Read about our plans for access, parking and traffic at the new Bath Recycling Centre on Locksbrook Road.
We carefully considered how to eliminate queueing on the surrounding streets and how to ensure access to the new site is maintained and traffic can move freely. Use these links to learn more.
The new recycling centre will be split into two sections to provide separation between the public and the council’s operational vehicles to ensure safe operations. In the public area, residents will be met and greeted by staff who will indicate where to park.
Site layout plan - please note this may alter as the project progresses. Click to enlarge.
The new recycling centre will have drop-off parking bays for 11 cars, including a dedicated disabled bay and 5 spaces for on-site queueing. There will also be dedicated cycle and pedestrian access, including access from the Bristol and Bath Cycle Path, with dedicated cycle stands for unloading, including cargo bikes.
The creation of the new public access will require the removal of uncontrolled on-street parking on a section of Locksbrook Road.
Plan showing the proposed access arrangements to both operational (west) and public (east) sections of the new recycling centre - click to enlarge.
The recycling containers will be accessed by gantry with steps as well as a ramped access route. Ramped access on to the gantry is intended to ease access to the containers for disabled customers, those with mobility challenges and/or heavy items. There will be a disabled parking bay and additional support can be provided by site staff upon request.
Most public visits involve the use of vehicles to carry waste and recycling to and from the site. However, the site is suitably located to enable visits to the recycling centre on foot, by bicycle or public transport.
All the local roads benefit from footways with signal-controlled crossing facilities available on Upper Bristol Road, Lower Bristol Road, and Windsor Bridge Road within a short distance of the site.
Public area looking east- click to enlarge.
The Bristol and Bath Cycle Path runs along the site and provides a traffic free route for pedestrians and cyclists. This route connects with a footbridge over the river that provides a further traffic free link to Lower Bristol Road and beyond.
Dedicated access for pedestrian and cyclists will be provided between the new recycling centre and the Bristol and Bath Cycle Path to facilitate and encourage the use of non-vehicle modes of travel when visiting the site.
Bath Recycling Centre will operate with the same opening hours under the same booking system as the existing Midland Road site. The booking system will be transferred to the new recycling centre. There will be a member of staff to check that vehicles have a booking before entering the site.
The booking system is designed to spread arrivals and departures evenly, thereby reducing the risk of queueing at busy times. The aim is to ensure that traffic moves freely and safely in and out of the site with no build-up of traffic on Locksbrook Road.
The new Bath Recycling centre is around 1/2 mile from the existing Midland Road site with both being primarily accessed from Upper Bristol Road. The change in traffic flow conditions is expected to be limited to the local area between the two sites.
Detailed information about the traffic surveys which have been undertaken are available within the Transport Assessment submitted with the planning application.
We expect that the operation of the site will involve an average of 4-6 daily HGV movements to and from site. These movements will take full waste and recycling containers away from site in exchange for empty ones.
Operational vehicle journeys will be scheduled to avoid peak traffic hours.
These HGV movements will be in addition to the existing vehicles of the council's Street Cleansing team who will continue to operate from the site.
Active travel will be promoted, with easy access for walking, wheeling and cycling from the Bristol and Bath Cycle Path, with cycle stands for unloading provided within the site, including for cargo bikes.
There will also be a dedicated pedestrian access from Locksbrook Road.