Conservatives in Bath have launched what they say is the most comprehensive and ambitious set of transport proposals ever put forward by a political party in the area.
The Conservatives’ ‘Getting B&NES Moving’ Transport Manifesto puts forward a range of policies aimed at tackling the area’s traffic and pollution problems, an issue which residents say is one of the biggest challenges facing the area.
Conservatives have said that, if they win the B&NES Council elections taking place on the 7th May this year, they would get to work immediately on implementing the Manifesto, which sets out the short, medium and long-term investment needed to improve local transport.
Some of the key proposals for Bath within the Conservatives’ document include:
- Delivering the long-promised East of Bath Park & Ride to cut traffic coming into the city;
- Working with the Government to bring forward proposals for a new road project to the East of Bath to remove through-traffic on the A4 and A36;
- Securing more frequent and reliable local rail services between Bristol, Bath and Wiltshire through the MetroWest rail project;
- Encouraging local bus companies to better integrate timetables and roll-out smartcard ticketing;
- Investing in safe walking and cycling routes to reduce car journeys to work and school;
- Working with residents to improve local parking provision, ensuring that any city-centre parking lost to new developments is adequately replaced, and reinstating a period of free short-stay parking at Royal Victoria Park.
Conservatives were joined in Bath by Transport Secretary Patrick Mcloughlin to unveil the document.
Launching the proposals, B&NES Conservative Group Leader Councillor Tim Warren said: “Our area has put up with an inadequate transport system for too long.
“The need to improve local transport and tackle Bath’s traffic is one of the top issues affecting local residents, but is something which B&NES has completely failed to address under the Liberal Democrats.
“Conservatives supported the Council’s recently agreed Bath transport strategy, but our plans go much further – setting out in far more detail what we would actually deliver on transport for whole of the B&NES area.
“Our transport proposals are ambitious but deliverable, meaning that if elected this May we can set to work quickly on getting B&NES moving.
“Some of our proposals would deliver relatively quick wins, whilst others would form part of our longer-term strategy of investment.
“But together all these proposals set out a clear road-map for delivering a genuine step-change in our local transport system.”
