Tired of traffic jams?
Bath and North East Somerset has a serious transportation problem.
- 170,000 people live in our area
- Tourism attracts 4.5m visits every year
- 27,000+ people travel in and out of Bath for work every day by car
- Congestion costs our economy an estimated £50m a year
- 21 per cent of travelling time is spent at a standstill across the West of England (which includes the areas covered by Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Councils).
Bath and North East Somerset has a serious transportation problem.
Tens of thousands of people live in our area and need to get around every day. It is also home to thousands of businesses, two universities, a major shopping centre and a vibrant tourism industry, attracting millions of visitors a year.
Every day, thousands of people travel in and out of Bath by car. Because much of the city was built before cars were invented, many of its streets are ill-suited to such heavy traffic and the road network is under severe strain. Anyone who has used our road network at rush hour will know how frustrating that can be.
Congestion is also now a very real threat to our area’s economic potential.
Unless we take action, it will get worse…
- 20,000+ more cars on the roads in the West of England by 2016
- Central Government requires 15,500+ new houses to be built in our area by 2026
- We also need to plan for 14,000+ more jobs by 2026
The number of cars on the roads is set to grow. Central Government also wants thousands more houses to be built in our area over the next 20 years, which will increase the number of road users even further.
We need to create more jobs to strengthen our economy – but this will place yet more demand on the road network.
New figures from the Council reveal that the number of cars travelling through central Bath at rush hour is set to increase by 14% by 2018.
Predicted delays
If nothing is done to tackle congestion, Bath and North East Somerset Council projections indicate that in ten years time the following junctions could experience average delays during the morning peak time period of:
- A4 George Street/ Broad Street/ Lansdown Road junction – 118% increase in average delay;
- Pulteney Road/ Bathwick Hill – 43% increase in average delay;
- London Road/ Cleveland Bridge – 39% increase in average delay;
- North Parade/ Pulteney Road – 19% increase in average delay;
- Newbridge Hill/ Combe Park – 19% increase in average delay
Tough choices
As the Leader of the Council explained recently in the local media, tackling congestion is one of the most important and difficult challenges currently facing the city and wider area. It is really important that local residents and business-people understand the scale of the problem and the need for a package of long-term measures.Improving transport and reducing car usage across the district will require difficult choices on the part of the Council, some of which you will have read about in the media or seen on TV. One tough question is the degree to which the usage of cars should be restricted, whether for personal or business use. In the past, these issues have been avoided or fudged, which is why congestion has become so bad. Doing nothing is not an option.
Have your say
We have already looked into a wide range of possible measures, which will be examined on this website in the coming weeks. Some of these are already being implemented.
It’s clear that even tougher solutions are going to be needed and we are keen to hear your ideas and comments about how we are dealing with congestion. Please email your suggestions to stopgridlock@bathnes.gov.uk
