End of the road for city bollards
Red and white bollards that were put in place to help with social distancing across Bath and North East Somerset during the coronavirus pandemic are being removed this week.
Bath and North East Somerset Council’s highways team is removing the barriers, which had been put in place to widen pavements and aid social distancing in the city and its surrounding areas.
Roads will be returned to how they were before the pandemic and any parking spaces that were temporarily removed will be restored.
Councillor Manda Rigby, cabinet member for transport at Bath and North East Somerset Council, said: “The temporary measures, to widen pavements, remove traffic from roads and improve cycling, were introduced using emergency traffic regulation orders as a response to reopening after the first lockdown last year.
“Highways teams will be out this week removing the majority of the barriers in line with the government’s lifting of restrictions.”
The roads due to see barriers removed this week are Westgate Buildings, Dorchester Street, Ambury, Somerset Street, Moorland Road, Chapel Row, Monmouth Place, North Parade, Orange Grove, Terrace Walk, Broad Street, Walcot Street, Northampton Street, Camden Road, Weston High Street, Lansdown Lane and St Saviour’s Road.
Temporary access restrictions in the city centre will remain in place for the time being to try to give people confidence to return to some of the more popular but sometimes crowded parts of Bath.
The roads affected are Cheap Street, Westgate Street, Saw Close, Upper Borough Walls, York Street, Milsom Street and Kingsmead Square. Keynsham High Street is currently closed for public realm improvement works.
In Kingsmead Square and Milsom Street, the restrictions will continue as experimental traffic regulation orders and a consultation will be launched over the coming months to enable people to have their say over whether or not these should be made permanent.
The council says full consideration is being made on the impact of the access restrictions on disabled people and those with walking difficulties.
A number of temporary disabled bays have been provided in nearby roads which can be seen on this map online: