Next steps for safer, better neighbourhoods in Bath and North East Somerset
The next steps for Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Liveable Neighbourhoods programme have been announced.
Cabinet member for Climate and Sustainable Travel, Councillor Sarah Warren is being asked to give the go-ahead for the council to trial through-traffic restrictions on three residential streets, including Church Street in Bath, Southlands in Weston, and Queen Charlton Lane nr Whitchurch village.
The trials, which would last for six months from 17 November 2022 until 17 May 2023, are now being recommended in Single Member Decisions, following extensive engagement on the schemes. A through-traffic restriction on Tennyson Road was also proposed as part of this engagement but is not included in the recommendations.
The aim of the ETRO trials is to make these spaces safer for walking and cycling by reducing traffic volumes. The six-month trial will allow residents to experience the restriction in practice and submit their feedback before a final decision is made to make them permanent.
The measures proposed vary at each location but include droppable bollards and planters on the road. These allow pedestrians, cyclists and people with pushchairs, wheelchairs and mobility scooters to pass through, but not vehicles. Vehicle access to homes would be maintained from either side of the restrictions, with adequate turning facilities provided. Emergency services would be provided with a key to drop the bollards if necessary.
The trials are proposed as pilots, installed ahead of a range of other measures being put forward by the community to improve residential streets in 15 areas developing Liveable Neighbourhoods.
The Liveable Neighbourhood programme encourages residents to re-think how street space can be used to prioritise people, reduce our reliance on cars, and encourage more walking and cycling. Working collaboratively with the council, residents are putting forward a range of measures to be considered, including safer crossings, wider pavements, improved seating and public space, and a range of traffic-calming measures. The aim is to improve people’s well-being, reduce social isolation, and provide a cleaner, safer environment for everyone to enjoy. Further details can be found at bathnes.gov.uk/yourLN.
Following extensive public engagement as part of our Liveable Neighbourhoods programme, I am pleased to consider these recommendations for changes to the road layout to make these streets and lanes safer for walking and cycling.
The proposed measures aim to make streets safer for people to walk, cycle and play outside, and would not prevent residents, visitors or key services from accessing homes or farmland. Introducing through-traffic restrictions with six-month experimental traffic regulation orders (ETRO) means that local communities can see how the measures work and have their say, before a final decision is made.
Councillor Sarah Warren, deputy leader and cabinet member for Climate and Sustainable Travel
Read the recommendation reports for the single member decisions.
To find out more about the trial measures being introduced to restrict through-traffic on three residential streets, please visit www.bathnes.gov.uk/LNPilots
To find out more about the community-led Liveable Neighbourhoods programme, visit bathnes.gov.uk/liveableneighbourhoods.
