The Bath and NE  Somerset Council aims to substantially increase jobs and support local businesses through the Bath City Riverside Enterprise Area, which is designated as a key zone for economic growth by the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership. To deliver the jobs requires an integrated approach to managing traffic flow in the city – including providing improved parking opportunities such as expanding long stay capacity at Park and Ride – enabling greater emphasis to be given to walking, cycling and bus services in the historic core and on key corridors. Reduction of city centre parking will not take place until alternatives are in place.

Key elements of the Getting Around Bath transport strategy include:

• continuing the progress made in Bath to relocate long stay parking to Park and Ride sites
• a more efficient use of scarce space in the centre
• presenting opportunities to improve the walking environment.

The Council’s parking charges are cheaper than other car parks in the city centre. Based on usage of the car parks, the city can accommodate a temporary reduction of car parking spaces. This is mainly due to the fact that not all levels of the Avon Street multi-storey are fully used at all times. In the medium term, an additional 200 surface level car parking spaces will be re-introduced; offering better quality provision which is preferred by visitors to the city – figures indicate this will have more than twice the turnover than the current multi-storey. The impact of this is to deliver at least the same, or increased, total car parking capacity within the city whilst releasing land for the creation of a new central business district to strengthen the local economy, support local businesses and create jobs.

This year, 2014/15, the Council is investing £7.4million – a record amount – to improve carriageways, footways, highway structures, drainage and street lighting.