Date published: 2025-06-10 | Category: Roads, travel and transport, Liveable Neighbourhoods
Work is progressing on interventions round the Pulteney estate to continue to make it more attractive for walking, wheeling and cycling, safer for all users, and in line with Bath & North East Somerset Council’s adopted policies on Active Travel, Net Zero, and air quality.
Since Liveable Neighbourhoods were proposed, as part of a business case to the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, beneficial changes have been made to the area.
These include several other active travel projects, the New Sydney Place and Sydney Road Liveable Neighbourhood, andmost importantly, the future benefits from National Highways’ decision to improve the A350 and make it the main strategic route for vehicles travelling to and from the M4 to the south coast. No more HGVs using Bath as a cut through, bringing pollution, and no benefit.
The council initially planned before these changes to engage the public on further draft designs for the area in Spring 2025, including a potential bus gate, and further modal filter, having secured government funding for the programme from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) in Autumn 2024. The council will seek formal approval of the decision to evaluate the changes already in train before any progression on the hard interventions being trialled from the MCA in due course.
More detail on the other projects planned to improve active travel and reduce congestion in the area include the Bath, Walking, Wheeling and Cycling Links (BWWCL) project with several proposals to improve active travel infrastructure on Great Pulteney Street; proposals to improve the road layout and footways on St Johns Road; the outcome of the M4 to Dorset Coast Strategic Study (that will reduce through-traffic through the historic centre of Bath); and the New Sydney Place and Sydney Road through-traffic restriction, which has created a quiet active travel route linking the city centre to National Cycle Route 4 and the BWWCL proposals.
The council will continue to engage residents on the neighbouring New Sydney Place and Sydney Road Liveable Neighbourhood. A through-traffic restriction was trialled for six months in April 2024 under an experimental traffic regulation order (ETRO). In March 2025, the council decided to make the changes permanent, subject to a formal TRO consultation in July. Additionally, from 10 June to 10 July 2025, the council is inviting residents to comment on a proposal for one additional measure to enhance the Liveable Neighbourhood. This is a raised, continuous crossing over New Sydney Place at its junction with the A36 Sydney Place/Darlington Street.
Councillor Joel Hirst, the new Cabinet Member for Sustainable Transport Strategy, said, “While we are aware of ongoing challenges from a cohort of residents on our decision to make the Sydney Road through-traffic restriction permanent, we are confident that we consulted fairly, thoroughly and legally and that the scheme brings meaningful benefits to those living on the street and to those who use it to walk or cycle safely to nearby schools and the city centre without significant detriment elsewhere. It creates fair road space in the area for those that wish to travel actively, and it forms part of our wider Active Travel Masterplan. We will continue with the New Sydney Place/Sydney Road LN programme and residents of Bathwick will be engaged in the next steps by letter.”
Information on the New Sydney Place and Sydney Road LN is published on the council’s website at https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/new-sydney-place-and-sydney-road.
Information on the council’s BWWCL project (City Centre to the Kennet and Avon Canal route) is available at www.bathnes.gov.uk/BWWCL
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