Transformative changes to transport system in Bath - Consultation

[whole diary]

[grahame]

via email ...

Consultation: Bath Transport Delivery Action Plan

We are delighted to inform you that we have recently launched a major consultation on the Bath Transport Delivery Action Plan to deliver transformative change to our transport system in Bath (available here: https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/transport-delivery-action-plan-bath).

The Transport Delivery Action Plan will help tackle some of the biggest challenges we face as a society: improving air quality, combatting climate change, improving health and wellbeing, addressing inequalities and tackling congestion on our roads.

The development of the plan provides an opportunity to help create places we want to live and work - with better connected, healthier and more sustainable communities.

It will place people and communities at its core and help deliver clean growth, by supporting local businesses, as well as helping ensure prosperity can spread.

This consultation provides the chance for people to help shape our future transport system.

As the first of two, this online questionnaire takes just five minutes to complete. It provides local people with the opportunity to identify the issues they care most about, and to give us their initial thoughts on several delivery concepts. These views will underpin the development of a package of transport options for delivery, which we will share at a second consultation later this year.

This consultation closes at midnight on 1st March 2021

also via email ...

How you can get involved

We know that the members of your group have a particular focus on transport, and it is important to us that the plan we develop takes their needs and priorities into account as we develop proposals for a better-connected, cleaner and safer transport system.

As such, we would like to offer you the opportunity to meet with us to discuss how you can help raise awareness of the consultation, what the plan means for local transport and how you can help to ensure that the group you represent has a chance to help shape these plans.

We will be holding a Zoom meeting between 5.30pm and 6.30pm on Tuesday 9th February to align with current social distancing restrictions. If you are able to attend, please accept this invitation which includes a link for the Zoom call and dial in options if joining by phone.

We hope to see you at our meeting soon.

Join Zoom Meeting, 9.2.2021 at 17:30
https://bathnes.zoom.us/j/96044579223?pwd=QnkrSkJvemdyNEtlWVZDWDlFdG44Zz09

Meeting ID: 960 4457 9223
Password: qqu7Xbu8r4

[Lee]

Express A4 bus route (Wiltshire Whippet)

Traditional park and ride (P&R^▸ (Park and Ride)) services are usually based at large car parks, located at a city’s periphery, offering direct bus services to the city centre. This model can result in increased vehicle mileage outside of the city, as new car journeys to P&R sites are created by passengers who would have otherwise used public or active modes of travel for the whole journey. Furthermore, providing P&R at the edge of towns and cities for those who have cars abstracts passengers from traditional rural bus services, rendering them unviable and ultimately leading to a reduction in bus access to the city centre.

We have commissioned a study to assess the feasibility of a Chippenham to Bath, West of England style metro bus system with Wiltshire Council. This could offer smaller local or ‘pocket’ park and rides along a transport corridor, linked to the bus network and cycle routes. The service would provide local towns and villages along the route with linkages to other key destinations in Bath, such as The Royal United Hospital and Bath’s Universities.

Is there any truth in the rumour that Billy the dog has been approached to be the mascot for this scheme?

[Lee]

I have posted a seperate new topic for the proposed Chippenham - Bath A4 express bus route at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=24643.0

[grahame]

Is there any truth in the rumour that Billy the dog has been approached to be the mascot for this scheme?

I don't think so ... if he has been, he's kept it very quiet.

In all seriousness, the x31 bus from Chippenham to Bath takes an hour and a quarter, where the train just takes quarter of an hour - the bus is shockingly slow for longer distance journeys within the route as it primarily wriggles its way out of Chippenham, then through Corsham and Rudloe - you could style it as a service of two halves, westbound taking people out of Chippenham to the nearby 'burbs, then into Bath from its Wiltshire 'burbs.

Part of the proposals we've put forward in the past have looked at re-routing one of the twice-an-hour (was more at the time) buses from Melksham into Bath to run via Corsham and those have included an express section from Corsham into Bath.    The suggestions have been - err - drowned in cold water; it was made very clear that they were unwelcome by some parties, but they did make sense in many ways.  They provided for a decent Melksham - Corsham service rather than one that's so sporadic that it surpasses use only to those who have little choice or happen to want to travel when a service is running, and it slashes journey time from Corsham into Bath, which would encourage transfer from private car.

I have posted a seperate new topic for the proposed Chippenham - Bath A4 express bus route at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=24643.0

I will take a look at that - but just getting ready for a (nothing to do with transport) zoom meeting which will occupy me for a few hours

[Markscottuk]

Bath has shot itself in the foot with its Clean Air Zone not impacting on private cars. 

From the east and west, there are fast roads that take the traffic into Bath but then drops it right in the city centre where it needs to go to and from London Road to get out of the other side.

The following roads need to be improved or built to make Bath more car friendly, by taking through traffic away:

1. A36-A4 link.
2. Improved A46 to M4 J18, maybe an extension of the dual carriageway.
3. An A4 northern Bypass starting at the end of the Swainswick dual carriageway and going across to pick up the Keynsham bypass.  That way, tourist traffic from the M4 has a fast route in and will not clog up the London Road.

I know 3 may be far fetched but the only other option is A350 and M4.

[Lee]

Bath has shot itself in the foot with its Clean Air Zone not impacting on private cars. 

From the east and west, there are fast roads that take the traffic into Bath but then drops it right in the city centre where it needs to go to and from London Road to get out of the other side.

The following roads need to be improved or built to make Bath more car friendly, by taking through traffic away:

1. A36-A4 link.
2. Improved A46 to M4 J18, maybe an extension of the dual carriageway.
3. An A4 northern Bypass starting at the end of the Swainswick dual carriageway and going across to pick up the Keynsham bypass.  That way, tourist traffic from the M4 has a fast route in and will not clog up the London Road.

I know 3 may be far fetched but the only other option is A350 and M4.

I lived in Batheaston for 5 years, and all i can say is best of luck trying to get 1 across the line 

I actually think there is probably more likelihood of the A350/M4 corridor being developed, as there tends to be more support for bypasses in towns like Melksham than there is the closer you get to Bath.

[Bmblbzzz]

Bath has shot itself in the foot with its Clean Air Zone not impacting on private cars. 

Any CAZ^▸ (Clean Air Zone) which doesn't reduce private car use is going to fail in the medium-long term IMO^▸ (in my opinion).

From the east and west, there are fast roads that take the traffic into Bath but then drops it right in the city centre where it needs to go to and from London Road to get out of the other side.

The following roads need to be improved or built to make Bath more car friendly, by taking through traffic away:

1. A36-A4 link.
2. Improved A46 to M4 J18, maybe an extension of the dual carriageway.
3. An A4 northern Bypass starting at the end of the Swainswick dual carriageway and going across to pick up the Keynsham bypass.  That way, tourist traffic from the M4 has a fast route in and will not clog up the London Road.

I know 3 may be far fetched but the only other option is A350 and M4.

I can't see how 2 would reduce through traffic within Bath. If anything, by making it easier to get from Bath to the M4, it would slightly increase traffic (though not necessarily through traffic).

[grahame]

Some key slides ...









Full presentation pack ((here)) and stakeholder pack ((here))

The folks from BaNES would like to encourage visibility of and input to this consultation ...
https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/transport-delivery-action-plan-bath
https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/transport-delivery-action-plan-bath-consultation