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B&NES Local Plan Draft - contents
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Bath & North East Somerset Local Plan
Deposit Draft January 2002
D8. Traffic Management
D8.1 Consultation on the Council's 1999 Issues Report revealed strong support
for measures to improve car access to shopping centres as well as for measures
to reduce the speed of traffic and to improve the environment for pedestrians
and cyclists. The Council's traffic management measures will seek to reconcile
these ostensibly contradictory aims whilst at the same time helping to make
public transport, cycling and walking more attractive options.
D8.2 In the centre of Bath a solution has long been sought to the problem of
through traffic. With the abandonment of the planned tunnel in the early 1970's
steps were taken to reduce east-west traffic beginning with the prevention of
traffic entering Queen Square from Barton Street in 1975. These measures were
aimed at reducing the disruption by traffic of the main north-south shopping
spine but experimental steps are now being taken to reduce the north-south flow
of traffic in order to assist pedestrian movement, assist public transport and
improve air quality on a wider scale. The extent to which further measures are
implemented within the Plan period will very much depend on the outcome of this
experiment and the amount of redevelopment which takes place at the southern end
of the central area.
D8.3 Measures to improve the pedestrian safety and appearance of the main
shopping centres in Keynsham and Norton-Radstock are also planned in addition to
a major scheme in Keynsham High Street which has been recently implemented. As
in Bath the aim is to reduce traffic to a minimum where full pedestrianisation
is not possible. There is also scope to improve the convenience of buses for
shoppers. At present bus passengers have no advantage over motorists in terms of
walking distances.
D8.4 The exclusion of through traffic will also be achieved in selected
residential areas and in some this will be combined with severe traffic calming
to provide "home zones" with a 20 mph speed limit. The reduction or
exclusion of through traffic is often more difficult in rural areas because of
the absence of alternative routes or the length of possible diversions. It is
nevertheless proposed to designate some narrow lanes as "Quiet Roads"
where the pedestrian and cyclist would have priority. Within villages the
emphasis will be on providing more footpaths and footways to provide safe routes
to schools, shops, pubs - and bus stops provided that this does not detract from
the character and appearance of the settlement. This provision will often entail
a reduction in carriageway width which will reduce traffic speed - unless its
effect is to deter on-street parking.
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CITY AND TOWN CENTRES
Traffic management proposals for the centres of Bath, Keynsham and Norton-Radstock
will have as their prime aim the further exclusion of through traffic and other
unnecessary motorised vehicles from the main shopping streets whilst enhancing
vitality and viability. They will also seek to achieve the following objectives:
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environmental improvements for the benefit of
pedestrians;
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improved safety for all road users;
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maintained or enhanced standards of access for cyclists
and the mobility impaired;
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improvements in the quality and integration of public
transport;
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access that adequately meets the servicing needs of
commercial, cultural, recreational and residential activities both now and
in the future;
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unimpaired access for the emergency services;
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the enhancement of air quality;
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the protection and enhancement of Conservation Areas and
of the City of Bath as a World Heritage Site.
The needs of all road users will be taken into account in their design and
implementation.
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RESIDENTIAL AREAS
Traffic Management schemes will be introduced in residential areas to reduce
the amount and speed of traffic and to discourage through traffic from using
unsuitable routes. Measures to be employed will include:
- Road humps and speed tables
- Limited road closures
- Chicanes and road narrowings
- Selective one-way operation
- Introduction of 20 mph zones
- Weight restrictions
- Speed cameras
The needs of all road users and the character of the local environment will
be taken into account in their design and implementation.
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RURAL AREAS
Traffic Management schemes will be introduced in rural areas with the prime
aim of increasing highway safety in ways which do not detract from the character
and appearance of the countryside or the settlements within it. Measures to be
employed will include:
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Physical traffic calming as described in Policy
T.14
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The provision of footways and footpaths within
villages, as part of safe route to school schemes, or where they will
encourage the use of public transport
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The designation of "Quiet Roads" which
may form part of the Strategic Cycle Network, which will be subject to low
speed limits
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Weight restrictions
The needs of all road users will be taken into account in their design and
implementation.
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