From the Roman Baths to the Abbey, Bath is a vibrant, historic destination for both UK and international tourists. The city's size and layout make the main heritage attractions and commercial areas ideal for exploring on foot. It is important to ensure that through our Journey to Net Zero, we continue to improve access for visitors, while reducing the environmental impact of travel to and around the city.
Progress so far
By re-imagining the Milsom Quarter and developing traffic management measures in some of our most popular streets, we are already in the process of making Bath City Centre more attractive, convenient and people-focused. Our recently-implemented City Centre Security Scheme progresses this work further to protect the safety of Bath's six-million-plus annual visitors.
Our future ideas aim to build on these projects to create an environment that celebrates and rewards travel on foot, by bike and by scooter, to further open up and improve some of the UK’s most historic and beautiful sights, buildings and monuments.
If you are visiting Bath from the surrounding area or staying nearby, you may also be interested in our ideas to improve connections between the city and rural communities.
Current challenges
Tourism is a crucial and welcome part of Bath’s economy, typically bringing in nearly half a billion pounds a year. However, the high volume of visitor coaches has negative impacts on noise, air quality, and visual intrusion, as well as unofficial parking. The city centre’s many pedestrianised streets are interwoven with busy, congested roads, where visitor- and through-traffic impacts on both air quality and public safety.
We want public areas to become desirable destinations, not just thoroughfares. These destinations must be easily accessible by sustainable modes of transport, making more vibrant and liveable places.
What you've told us
In response to our consultation in early 2021, there was strong public support for re-allocation of road space and the removal of traffic from the city centre, as ways of delivering improved places to live and work.
What this plan means for you
Our vision
We aim to create better-connected, healthier and more sustainable public spaces, through more efficient use of road space.
Getting to Bath
- Travel into and out of the city along key corridors by sustainable modes will be enhanced, making it much easier to enjoy all parts of the city.
- Better management of tourist coaches will reduce negative impacts on the city’s environment.
Exploring Bath
- Reduced traffic in the city centre will allow the creation of safe and attractive outside space for walking, shopping and socialising, with safer and more convenient road crossings.
- Universal, integrated ticketing will make it easy to purchase a ticket to get around the city, across several different modes.
- Road and rail freight consolidation will remove a significant number of heavy goods vehicles from road corridors into the city, and provide space for other modes. including public transport, walking and cycling.
Find out more
To learn more about parts of the plan which will benefit you in particular, you may want to explore the following sections.
Themes
- Creating improved spaces to live and work
- Providing for travel by bike and on foot
- Better public transport options
- Connecting Bath to rural communities
Future projects
- Coach strategy
- Traffic cells
- Liveable neighbourhoods – next generation
- Bath Clean Air Zone and Air Quality Management Area reviews
- Promotion and investment in travel by bike
- Improvements to the pedestrian experience
- Improvements to disabled access
- Bath mass transit
- Inter-urban sustainable transport links
- Rural connectivity