A Bath bus gate which has not been enforceable is being reintroduced under a new legal order.
The site of the bus gate at Western Riverside
Bath & North East Somerset Council is amending the 24-hour bus gate at Stothert Avenue at its junction with Midland Road to “deter extraneous through traffic from the Bath Western Riverside development and improve the level of compliance”.
A council report says that construction on the housing development next to the south bank of the River Avon began in 2011 and the outline planning consent included a bus gate in Stothert Avenue.
Developer Crest Nicholson oversaw its design and introduction in 2019 along with other traffic management measures to manage access and parking.
The report adds: “However, after further consideration of the outcome of appeals at the Traffic Penalty Tribunal it has been concluded that the layout of the bus gate should be altered to help improve the level of compliance with the restriction.
“As with the existing arrangement, enforcement of the bus gate would be achieved by automatic number plate recognition camera and the use of appropriate road markings and signage in accordance with the regulations at the time of implementation.
“It will be necessary to remove two formal parking spaces to facilitate these essential improvements to the bus gate. It is anticipated that these two parking spaces will be replaced with cycle parking.”
Alongside buses, only authorised vehicles will be able to use the bus gate, including emergency and waste vehicles.
The report highlights various concerns which have been raised about the bus gate’s reintroduction and the council officers’ responses.
Regarding comments about increased journey times and access difficulties for residents and visitors, including deliveries, the council acknowledges that some vehicular journeys will be longer but says vehicular access to all properties in and around Stothert Avenue will still be possible.
The report recognises that some residents will be required to enter the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) in order to access homes in Stothert Avenue.
Countering concerns about additional congestion on nearby routes, the officers say: “Anecdotal evidence and the comments of some respondents would suggest that the volume of traffic which would be displaced to alternative routes would not be large.”
They say any impact on air quality on alternative routes would be “negligible”.
Regarding claims that the bus service is not well-used, the report notes: “Stothert Avenue is used by buses on a route between the RUH and Bath University.
“A bus priority measure on this route would help to maintain reduced journey times and greater reliability, so this might help to increase the use of public transport.”
Regarding comments that Stothert Avenue is not heavily used by through-traffic, the officers note: “When the bus gate was originally introduced in Stothert Avenue, cul-de-sac signs were introduced on the Destructor Bridge, and advance ‘prohibition of motor vehicle’ signs were introduced adjacent to Sainsbury’s petrol station, but these signs were not removed when the bus gate was suspended.
“It is considered that some through traffic is currently deterred from the area by these signs, but they would need to be removed if the bus gate is not reintroduced. As a result, through-traffic volumes may increase.”
Asked how the council can introduce a bus gate on a road that’s not been adopted, the officers say traffic restrictions can be introduced on private land with the landowner’s permission, and Stothert Avenue will be adopted in due course.
In response to concerns that the bus gate will “split” the community, the report says that bus gates have been introduced throughout the country, “often increasing community cohesion and interaction”.
The report emphasises that the council does not permit residents or businesses to use its bus gates across the city during their operational hours, and that the council does not introduce traffic restrictions to generate income.
Concerns about the bus gate having a negative impact on local businesses are dismissed: “The removal of extraneous through traffic could increase walking, wheeling, and cycling activity in the area, which might actually be beneficial for the businesses in question.”
In response to fears that the bus gate will have a “disproportionate impact” on residents with disabilities, the report says it is unclear why as they would follow the same alternative routes as other residents.
The council emphasises that the introduction of a bus gate in Stothert Avenue was a condition of the planning consent for the Western Riverside development.
The order is due to come into effect on 17th November.
