Delays 'to double' at busy city junction

By pwiltshire

Delays at a busy city centre junction are likely to more than double in the next 10 years, council chiefs warned today.

Bath and North East Somerset Council has revealed computer model projections for five congestion blackspots in the city as it attempts to boost public support for its own £58 million package of transport plans.

It says that if nothing is done to tackle congestion in the city, morning rush hour waiting times at the junction of George Street, Broad Street, The Paragon and Lansdown Road will increase by 118 per cent over the next decade.

Its other projections are:

* Pulteney Road/Bathwick Hill – 43 per cent increase in average delay

* London Road/Cleveland Bridge – 39 per cent increase in average delay

* North Parade/Pulteney Road – 19 per cent increase in average delay

* Newbridge Hill/Combe Park – 19 per cent increase in average delay.

The council is facing opposition at either end of Bath to two key elements of its £58 million Bath Transportation Package, and has upped the ante with new web pages warning of the consequences if its schemes are defeated.

Pressure groups have been set up to fight both its Bus Rapid Transit scheme through Newbridge and its latest chosen location for an east-of-Bath park and ride site, at Bathampton.

But council cabinet member for transport Cllr Charles Gerrish said: "In ten years' time, Bath is likely to be gridlocked with vehicles waiting at junctions unless Bath and North East Somerset Council delivers on the vision priority of improving transport and the public realm.

"If current trends continue, it is likely that delays at these junctions will delay motorists and public transport by anything from a fifth to double the time they are waiting on average now. This would be harmful to the local economy and erode residents' quality of life."

The figures were revealed on the website – www.bathnes.gov.uk/stopgridlock.

Cllr Gerrish added: "If the council does nothing about improving public transport, then residents and workers could face additional delays of up to four minutes at a junction. This is simply unacceptable and reinforces the need for measures to improve bus routes, expand park and ride capacity, enhance cycling and pedestrian access, and reduce the number of HGVs in our area."

The council says 27,000 people already travel in and out of Bath by car to get to work every day, contributing to congestion which costs £50 million a year.

The number of cars travelling through the centre of Bath is expected to increase by 14 per cent in the next ten years, it says.

Officials say a fifth of travelling time is currently spent at a standstill in the former Avon.

The figures come from the Bath Transportation Package business case, and the Model Forecasting Report submitted to the Department for Transport as part of the Joint Local Transport Plan.