-off is via a delegated decision made by the Director of Place Management. The Cabinet Member and ward members will have the opportunity to give formal comment.
To obtain a link to the single member decision report and the full reports attached as appendices to the SMD, please go to the council website or to the New Sydney Place and Sydney Road Trial’s web page.
Leaders across the West have welcomed greater investment through today’s Spending Review, with a record three-quarters of a billion pounds of transport funding confirmed for the West. That means better buses, more trains, and mass transit – with trams and much more on the table. The Treasury has also today confirmed plans to improve rail links between Bristol and Cardiff.
The second phase of a project - to reduce congestion, improve the reliability of buses, and promote active travel along a major transport route in Bristol - will get underway from Monday 16 June 2025.
That’s summer sorted. Children and young people under the age of 16 are set to be able to travel for free on buses across our region during the school holidays, thanks to new investment proposed by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.
Bristol’s first electrified bus depot was opened on 3 June 2025 by a government minister and the West of England’s new mayor.
Leaders across the region have today welcomed more than three-quarters of a billion pounds set to be invested in transport projects in the West. The Chancellor has announced plans to more than double investment in local transport in England’s city regions, committing to “investment in all parts of the country, not just a few.”
