A campaign to make the new – and temporary – weight restriction on Bath’s Cleveland Bridge permanent has been launched with an online petition.
It’s appearing on the Bath LIberal Democrats website and calls for Highways England “to consider making the temporary 18-ton weight restriction on Cleveland Bridge permanent to protect the historic asset and surrounding fragile structures, encourage active travel, enhance the World Heritage site and conservation area, whilst improving community mental and physical health.”
Beside a photograph of Bathwick Street – taken since the limit came into force – the website says: “The impact of that has been a far more free-flowing and pleasant environment enabling different choices of transport to be made. The image beneath shows Bathwick Street since the limit has been put in place.”
There is currently a weight restriction of 18 tons on the bridge as a precautionary measure before works are carried out to strengthen the Grade 11* listed structure.
So far 699 people have signed the petition – which was started by the Lib Dem Councillor for Bathwick – Manda Rigby.
She told Bath Newseum: “The impact of the temporary weight restriction on traffic flow on Bathwick Street and further afield in Bath has been amazingly positive
I’d like Highways England to look carefully at what is needed to make this limit permanent and ameliorate any negative impacts elsewhere.
It would protect our fragile heritage assets whilst making the environment better both for physical and mental health.”
Bath’s ‘two-wheeler champion’ – and Chair of CycleBath – Adam Reynolds was another ‘activist’ to sign. He told me:
‘I absolutely support permanent closure. This is the power of a Low Traffic Neighbourhood on a city-wide scale.
The weight limit has removed around 1000 HGV’s per day from our city. The world has not collapsed. Business is still getting their deliveries. It’s so much better.’
On Twitter Adam had also said:
‘There were almost 13,000 multi-axle lorry movements on London Rd & Bathwick St over two weeks in Oct 2017. Now Zero. One hell of a modal filter! This is why Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are so transformational. This one weight restriction is doing something amazing!’
The online petition can be found at https://www.bathneslibdems.org.uk/cleveland_bridge_weight_restriction
Interested to know where the 1000 HGVs have all gone?, was Bath just a short cut
Rerouting the sat navs of Home Bargains’ vehicles would reduce the weight load on the bridge considerably.