Communities’ views to help shape first low traffic areas
Communities across Bath are drawing up plans for the city’s first low traffic neighbourhoods.
The Liberal Democrats’ flagship policy will see selected residential streets restrict access to throughtraffic, alongside other strategies to drive down car ownership.
Councillors are now being invited to express an interest, with ward members in Oldfield Park, Twerton and Bathwick all saying their residents are keen.
Bath and North East Somerset Council is also asking where residents’ parking zones and electric vehicle charging points should be rolled out.
Conservatives, however, say the administration should not be “distracted by fanciful ideas” when the economy faces the “mammoth task” of recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Councillor Manda Rigby, who represents Bathwick, said: “There are a few places in Bathwick who would want to be considered for inclusion in this first tranche of low traffic neighbourhoods. I’ve had conversations with them already, [I’m] firming up expressions of interest now.”
Oldfield Park’s Cllr Shaun Stephenson-mcgall said: “There is great interest in this across the whole city and beyond including from residents, and the three residents’ associations in the Oldfield Park ward. This includes new residents’ parking zones.” Cllr Tim Ball, a Lib Dem cabinet member, said Twerton was also looking at submitting a proposal.
According to the council’s consultants, Jacobs, low traffic neighbourhoods are “typically considered in predominantly residential areas, where several streets are grouped and organised in a way to discourage through-vehicle traffic or rat-running”.
Residents remain able to drive and park on their streets and receive deliveries.
They use measures like speed restrictions, partial or full road closures, modal filters and reallocating road space to improve walking and cycling infrastructure.
The low traffic neighbourhoods, residents’ parking and on-street electric vehicle charging strategies – collectively known as liveable neighbourhood – garnered “significant support” when the council consulted on them last year.
Transport boss Cllr Joanna Wright told her cabinet colleagues in December the “radical” measures would reduce the dominance of vehicles and make Bath “a connected city fit for the future”.
In a statement last week, she and Cllr Neil Butters, her fellow cabinet member for transport services, said: “The introduction of liveable neighbourhoods has the potential to make huge improvements to people’s lives, enabling our communities to improve their health, wellbeing and equality of opportunity.
“This will be the first in a series of opportunities for ward members to submit ideas with their communities to create low traffic neighbourhoods.”
They added: “The invitation to ward councillors is the first step in the consultation process to find out what residents want in their neighbourhoods, so residents can have a say from the very start.
“Responses back from our wards will help the council to start looking at individual schemes and in due course undertake further consultations on each one.”
Delivering liveable neighbourhoods was a key election pledge for the Lib Dems but Conservative group leader Cllr Paul Myers said significant parts of the proposals were “unnecessary and unworkable”. He said: “With the country’s economy heading towards a double-dip recession, and as we approach the mammoth task of recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, we believe, from a Conservative perspective, the council should prioritise giving support to local businesses and the Bath economy to ensure our city proposers and jobs are protected postcovid.
“Now is not the time to be distracted by fanciful ideas masquerading under the ‘climate emergency” banner which will make it more difficult for residents, consumers and business owners to move around the city. As ever, the administration’s focus is placed on Bath to the detriment of North East Somerset.”
For the next six weeks the council is also consulting on an action plan that will “shape transport in the city over the next decade”. It asks residents to rate the importance of prioritising buses or bikes, upgrades to park and rides, improving accessibility for blue badge holders and the need for electric vehicle charging points.
Visit https://beta.bathnes.gov. uk/travel-and-transport-consultations for more information and to respond. All responses must be received by Monday, March 1.