At a full meeting of B&NES Council that took place last night (12th November), councillors agreed to work together on options for a Park & Ride to the east of Bath, as part of measures designed to alleviate local congestion.
Options for a number of sites will be reviewed and assessed by a cross-party group of councillors, who will present their recommendations to the Council’s Communities, Transport and Environment PDS Panel and the Cabinet.
Councillor Anthony Clarke (Conservative, Lansdown), Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “We heard from public speakers at the meeting who shared the general acknowledgement that there is too much traffic in Bath and something needs to be done.
“We remain committed to an east of Bath Park & Ride as it has an important role in improving transport, tackling congestion and supporting our local economy, as set out in the ‘Getting Around Bath’ Transport Strategy.
“The new Park & Ride will complement other measures we’re actively pursuing as part of our wider transport strategy; including the A36/A46 link road – to remove through-traffic out of Bath – and complementary traffic measures to manage demand.
“We look forward to seeing the recommendations that come back from the cross-party working group, which will assist the Cabinet in coming to a decision early next year.”
As well agreeing on the need for an East of Bath Park & Ride to reduce the number of commuters driving into the city, councillors also voted to approve a number of additional measures aimed at tackling Bath’s notorious traffic and air pollution problems, including:
- Starting work on a full business case for an eastern by-pass to remove through-traffic from the city;
- Investigating the prospect of creating a Low Emission Zone alongside the delivery of the Park & Ride to reduce the number high-polluting vehicles entering the city;
- Looking into the potential of providing a shuttle-bus service from the new Park & Ride to the RUH.
The Council also agreed to look at ‘best practice’ examples from elsewhere in the country and abroad of ways to mitigate any visual impact of the Park & Ride, once a preferred site has been selected.
Following the meeting, B&NES Conservative Leader, Councillor Tim Warren, said: “Building Bath’s long-promised eastern Park & Ride is an important part of our wider plan to improve transport and tackle congestion in and around the city, so I’m pleased Council has agreed to proceed with this project.
“The recent consultation showed that there are clearly strong views on both sides of the debate over this issue. Whilst a clear majority of respondents from Bath supported the proposals for a Park & Ride, residents of the villages to the east of the city understandably have greater concerns about the plans.
“We have taken on board the concerns that have been raised and have therefore asked that a cross-party group of councillors review the various site options for the Park & Ride before a preferred site is selected, taking account of both the feasibility of each site and the results of the consultation.
“Once this process has been undertaken, we hope to be in a position to select a preferred site early next year.”