Have a say on new neighbourhoods
Low traffic, no parking and electric vehicle priority could come to Bath and North East Somerset neighbourhoods.
Residents are being asked for their views on the council’s proposals for “liveable neighbourhoods” which will improve air quality and health, encourage more walking and cycling and reduce vehicles in residential areas.
Liveable neighbourhoods are an important part of the council’s plan to tackle the climate and ecological emergency and to improve health and wellbeing across the area.
It has developed three strategies which it now wants people’s view on. These are a low traffic neighbourhood strategy, residents’ parking schemes and an on-street electric vehicle charging strategy
Residents are now being asked what they think about the plans in an online consultation that will run until Wednesday, October 14.
Liveable neighbourhoods aim to reduce the dominance of vehicles in residential areas while maintaining vehicle access to homes and businesses and prioritising residential parking.
This can be done through a range of measures including vehicle restrictions, traffic one-way streets.
Cllr Joanna Wright, joint cabinet member for transport services said: “We saw during lockdown what a difference less traffic made to our communities. We saw air quality improve, we saw more people walking and cycling, and we saw more people supporting local shops.
“This proposal for liveable neighbourhoods supports our vision to create better conditions for walking and cycling so that people rely less calming and on their cars, especially for short journeys. This is particularly important if we’re to meet our climate emergency targets by 2030.
“By reconsidering how road space is used, improving access to public transport and enhancing community spaces, we can create lively residential areas that foster community pride and help local businesses to prosper.”
To reduce through traffic and ratrunning, a range of vehicle restrictions can be used. This ranges from modal filters such as bollards and attractive planters to one-way streets, traffic calming, speed restrictions and also residents’ parking schemes to reduce commuter parking.
Residents will have already seen changes to some city and town centre roads such as barriers to encourage social distancing.
They were funded from the Government’s £250 million Emergency Active Travel Fund which was announced in May.
Councils were then encouraged to bid for a second ‘tranche’ of government funding to promote more walking and cycling and ease pressure on public transport.
In Bath and North East Somerset ten schemes have been identified for this potential funding. Given the timescales for preparing bids, they have not yet been subject to consultation and could be introduced as Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders.
Cllr Dine Romero, council leader, said: “We need to be clear about the difference in our long-term policy for liveable neighbourhoods and the schemes proposed under the Emergency Active Travel Fund which is a direct response to Covid19.
“Our liveable neighbourhood strategy is asking for people’s views on the principles and policy and is not about promoting individual schemes, these will come later once the strategy is in place.”
Cllr Shaun Stephenson-mcgall (Lib Dem, Oldfield Park) said: “B&NES residents have demanded action on transport and the environment for years and the Lib Dems were elected to deliver real improvements.”
■ Residents can read a summary of the council’s plans for liveable neighbourhoods and take part in an online survey before Wednesday, October 14 at www.bathnes. gov.uk/liveableneighbourhoods.
❝ We saw during lockdown what a difference less traffic made to our communities. We saw air quality improve, we saw more people walking and cycling, and we saw more people supporting local shops. Cllr Joanna Wright