Transport plan – stubborn Conservatives throw another £11M at the BRT

Bath Guildhall

On Thursday the full council debated the Joint Local Transport Plan. While this is a 130 page document with nine supplementary documents still to come, all of the attention is on one thing.

Even the report acknowledges that the main method for delivering the transport improvements are ten major projects across the greater Bristol region, worth £600M. The problem is that none of them have been given government funding. Only one is in BathNES  – the Bath Package, of Park & Rides, bus roads and bus stop improvements. The coalition  government has told B&NES to think again and come back when the scheme is better value for money and has greater local support.

The Conservatives running B&NES re-submitted their plan in secret last December, but it took me until this week to find out what they had proposed on our behalf. They had made cuts – they propose to remove bus lanes from the A36 and A4 and also to cut back on bus stop improvements and information screens. This is supposed to save £7.9M, but on my analysis there’s a lot more ‘value engineering’ necessary and more cuts to come to reach £7.9M. Unfortunately their cuts are of useful and popular elements which would really make a difference to bus reliability and patronage.

There is one obvious cut – the £20M proposed to spend on the bus road through businesses and back gardens in Newbridge. This route is universally unpopular, absurdly expensive and absolutely useless. The 1 mile route is a parallel alternative to the uncongested Upper Bristol Road. Even the bid document says that it will not reduce congestion or pollution and will save no more than one minute on the bus journey time. It is supposed to join with the Western Riverside development, but this won’t be finished for another 30 years – until then the bus route would actually be longer than currently. However, the Conservative Council leadership refuse to consider removing it.

To fund their obsession with this bus road, B&NES taxpayers are to be billed £18M. This covers the £8.7M of our money already spent on the project – including three attempts to bully my planning committee, lawyers fees to defend legal challenges from B&NES residents and a public enquiry to compulsarily purchase residents’ back gardens. Another £9.1M has is to be offered to make the remaining plan more attractive for central government funding.

At the council meeting it is becoming obvious that the Conservatives are driving our council to an ‘all or nothing’ condition. Again and again they have blocked debate on this issue, most recently refusing a proposal of cross party co-operation in November. There are alternatives and it’s not too late to change the Bath Package – the final bid isn’t until the Autumn. However, through their own stubborness and mismanagement the Conservatives are putting the whole package at risk.

Bath needs a transport solution but what is on offer from the Conservatives is expensive and ineffective.

Conservation survey

Building works on Great Pulteney Street

 As an architecture student two of my main interests were environmental sustainability and architectural history.

However, the needs to conserve both energy and historic buildings are often in conflict. This is frequently demonstrated by the single-glazed window, which has been at the centre of a regulatory struggle between English Herritage and Building Control for decades.

The Bath Preservation Trust and the Centre for Sustainable Energy have collaborated to produce a survey about this balance. The value judgements are very difficult, but please do spend five minutes completing it.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2KK6NMF

Claverton Down Community Hall Valentine’s dance

Dr David Martin at Claverton Down Community Hall

The Claverton Down Community Hall Valentine’s dance is on Saturday 12th February, from 7:30 to 11:30pm. Tickets are £8 available from Peter Marsden on 466610. There will be music from the Dave Parker duo and a light supper; bring your own drinks and glasses.

The community hall has it’s own website at www.clavertondown.org.uk; David Martin is a committee member of the hall.

If you would like your community event published on the website please email nicholas_coombes@bathnes.gov.uk; already there are rumours of Spring street parties!

Warminster Road school crossing

Cllr Coombes and Dr Martin with the Warminster Road crossing campaign

Last September David Martin, along with local residents and councillors, petitioned the council for a school crossing on the A36 Warminster Road. Dr Martin is a school governor of Bathwick St. Mary’s Primary.

B&NES have now proposed that a central island pedestrian refuge is installed close to the rear entrance of Bathwick St Mary Primary School. This will also serve the footpath from the end of St. Christopher’s Close.  Although this is not a complete solution, we welcome the improved safety that this refuge with bring. 

However, it is not likely to be funded until 2013.  It is possible that improved signage can be funded earlier.  We will continue to press B&NES to raise the scheme up the priority list.

B&NES Masterplan

Nicholas Coombes and David Martin at St. John’s Field

With the coalition government devolving more power to local people, B&NES Council has been able to revise its growth plan. The Labour government had insisted on thousands of extra houses which would need to have been built on the edge of the city. The council has changed its ‘Core Strategy’ document to reflect local needs, but it is still not perfect.

Cllr Nicholas Coombes said “Council has passed this plan for public consultation before it is signed off. I am pleased with the overall direction of the strategy, but there are some key details which need to be looked at again. I shall be responding to the consultation and urge interested residents to do likewise.”

You can access the consultation online here ; there is a lot of reading and less than a month to go.

PaCT meeting priorities

Bathwick St Mary’s Primary School

Bathwick’s six-monthly Police & Communities Together (PaCT) meeting was at St Mary’s Primary last Monday.

Rev Prothero chaired the meeting, which included Cllr Nicholas Coombes, Cllr Armand Edwards, PCSO Greg Doyle, PCSO Mike Symonds and Andy Chard from B&NES Council. All previous priorities related to police work; they reported their activities against speeding motorists and anti-social behaviour in Sydney Gardens. New priorities were voted as:

  • illegal parking outside Tesco on Bathwick Hill
  • speeding on Bathwick Hill and Claverton Down Road
  • pedestrian safety on the Bathwick Hill zebra crossing

The next PaCT meeting is planned for 25th May.

Grit bin requests

Nicholas Coombes clears snow on the Bathwick Hill

With the return of the cold weather our roads and pavements are icing up again.

 I have recieved requests for new grit bins on Minster Way (top of hill), The Avenue and Bathwick Hill (middle). While these are not in my gift, I intend to collate these and present an omnibus request. If your area needs a new grit bin please put a request in the comments.

Quarry Rock Gardens now have their own private grit bins after needed to be rescued by the fire-brigade (I helped a little) in January this year.

PaCT meeting – Monday 6th, 6:30pm, Bathwick Primary

Cllr Coombes and Dr Martin at St Mary’s Primary school

The Police and Communities Together meeting is on Monday 6th December at 6:30pm. It is at Bathwick St. Mary’s Primary School on Darlington Road.

Cllrs Armand Edwards and Nicholas Coombes will be in attendence as will representatives from the local police. The public will be invited to select their priorities for action over the next six months. Previous priorities included speeding and road safety.