Three new through-traffic restriction trials in the Lower Lansdown area of Bath will be installed from 5 August as part of Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Liveable Neighbourhoods programme.
The linked trials, which will allow cyclists and pedestrians safer routes on Gay Street, Catharine Place and Winifred’s Lane, will be in place for a minimum of six months under an Experimental Road Traffic Order (ETRO), and their impact will be monitored.
People are encouraged to share their views at any point during the six-month trials at www.bathnes.gov.uk/lansdownetro and public-consultation surveys will be available from the council’s website from 5 August. No decision will be made on the future of the trials until the council has considered all the outcomes.
The trials are the result of ongoing community engagement since 2021, and the decision to install them, along with a detailed description of each trial, is published on the council’s website at www.bathnes.gov.uk/lansdownetro.
Councillor Manda Rigby, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “Motorists often use the trial streets to avoid the main roads linking the south of Bath to the A46/A420/M4, so the aim is to address speeding and excessive through traffic in these central, residential areas. We also want to create a safe and pleasant active travel route through the area. I want to reassure residents and businesses that vehicle access to properties will be maintained during the trials, although some drivers may have to use a different route.
“We currently have other Liveable Neighbourhood schemes in place, and these have shown us that the best method of consulting on through-traffic changes is via an ETRO. It gives us time to monitor the impacts of the scheme and for people to respond to the interventions, having experienced the scheme, before we make a final decision on whether to make them permanent.”
The details of the trials and the dates of installation are:
- Winifred’s Lane: Monday 5 August
Two rows of bollards will be installed on Winifred’s Lane preventing motorists (but not pedestrians or cyclists) from using this route as a short cut from Monday 5 August. The council is also introducing a no-right turn (except cycles) into Sion Hill (East) from the top of Cavendish Road. During installation, the Sion Hill (East) junction will be closed in all directions.
- Gay Street: Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 August
From 6 August, northbound vehicles will not be able to enter Gay Street from its junction with George Street. Access to Gay Street, which remains two-way, will be from The Circus only. On exiting, vehicles can turn and exit via The Circus, or turn left into George Street, but they will not be able to travel south towards Queen Square. During installation, vehicle access and parking on this stretch of Gay Street will be suspended until work is complete.
- Catharine Place: Thursday 8 August
From Thursday 8 August, a row of bollards will in installed on Catharine Place between Margaret’s Buildings and just before the junction with Rivers Street Mews to create a no-through-route. Some parking bays will be suspended temporarily during the works and during the trial to improve visibility and allow vehicles to turn.
The public consultation surveys will be available from Monday 5 August at www.bathnes.gov.uk/lansdownetro.
Additional parking suspensions and diversions are necessary to safely install the trials, and signs will be place on the street in advance.
The council is encouraging people who live in or regularly visit the area to go online to find out more. It has sent letters with more information to residents and local businesses in the area.
The council secured £736,000 of funding from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) to implement the trials ahead of delivering the wider Liveable Neighbourhoods programme, the purpose of which is to develop a range of measures to improve streets. The Liveable Neighbourhood programme is a part of the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, secured by the combined authority, and funded by UK Government.
More information is available at www.bathnes.gov.uk/lansdownetro.
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