Bid to reverse Bath traffic scheme fails despite protest

Councillors on Bath and North East Somerset Council have thrown out a bid to reverse a controversial traffic scheme — despite fears it has divided a community.

Wooden planters were installed on Southlands on the edge of Bath in 2022 as one of the council’s trial “liveable neighbourhoods.” In January, the council decided to make the scheme permanent — despite 57% of people on the street saying it should go — and the decision was “called-in” by opposition councillors.

But the council ’s climate scrutiny panel voted to dismiss the call-in on February 19, arguing that a lack of engagement meant that people could be presumed to be “broadly happy” with the scheme — despite about 60 people turning up outside to stage a protest against the scheme and similar ones across Bath.

Among those who attended the protest outside was James Wright, the recently-selected Conservative candidate for Bath at the next general election, who said he had come to support residents. Mr Wright said: “Since I have been selected, […] low traffic neighbourhoods have been the number one issue in my inbox. It’s about sending a clear message that the majority of people don’t want them.”

Norma Barrett, who lives on Southlands, was also attended. She said: “They talk about liveable neighbourhoods, but actually what this has done is divide the neighbourhood.”

Five people from Southlands addressed the meeting as public speakers. Four urged the council to scrap the scheme, stating that there had never been a rat-running problem to fix, and that it had exacerbated the street’s parking problem on one side of the planters and pushed more traffic onto Weston High Street. When one person said she welcomed the planters and urged the council to keep the scheme, she faced scoffing and tutting from some of the people in the public gallery.

The ward’s two councillors are also divided over the issue. Councillor Ruth Malloy (Weston, Liberal Democrat) said she had to consider the views of people who were not vocal about the scheme, while councillor Malcolm Treby (also Weston, Liberal Democrat) warned there was “no mandate” for the planters and called for it to be removed if issues caused on the south-eastern side could not be fixed.

Planters installed as part of a liveable neighbourhood on Southlands

He told the meeting: “It is with sadness that I note the division this has brought to Southlands. I truly believe that if, as a council, we had listened to what Southlands residents wanted, we would have looked at traffic calming measures which the street would have united behind as an improvement.

“Instead we have, both political and physically, a very split street which will take time to heal.”

Robin Moss (Labour, Westfield), who led the call-in, added: “The reason for calling in this particular scheme is there is not the public support, there are more people against this scheme than in favour.”

But John Leach (Walcot, Liberal Democrat) argued that the “clear majority” was the people who had not responded to the consultation. He said: “A lot of people don’t feel strongly enough that they feel they need to raise a point, engage, and become a part of the discussion, and I think we can presume that that large majority is broadly happy.”

Jess David (Moorlands, Liberal Democrat) added: “I do not doubt that there are strongly held feelings but we have to be aware that we heard, in the consultation, from only a quarter of residents and, even today, from only five or six members of the public.

“Obviously there are more of you in the public gallery but still maybe only 10 to 15.”

This logic has been criticised by opponents of the scheme. At the protest outside the meeting, one placard read: “Silence = implied consent to BANES.”

But Manda Rigby (Bathwick, Liberal Democrat), the council cabinet member for highways who was responsible for taking the single member decision to implement the liveable neighbourhood, told the meeting: “These consultations are not yes/no referendums.”

She said that she had read all responses people had made but also had to base her decision on traffic and air quality monitoring data — the quality of which has been disputed by those opposed to the schemes — and the council’s policies and manifesto commitments. She said: “The reasons people gave for opposing the scheme, such as fears of displacing traffic and worsened air pollution are not backed by the evidence recorded.”

Ms Rigby said: “I am genuinely genuinely saddened that the community has felt split in this way. That absolutely was not the intention.”

“And I think, benefit of hindsight, when these were originally looked at, perhaps doing it the other way round and addressing the parking issue before this issue [of rat-running] would not have split the community in the same way, though both issues did need to be looked at.”

Ms Rigby added that the council would be interested to hear people’s views on a residents parking zone, and would look at how to make the turning circle safer and at improving crossings in Weston to make them more accessible. But she warned: “If this doesn’t go forward, we absolutely can’t do the crossings and the other things people have asked for in the Weston community.”

The fear that funding for future liveable neighbourhoods from the West of England Combined Authority could be cut off if the Southlands scheme was reversed has been a factor in some councillor’s desire to keep the scheme. But Mr Moss said that he had spoken to Metro Mayor Dan Norris, also Labour, about the issue and was confident this would not happen.

Ian Halsall (Oldfield Park, Liberal Democrats) said: “As far as I am concerned, the liveable neighbourhood has worked.”

He added that he had seen a bin lorry struggling to turn at the planters, but he said this was only because a taxi and council vehicle had been parked in the turning area, which he said could be improved later.

Councillors on the committee voted 6-1 to dismiss the call-in.

Ms Malloy, who attend to watch the meeting, commented afterwards that only 132 people out of approximately 400 on the street had taken part in the end survey. She said: “I just feel like I need to consider everybody, not just that small minority who are very much in favour or very much against.”

Two other liveable neighbourhood trials which were run at the same time — on Queen Charlton Lane by Whitchurch and Church Road in Widcombe — are also set to be made permanent. Both schemes enjoyed majority support from locals and neither has been called-in.

It comes as five new trials are also being launched. Two of these, which will close Sydney Road and Winifred’s Lane to through traffic, have both proved controversial although those concerned could not get the nine signatures needed to call-in these schemes.