North Road proposal in need of a rethink

I have been monitoring the various announcements made by the council about potential changes to the use of North Road so that I might enter into the public consultation when their plans were made clear.

With consultation due to be completed by 21 March the council has still provided only very sparse information.

I am most concerned that the proposals make little sense and fear that they may be pushed through without the implications being fully understood.

As far as I can determine from the limited information available, the proposals are to:

■ Prevent access to through traffic heading up the North Road (South) past the junction with Cleveland Walk (with the exception of buses, taxis, emergency vehicles and refuse vehicles).

■ Consider a similar restriction to traffic heading North down North Road.

■ Preventing traffic from entering Cleveland Walk from North Road; thereby effectively barring traffic from heading up North Road from the A36.

Purpose: It would appear that purpose of the proposals is to enable North Road to become a priority cycle path to the University. I also understand that this may be supplemented by use of electric scooters.

Funding: The proposal is to be funded by central government as a result of the idea being put forward by the council last year without consultation. I believe the money must be spent within 12 months, or it will be lost.

I make the following comments:

■ North Road as a Cycle Route: The basis for the proposals would seem flawed from the outset. The steepness of North Road means that very few cyclists actually use this route at the moment.

I understand that Bath University figures show that the majority of students use public transport to access the site (a statistic that I assume therefore already matches the intent of B&NES Council).

The figures also show that no more than 200 students cycle to the university; and one might suppose that only a small proportion of these do so by tackling North Road.

Indeed my, non-scientific observations when I have driven that route indicate that very few cyclists actually use this route and, those that do would appear to be more in the league of “serious cyclists” than students cycling to attend lectures. Given the gradient of North Road, this is perhaps not surprising!

■ Effect on Other vehicular Traffic: Were this measure to be introduced it would result in vehicles having to find alternative routes, which would inevitably lead to additional traffic in the centre of Bath - A new and different problem will have been created, arguably to no or minimal gain on North Road.

■ Access to Bath Golf Club: A particular issue will be the inability of members to access Bath Golf Club. (The proposal makes no exception for access to the club from the North, even though it is patently not “through traffic”). One might reasonably assume that preventing such access from the North will affect perhaps 50% of the 500+ members of Bath Golf Club.

■ Parking Restrictions: If the proposals are aimed at reducing the danger to cyclists on North Road, then the easiest solution seems to be to prevent parking on it – certainly this would be a less draconian first step.

Questions to be answered: Before proceeding with this proposal the council should provide clear answers to questions that include:

■ Have they actually conducted a survey of the likely increase in use of North Road as a cycle route were the proposals to be put into practice?

■ Cost / Benefit Analysis:

What analysis in terms of cost / benefit and disadvantages have been conducted?

And further to this; how does this analysis compare to other potential options for the use of the central government funding?

■ Financial implications: Perhaps most importantly; the council should confirm that this proposal is not being pressed ahead with simply to ensure that the centrally provided funds are not lost. To do so would be an outrageous profligacy in these straitened times.

If the proposal is inappropriate, the money should be saved now – and I am certain that the council would be respected for such a decision.

To spend it and to subsequently withdraw the measure when it is proved to not work would be a rerun of the Dorchester Street debacle; from which I assume the council has learned lessons.

■ Access to Bath Golf Club: Not least the council must ensure that the long-standing access to Bath Golf Club by members from both directions on North Road is preserved.

In Summary: The plans to restrict traffic on North Road appear to have no merit. Any increase in the use of cycles on such a steep hill seems an implausible reason for taking such action.

Meanwhile the knock-on effects of traffic being re-routed elsewhere and for access to Bath Golf Club patently far outweigh any perceived advantage to this plan.

Lest my input it be misinterpreted, I ride a bicycle myself; both for fitness and for access around Bath.

My comments are made from an entirely practical point of view and in no way indicate a bias against cyclists. I am also a member of Bath Golf Club.

I am certain that the council is well aware that the membership of the club represents a broad crosssection of the entire social spectrum of Bath and am sure that they would not wish to inconvenience them without particularly sound reason.

If the council wish to bring the people of Bath with them on a move towards alternative transport ideas, the proposals for North Road are most certainly not the way to garner support.

I therefore anticipate a pragmatic reconsideration by the council which will resolve this situation – and I am certain that such a rethink will be well received by the vast majority of Bath residents.

Adrian Pryce

By email