Active Travel Fund Tranches 2 and 3
In May 2020, the Government announced funding for emergency active travel schemes. The first round of funding (Tranche 1) was for temporary highway schemes to aid social distancing, and to reallocate existing road space to help enable more journeys by walking and bike. We installed several within a matter of weeks, including:
- pavement widening at 15 locations in Bath
- turning Keynsham High Street and a number of roads in Bath City Centre into pedestrian and cycle zones
Following the success of the Tranche 1 projects, we have, through the West of England Combined Authority, been allocated Tranche 2 funding by the Department for Transport (DfT) to implement active travel schemes on Upper Bristol Road and Beckford Road.
Proposals include:
- new parallel crossings
- new cycle lanes separated from motor traffic
- junction improvements providing for bikes and pedestrians
- footway widening
- continuous footways that give more priority to pedestrians crossing side roads
Status: Developing
Delivery timescales: Short-term (Tranche 2) and medium-term (Tranche 3)
Other themes supported:
Creating improved places to live and work
Potential scale of carbon impact: Low
Bath River Line
Covering 10km, the Bath River Line seeks to provide a linear park, connecting the green spaces of Bath with a high-quality route for walking and biking. The project is centred around the River Avon, and will offer opportunities to stop, sit back and enjoy the beauty of the river, the city, and the landscape beyond. There will be places to play and places to meet, places for art and spaces to discover Bath’s rich heritage. The wildlife found along the river will be celebrated and protected.
The size of the Bath River Line project means we will progress it in phases. The first phase covers the western section, from Newbridge to Bath Quays. The second phase will consider the eastern section from Pulteney Weir to Batheaston, which we will define following further consultation. A final phase will consider the central section, from Bath Quays to Pulteney Weir.
Status: Developing
Delivery timescales: Medium-term
Other themes supported:
Creating improved places to live and work
Potential scale of carbon impact: Low
Promotion and investment in Travel by Bike
Routes for bikes
The West of England Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) provides the foundation for future cycle routes in Bath and the region. In addition to the routes currently being delivered under the LCWIP programme, we will push forward to deliver additional routes.
The map below shows the scale of our ambition to encourage travel by bike, providing the appropriate infrastructure to promote this as a realistic, and safe, means of travel. The routes are organised into our existing network, our developing schemes and our future ambitions.
A map of our current cycling routes and our future plans
Bike storage
Initiatives to improve bike storage include:
- on-street residential cycle hangers to provide secure bike storage for residents of flats and houses, especially conversions for multiple occupancy dwellings (conversion of one parking space can offer six bike spaces)
- secure bike and e-bike storage at local key destinations such as schools, transport hubs, stations, local shops
- ensure residents have access to secure bike and e-bike storage close to their homes
E-bikes and e-cargo bikes
We will promote and support the use of e-bikes and e-cargo bikes by:
- supporting bike hire programmes
- providing sufficient parking and charging facilities
- focusing on the use of these for first mile and last mile journeys and trips to school
Status: Future
Delivery timescales: Medium to long term
Other themes supported:
Connecting Bath to rural communities and market towns
Potential scale of carbon impact: Medium
Improvements to the pedestrian experience
This would build upon the existing and developing projects within B&NES such as Top of Town Transport Study and Milsom Quarter Masterplan. It would expand this focus to cover not just the city centre but to tie in with Liveable Neighbourhood projects as well.
It could include the following:
- pedestrian infrastructure improvements as a result of road space reallocation including:
- continuous footways
- improved crossings
- improved footways
- wider footways
- reduced junction widths to increase the prominence of pedestrians at crossings
- further development of the City of Bath Information System
- localised public realm improvements to improve the environment and journey quality for pedestrians
Status: Future
Delivery timescales: Medium to long-term
Other themes supported:
Creating improved places to live and work
Potential scale of carbon impact: Medium
Improvements to disabled access
For disabled people, getting around a town or city can be very challenging. We are seeking to improve accessibility for disabled transport users across the B&NES district. In addition to the provision of blue badge parking as part of the City Centre Security proposals, we are looking to undertake works to the streetscape to improve access for disabled people.
We will apply the principles set out in DfT’s Inclusive Transport Strategy. This includes ensuring that taxis are accessible and fit for purpose when assessing licensed vehicle applications. We will seek to explore examples of best practise and technologies that other cities have successfully put in place that allow disabled people to travel seamlessly across the network and consider whether we can adopt these in Bath.
We will continue to work with the DfT in developing any future trials relating to autonomous vehicles as well as the development of transport apps for disabled users. We aim to work with interested parties to identify ways of improving the shopping and visitor experience within the town centre for disabled people, using new technologies where appropriate. We will be referring the 2021 City Centre Disabled Access Audit as our starting point for developing improvements.
Status: Future
Delivery timescales: Medium term
Other themes supported:
What does this mean for me?
Bath has the potential for a significant proportion of trips on foot and bike within the city, making journeys to key destinations safer, more convenient and more comfortable for all.
Improved transport infrastructure will separate pedestrians, bike users and scooter users from motorised vehicles, allowing safer travel on the same routes by reducing the potential for conflict and reducing the fear and intimidation caused by large vehicles.
Connecting Bath into a fully signposted network of safe cycle routes across the city that are largely separated from other traffic and link the places people live with work, leisure, shopping and education destinations.
Safe, convenient and direct cycle routes from the surrounding areas, providing access to Bath’s facilities for those living outside the city.
Secure cycle storage at key destinations across the city, allowing you to park your bike with confidence.
Increased walking and biking will improve physical and mental health and wellbeing, with less stressful journeys without congestion or parking challenges.
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.
Conversion of single parking spaces into cycle hangars for secure storage of up to six bikes in locations where private individual bike storage may be difficult (such as flats and terraced houses) will make it easier and more secure to cycle.
Opportunities to share, buy and lease bikes and e-bikes, supported where practical by financial measures will make cycling accessible for more people.