Bath Quays links consultation

Contents

• Introduction and policy background
• Scheme overview
• What this scheme means for you
• View the consultation proposals
• Attend a drop-in session
• Have your say
• Project timeline

What this scheme means for you

Use this page to find out how our proposals may affect you and other regular road users.

Cyclists

The Bath Quays Links project will make cycling around the new bridge at the Bath Quays development and the surrounding areas safer, easier, and more convenient.

Dedicated facilities

The proposed schemes will provide dedicated paths, cycling routes and crossing facilities for cycling, creating safer and more convenient routes which are separated from general traffic.

Bus stops

Bus stops have been carefully designed so that cycles can bypass the bus boarding areas, improving safety and reducing potential conflicts with bus passengers.

Parallel crossings

We propose parallel crossings so that cyclists can pass next to zebra crossings, reducing possible conflict between cyclists and pedestrians when sharing crossing space. 

Toucan crossings

We propose to introduce traffic-signal controlled toucan crossings which will have facilities for both pedestrians and cyclists. Toucan crossings get their name because two can (tou-can) cross simultaneously.

Pedestrians

The proposed schemes will improve crossing points and widen footways, making walking and other modes of active travel easier and safer by creating dedicated facilities and increasing the distance between pedestrians and moving traffic.

Toucan crossings

We propose two new toucan crossings on A36 Lower Bristol Road; east of Riverside Road and to the west of Oak Street. These new crossings will provide a safer place for pedestrians and cyclists to cross the A36 Lower Bristol Road. 

Footways

Currently, sections of the existing footways on the A36 Lower Bristol Road are very narrow. Pedestrians often have to step into the carriageway to pass other users.

We plan to widen the footways on the A36 Lower Bristol Road between Oak Street and the A36/A367 gyratory. Widened footways will improve safety for pedestrians, creating more distance between pedestrians and traffic.

Continuous footways are proposed at side road junctions along the A36 Lower Bristol Road between Westmoreland Road and the A36/A367 gyratory.

Continuous footways are designed so that vehicles accessing a side road or property must give way to pedestrians. This reinforces pedestrian priority in line with the most recent changes to the Highway Code and makes crossings safer.

Motorists

Our proposals aim to rebalance how road space is allocated, making active modes of travel safer and more convenient for users.

We have achieved this by proposing to reduce the width of the A36 Lower Bristol Road and A367 Green Park Road carriageway to 6.4m. This provides a minimum 3.2m carriageway in each direction. This still leaves enough room for two large vehicles to pass.

Residents and businesses

Our proposals aim to rebalance how road space is allocated along the A36 Lower Bristol Road and A367 Green Park Road.

Our planned improvements will make it easier and safer for residents, visitors or employees of local businesses to choose active forms of travel to get around.

Reducing the need to make shorter trips by car

Our proposals will encourage more people to use active modes of travel, either walking, cycling, wheeling or walking as part of a public transport trip. These modes of travel use the limited road space more efficiently, causing less congestion and generating lower emissions.

If more people are able to choose active modes of travel or use public transport, it will improve accessibility and air quality in the local area. We also anticipate that an increase in walking and cycling will improve footfall for local businesses as it becomes easier for people to stop and browse as they travel.

Toucan crossings

New traffic-signal controlled toucan crossings will improve accessibility to bus stops, shops and other facilities. This will make it easier and more convenient for those making short journeys on foot or by bike to get to where they need to be.

Redesigning bus stops

We have designed the new cycle lanes to be integrated with bus stops to accommodate the needs of bus users, other pedestrians on the footway and cyclists.

New bus shelters will be provided on floating bus stops which will reduce the risk of collisions between cyclists, bus users and other footway users.

Bus users

We have made some changes to bus stop designs to include the proposed cycle lanes. This includes floating bus stops.

Floating bus stops

At a floating bus stop, the cycle lane continues up a ramp to the same level as the pavement or footway at the bus stop. When the cycle lane has passed the bus stop, it goes back down to the previous level. This enables cyclists to pass a stationary bus without having to come out of the cycle lane and into moving traffic.

A floating bus stop is essentially a pedestrian island from which people can board and alight buses. A zebra crossing is marked across the cycle lane for pedestrians crossing between the floating bus stop and the pavement or footway. Cyclists must give way to pedestrians to allow them to cross back over to the pavement.

The proposed design effectively separates the different road users and their movements, reducing potential conflicts and successfully sharing road space without unnecessary risks to safety.

An example of a floating bus stop.