Saltford Parish Council is calling for restrictions on the weight and size of vehicles entering the old part of the village.
Saltford’s High Street
It has asked Bath & North East Somerset Council, as the highways authority, to assess Saltford High Street, The Shallows and Mead Lane to determine appropriate vehicle weight and size limits.
The parish council has the support of the two councillors who represent Saltford on B&NES Council, Duncan Hounsell (Liberal Democrat) and Chris Warren (Independents for B&NES).
The parish council says: “In many places, pavements are narrow and exist only on one side of the road or are entirely absent, as is the case along much of The Shallows and all of Mead Lane.
“Large and heavy vehicles often pass in dangerously close proximity to pedestrians and in some cases mount the kerb to navigate tight sections.
“This poses a significant safety risk to residents and visitors on foot, especially during periods of high visitor numbers to Saltford’s Conservation Area and riverside areas.
“A size and weight restriction would also improve people’s enjoyment of this area which as well as being a residential area has both natural environmental and historical interest.”
Mead Lane in Saltford
The council says the narrow and historic nature of the three roads makes them unsuitable for large, heavy vehicles and there have been “multiple” instances where such vehicles have become stuck or been forced to reverse long distances; this creates “dangerous” conditions for other drivers and pedestrians, and the gridlock is a concern should emergency vehicles need to get through.
The three roads are also the only routes available for cyclists accessing the Bristol & Bath Railway Path in the village.
The council says: “The presence of large vehicles on these narrow roads discourages cycling due to space constraints and safety concerns. This undermines B&NES Council’s commitment to promoting active travel modes such as cycling and walking.”
The council adds that vehicles accessing the Wessex Water site on Mead Lane – including heavy plant vehicles that used High Street during site upgrades – now have full alternative access via Wessex Water’s new bridge from the A431 side of the River Avon.
“There is no longer a requirement for Wessex Water’s heavy vehicles to use High Street or Mead Lane to reach their site. As such, a size and weight restriction on Saltford’s High Street and nearby roads would not impact Wessex Water’s Mead Lane site.”
The council also points out that following planned resurfacing works of Saltford High Street in August, it is important to protect the road from premature deterioration due to continued use by “inappropriate” large or heavy vehicles.
The parish council wants the three roads added to the next Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process for Keynsham and Saltford which is likely to be next spring. As with all TROs, a public consultation would he held.
