Citizens’ panel to give travel views
Two dozen residents without “ingrained opinions” on transport will help shape plans to improve walking and cycling links from the centre of Bath.
The council and the University of Bath have stumped up £30,000 to bring in research consultancy Britain Thinks to establish an independent citizens’ panel.
Members will be tasked with determining the most appropriate safe, strategic cycle route to improve between the city centre, the university and the large employment and education sites in Claverton Down.
The move follows controversial plans to make North Road (inset) more bike and pedestrianfriendly that were scrapped last year - but the panel could yet say it is the best route.
Bath and North East Somerset Council leader Kevin Guy said: “The panel will have nothing to do with people with ingrained opinions. Britain Thinks will do a thorough selection process.
“It’s not abdicating responsibility; it’s about instilling confidence that decisions are made fairly.
“There’s a feeling that decisions are made behind closed doors by a small clique of people. You can’t get any fairer or more transparent than a citizens’ panel.
“Allowing residents to help make decisions is democracy in action.” Cllr Guy said the panel will give advice and the final decision will be signed off by the full council. If the method proves successful at tackling thorny issues the authority could use it again in future.
Britain Thinks will select panel members based on factors including their age, socioeconomic group, housing tenure, ethnicity and disability to achieve a broad representation of the population across B&NES. It will also consider their preferred mode of transport.
Associate psychology professor Dr Punit Shah has cast doubt on the effectiveness of the panel.
In a video posted by the Bath Conservative Association he said a group of 24 people was “highly unlikely” to be representative of the community and a survey would have been a better way.
Despite the challenges he urged people from all backgrounds to get involved, particularly those who would not usually participate.
Plans for North Road, the least steep route to the plateau at the university, included segregated cycle lanes, a bus gate, a new crossing and the removal of onstreet parking in Beckford Road.
Deputy leader Sarah Warren, the cabinet member for climate emergency and sustainable travel, said in a press release: “We know that we need to improve walking and cycling facilities between the city centre and areas such as Claverton Down, particularly where people are travelling out of the city, especially given the city’s topography.
“However, reallocating road space from current uses to active travel such as walking and cycling is always very challenging and people quite rightly raise many concerns when we seek to progress schemes that do this.
“So the aim of this panel is to give a genuinely independent perspective to inform our approach. That’s why we are asking it to take a broad view and provide us with genuinely independent, informed thinking about how we should approach these schemes in future
“It is vital that the panel is independent of the council and properly representative of our community. At any one time we may be drivers, pedestrians, cyclists or bus users, but we are all citizens and residents. Britain Thinks have considerable expertise in establishing deliberative panels such as this and the council will not be involved in selecting the panel members.”
Councillors will not sit on the panel but will receive recommendations after its deliberations.