From the beginning of August 2024, we will trial three, linked traffic restrictions in Gay Street, Catharine Street and Winifred’s Lane in the Lower Lansdown area of Bath under experimental traffic regulation orders (ETROs).
The aim is to:
- reduce speeding and excessive traffic in residential areas typically used by motorists to shortcut the main roads that link the A46/M4 to the south of Bath
- keep through-traffic on the main road and disperse local traffic across a wider area
- create a safer route for walking and cycling through the area
The three trials will be in place for a minimum of six months alongside a public consultation. During this time, we will also monitor traffic movements and air quality on surrounding streets to measure any impacts.
At the end of the six-month consultation, we will consider all the outcomes alongside wider council policy to inform a decision on whether to make the three trials permanent or remove them.
Background to the trial
The Lower Lansdown and Circus Area is one of several areas across Bath and North East Somerset that will see a range of street improvements under our community-led Liveable Neighbourhoods (LN) programme.
The trial scheme is one of several measures proposed to improve these streets and it is being installed ahead of the wider programme.
For more context on the background of the trial, you can:
- read the single member decision report on the proposal
- read the press release on the decision to proceed with the trials
- find out more about the outcomes of earlier consultations by reading the 'previous consultation outcomes' later on this page
Schemes installed under the Liveable Neighbourhoods programme are funded by the UK Government via the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), secured by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.
Scheme overview
The numbers on the map above, correspond to the annotations below.
In Winifred's Lane, we will:
- (1) install a through-traffic restriction on Winifred's Lane with one set of bollards placed just north of Holywell House and one set of bollards placed just south of Somerset Lane
- (2) introduce a no right turn into Sion Hill (east) from the top of Cavendish Road applying to motor vehicles but not cyclists
In Catharine Place, we will:
- (3) install a through-traffic restriction on Catharine Place by placing a set of bollards between the junctions of Margaret's Buildings and River Street Mews
In Gay Street, we will:
- (4) introduce a no-entry into Gay Street from the George Street junction applying to all northbound vehicles but not cyclists
- (5) introduce a left-turn-only into George Street for vehicles exiting this stretch of Gay Street
- (6) prohibit vehicles exiting this stretch of Gay Street from travelling south to Queen Square
- (7) continue to allow two-way traffic on Gay Street, but with access via The Circus.
Explore the three trial areas in more detail
Please visit the following webpages to find more detail about the trials:
- View the Winifred's Lane scheme design
- View the Catharine Place scheme design
- View the Gay Street scheme design
To view more details of the whole scheme, please download our simplified technical drawings.
Previous consultation outcomes
Please expand the following sections to read more about previous consultations on Liveable Neighbourhoods and the Lower Lansdown and The Circus LN area:
During a public consultation in Autumn 2020 on Liveable Neighbourhoods in B&NES, we received the following results from 1,575 respondents (including residents and visitors to the B&NES area):
- 85% said they agreed with the principle of reducing the dominance of vehicles in residential areas
- 84% said they agreed that to establish LNs, it may be necessary to restrict through traffic on certain streets
- 78% agreed that certain trade-offs are required to achieve those aims
During public engagement specifically on the Lower Lansdown and The Circus area, the most common issues cited by the 375 residents from the area who took part in the survey was through traffic (69%), followed by speeding traffic (61%), followed by parking (33%) and school run traffic (33%).
61% of those responding from this area went onto say that a restriction on through traffic would have the most impact in addressing these issues.
We held a workshop on 27 July 2022 with residents who had expressed an interest in co-designing the Lower Lansdown and The Circus LN area during earlier consultations.
At the workshop, 85 residents took part in a series of exercises to identify what they liked about the area, what could be improved, and what specific measures could help, plotting these on a map of the area.
During the workshop, a one-way and various traffic restrictions were suggested for Gay Street and Catharine Place; and several suggestions for traffic calming and restrictions were put forward for Cavendish Road and Winifred’s Lane area to inhibit speeding through traffic.
In subsequent months, local ward councillors, residents’ associations and traffic engineers also considered the three linked restrictions, now being trialled, as a solution to the issues raised during these previous consultations.
You can read more about these consultations and the outcomes on the Lower Lansdown and The Circus LN web page.
How we will consult on the trial
We will install the linked schemes under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) for a minimum of six months from the beginning of August 2024 and we will update this page when final dates are available.
We use ETROs to see if a scheme will work in practice, while monitoring the impacts of the trial and inviting feedback as people experience the trial over time.
During the trials (from August 2024), we will:
- invite residents and the wider public to share their views on each or all of the three trials in a six-month public consultation
- evaluate the impact of the trials on traffic and travel behaviour
- engage directly with key stakeholders, such as local schools, businesses, and community groups
- conduct more in-depth engagement towards the end of the six-month consultation with residents living on or near the trial streets
All the relevant information will also be available at your local B&NES library or Information and Advice Service.
Decision making
Once the six-month consultation is closed, we will analyse the reports on all the consultation outcomes, including traffic and air quality monitoring data, and consider these in the context of wider council policy. This will inform a decision, within 18 months of the start of the trials, on whether to permanently adopt the trials or remove them. The trials will remain in place until a decision is made.
Wider council policy includes the council’s corporate strategy and wider sustainable transport and climate emergency policies, including our journey to net zero ambitions.
Monitoring
In Autumn 2023 we collected baseline air quality and traffic data that will allow us to measure the impact of the restrictions on surrounding roads. We collected the data over a 7-day period outside of school holidays.
We aim to conduct the same exercise during the first six months of the trials, and again after one year, to understand how traffic flows have changed.
We will compare and interpret each set of data and publish this in a report to support the final decision.
In the meantime, we have published the raw traffic data in response to requests from the public.
View the raw baseline data (2023/2024)
You can also view the latest available air quality data:
Get in touch
You can contact us and talk to an advisor or request this information in an alternative format by emailing us at LNs@bathnes.gov.uk, or calling 01225 394025 and requesting a call back from a team member.
You can also stay up-to-date with the scheme's progress by subscribing to our newsletter.
Alternatively, you can connect with us on social media, by following us on X, Facebook, and Instagram