Liberal Democrats tackling congestion in Bath

 

A4 Morrisons junction improvements set for start

Measures to help tackle traffic congestion and improve air quality at the Morrisons junction on London Road will be carried out by Bath & North East Somerset Council from 24 February 2013 for up to six weeks.

The works are part of the £27 million Bath Transportation Package which is upgrading the city’s transport system to tackle congestion and provide the infrastructure necessary to support new homes and jobs.

Signals at the Morrisons junction will be improved, traffic islands reorganised, and existing road crossing points consolidated to one central point across the A4. The pedestrian controls will be better synchronised with the main signals, increasing the duration of ‘green man’ time for people on foot.

As the Liberal Democrat Leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council it is important to tackle traffic issues and congestion which cause pollution and inconvenience.  The London Road is a hot spot for queues and delays and the section at the Morrisons junction as a particular problem which is why action is being taken to help tackle congestion and give people on foot more time to cross the junction.  The changes will help us manage traffic more effectively and reduce idling times. Steps are being taken to ensure any disruption caused by the work is kept to a minimum. For example, work needing traffic management will be carried out after evening peak times so that vehicle flows are not affected during the day. We thank people for their patience whilst the work takes place.

More information on our transport plans can be seen by CLICK HERE

Liberal Democrats making a better Bath

Circus and George Street traffic plans announced

Proposals to improve traffic flows, make Bath city centre a more pleasant place to walk around, and improve air quality on a congested route are being consulted on by Bath & North East Somerset Council.

The plan is to divert traffic away from The Circus and allow traffic to move more freely on George Street. This was one of the campaigns that helped get Manda Rigby elected in 2011 and now the Liberal Democrat administration is delivering.

These measures will improve people’s quality of life. Residents and visitors should be able to walk and cycle around the city centre in a pleasant environment. These plans have significant benefits. Busy traffic will be reduced in The Circus area and loading restrictions on George Street will allow vehicles and public transport, particularly the Lansdown Park & Ride service, to move more freely on a key route into the city centre.

This is the next step in making Bath into a more walkable city.

To achieve this, the following measures are being proposed for an 18 month trial period:

·        No vehicles will be allowed into the northern part of Gay Street at its junction with George Street. Cyclists will be allowed;

·        On Bennett Street, coaches will be prohibited. Local buses will be allowed;

·        Along most of George Street, ‘No Loading/ Unloading’ will apply Monday to Saturday between 7am – 11am and during the afternoon between 3pm and 7pm. A short length of George Street on the north side of the road between Bartlett Street and Lansdown Road will be ‘No Loading/ Unloading at any time’.

The scheme will remove over 300 through traffic movements at peak times from the upper part of Gay Street, the Circus and the Bennett Street and also coaches travelling through the Circus.

Radio Interviews

With Radio Bristol, Somerset and Breeze Fm  22/09/11

on economic corridor, Sustainability, transport

Interview Notes – Economic Corridor/ Bath Riverside

  • We want to connect Bath, Keynsham, and Bristol together to progress economic regeneration for the benefit of local people;
  • Bath is internationally recognised as a centre of academic excellent and a world leader in a range of sectors, including digital and creative industries, as well as science and technological innovation;
  • The Council wants to build upon this strong foundation to create a destination at the Bath City Riverside Enterprise Area where this type of business can locate and expand creating up to 2,000 jobs for local people;
  • To do this, we need to establish the right environment for business to start here, through improving infrastructure – like access to broadband and better transport, increasing the supply of homes and modern office space, and providing a strong voice into Government to attract further investment.
  • The starting point is Bath Riverside where the first homes are starting to go on the market over the weekend. There will be eventually 2,000 on the site – many of these will be affordable homes, both for rent and shared ownership;
  • This will help address the city’s housing shortage and tackle the problem we have of our children and University graduates who are educated here having to move away to find home and work;
  • With the developments the Council, private sector, and public sector are bring forward, Bath’s business credentials are on the up and the main beneficiaries will be local people.

Sustainability Network

  • The Council has launched a new, free online forum to connect people across the area to take lead in cutting their carbon footprint and reduce household costs on energy bills;
  • More than 100 people have already joined the forum and are already discussing environmental news, events, ideas, and projects;
  • In moments, you can find out about the latest money saving green ideas, activities happening locally, and local information about climate change;

£500,000 extra in public transport

  • Through the planning process for the Sainsbury’s store at Odd Down, the Council secured £500,000 of funding from Sainsbury’s to improve Bath’s public transport that otherwise would not be taking place;
  • He 146,000 bus passengers who use the 20A/C service will notice an improvement with three new low, floor buses serving the route and more frequent services for the next three years at least;
  • Despite the Council having limited powers to control the commercial bus sector, we are always looking for opportunities to boost the appeal to local people of sustainable methods of transport, like using the planning system to support infrastructure improvements when needed.

Congratulations to Frank and Two Tunnels

The Two Tunnels route is in the local paper again this week, this time because the chair Frank Tompson has been given an award in recognition of his voluntary work for Sustrans.

Frank has done an amazing job from the very start of the project until now and fully deserves his recognition. More information by clicking on the following Chronicle link:-

http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Charity-gives-new-award-head-Tunnels-project/article-3092533-detail/article.html

Keep updated on  the progress that Two Tunnels are making by following their blog:- 

http://two-tunnels-bath.blogspot.com/

I support the Chepstow to Tintern Cycle way

The Chepstow to Tintern path straddles an international boundary, with all the complications that that brings.

Like the Two Tunnels route, it will reuse an ‘Engineering heavy’ railway line with tunnels and a large bridge.  It’s a ‘Connect2’ project – and it is one of only two Connect2 projects that started as a community-led idea.

So lots of similarities with the Bath 2-tunnels project.

The development of the Two Tunnels route has been blessed with a lot of support from near and far, as well as having concerns and issues that needed answering and resolving.
The Chepstow to Tintern route is going through the same fire, but for various reasons the outcome is, for the moment, more contentious. This is partly because the previous two applications were refused, as they identified issues which needed to be addressed to make the form of the route better suited to people local to the path. The current application addresses these issues. However a number of opposers simply don’t want the route to happen. For the planning officers to pass the applications they must feel that the decision they make is well supported by the public, and both quantity of responses and quality will count. So, if you agree with the proposal, please do act to support it.

Look at the website LINK. Personally, I think it will be a brilliant and low impact development. Many of you will know the quality of the landscape of the Wye Valley, but you may find that is often presented as an example of ‘Untrammelled nature’.

It actually derives much of its character from the monastic activities there, from the defensive nature of its role as a boundary, and as an industrial landscape that has been rather scarred by quarrying operations that would not be allowed today, and forestry operations that in once case risk destabilising a hillside. It is a species-rich area. The Chepstow to Brockweir path will not remotely detract from the area’s qualities, it will not impinge on residents. It won’t swamp local amenities in swathes of lycra. It will support local jobs and businesses. When the route is built, it will be seen that ‘There is no bad’ and the sooner it’s done the better. Whether it happens or not is very much down to individuals who, if they agree, need to speak up and support its planning application.

The links to the planning application are on the home page of the web site given above. Please add your voice to this vital new link to the national cycle way project.
My submission:-

Dear Planning Committee,
I urge you to approve this application. This is an exciting addition to the National network that Sustrans have been building.
It will be accessible to all. It will be built by Lottery money. It will encourage cycling and walking and thus improve health. It will provide a good use of this disused facility. It will not affect wildlife. It will be good for the local economy. It will connect communties.

Labour and crocodile tears

the last Labour governments passion for spending money we did not have is clearly shown in Network Rail and an article in the Guardian from Friday 2nd July, tiitled Red for Danger.

The article states that Network Rail owes £23bn and the debt is set to rise to £30bn by 2014. The interest on this debt of £5bn per year will then exceed the value of the government subsidy.

This is a good example of how the Labour debt mountain is cutting spending on vital services Now.

The labour Party is taking every oportunity of attacking the “Coalition cuts” but these cuts are in fact debt repayment cuts caused by the bad managment of the last government.The real issue is “Reduce the Debt and stop Labours Public Sector Cuts” .

The fact that the government is paying huge interest charges that means money is not spent on services, is not being communicated to the public and media as it should be. The new coalition needs to get the public supporting debt reduction to then allow service delivery.

Bus routes in Bath

First bus are cutting back services and the latest controversy is the no 6 and 7 reductions. The campaigners do not seem to be getting much sympathy from the B&NES Conservative administration – but then I do not think any of them use the bus. For those of us who travel regularly by bus we need a well connected regular reliable service. And more importantly an expanding provision not a shrinking one.

There will be a protest in Larkhall Sq this Saturday. Press release as follows:-

Press Release – For Immediate Release

Save Our 6-7 Buses Campaign 

On Saturday the Save Our 6-7 Bus Campaign takes to the street again, this time not in protest, but to bring news of the latest developments to residents and shoppers in Larkhall.

From a highly visible stand in

Larkhall Square

campaigners will encourage everyone to send a letter to the Bath Council listing reasons why a 30 minute service is needed to keep the bus service viable.   

People need to know that First Group are proposing to revive the circular route connecting Larkhall and Fairfield Park, but only at half the frequency of the former service. 

Pamela Galloway, a campaigner from Fairfield Park, says, “This would be the lowest frequency of any daytime service in the Bath area which is not subsidised by the Council.  The facts are, residents of Odd Down, Foxhill, Bathford, Batheaston, would have better access to Morrisons on the

London Rd

, than residents of

Fairfield Park.  Actually Box Corsham, Chippenham and even Pewsham also would have a better service to Morrisons.  With the 40 minute service Fairfield Park people wouldn’t have as good access to their even their local shops including their own Co-op supermarket and Post Office as these other places.”

Lin Patterson, Larkhall resident and campaigner, asked, “How can we agree to a service that is bad for the community?  The campaign has had to shift its focus from reinstating the loop to fighting for a sustainable bus service.  We know a confusing timetable and an infrequent service will result in a drop in passengers, which would inevitably lead to further cuts.  It has been shown repeatedly that when a service is infrequent, passengers find other means of travel or become more isolated.”

Anne Hardy, who instigated the campaign, added, “We want to emphasise that the B&NES Council has a vital role to play in providing an adequate service.  Part of this is to address the congestion in the city centre so that buses can be reliable.”

Campaigners have realised that another powerful decision making body, the West of England Partnership, must work with First Bus and B&NES Council and the to resolve this crisis.  They are all necessary in any application to the Traffic Commissioner, Sarah Bell, who has the ultimate authority to approve changes.

Pat Mason, a regular bus user, says, “We need to continue putting public pressure on these bodies.  Our aim is to ensure the sustainability of our bus service– the viability of our community depends on this.”

Bath Rapid Transit sceme delayed

Great news this morning – the new coalition government has decided to review every transport scheme that was in the pipeline. This is great news for Bath as it means the BRT and the Meadows P&R are now delayed until at least after the Autumn review.

That gives us time to develop some sensible alternatives to these two madcap proposals.

Walking – a great means of transport

A lot of my travel around Bath is done on foot – it is great for health and great for the environment. It also allows thinking time. It is well worth signing up to the news letter for Walking Works . The Mince Pie calculator is a bit of good fun but also has a serious message.

In Bath the Conservative package of transport solutions has at last been called in by the Government. Schemes based on Park and Ride do not solve traffic congestion –  they simply encourage more people to do the bulk of the journey by car. What is needed is a much bigger bus network linking the villages on a regular basis to the urban communities. Better still get more people to work were they live or move to live were they work. The problem with that in Bath is the high house price values which make them unnafordable for many. Our central government – whether Labour or Conservative – have been getting the issue of land value, employment, accomodation and transport wrong for decades though. The key is a first class public transport network – as so many European Cities can demonstrate.

Richter’s Road to Ruin

The secretary of state has just made the wrong call on the Bath Transport Package. It should be going to a full public enquiry to look at the flawed process that has led to this scheme that will cost a fortune and not deliver any real savings to congestion.

The Conservatives refused to consider alternatives put forward by the Liberal Democrats and are continuing to push ahead withan absurd 2 lane highway.

The question increasingly on the doorstep is Why do Richter’s Conservatives hate bath so much?

So the Conservative-Labour coalition has won this phase but the dispute will certainly carry on. Ombudsman is the next step

Bath MP Don Foster has commented on today’s announcement that the Secretary of State will not be calling in the proposed-Bus Rapid Transit link through Newbridge (along with the Newbridge Park and Ride extension) for his own determination.

Don said, “I am deeply disappointed with the decision made by the Secretary of State.  However, this does not change my view that processes followed by the Council throughout have been seriously flawed. I, along with Liberal Democrat colleagues on the Council, will now talk to residents to see if they wish to make a complaint to the Ombudsman.”

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