Following yesterday’s story about the removal of concrete barriers in Larkhall Square – B&NES has announced that the majority of measures to help with social distancing on narrow pavements and busy streets in Bath are being removed this week in line with government guidance on the lifting of restrictions.
From today highways teams will be removing the red and white barriers which were installed to help with social distancing.
Highways will be returned to as they were before, and any parking spaces that were temporarily removed will be restored.
Councillor Manda Rigby, cabinet member for Transport, said: “The temporary measures, to widen pavements, remove traffic from roads and improve cycling, were introduced using Emergency Traffic Regulation Orders (ETROs) were put in as a response to re-opening after the first lockdown last year. Highways teams will be out this week removing the majority of the barriers in line with the government’s lifting of restrictions.”
The roads which will see the barriers removed this week are, Westgate Buildings, Dorchester Streert, Ambury, Somerset St., Moorland Road, Chapel Row, Monmouth Place, North Parade, Orange Grove, Terrace Walk, Broad Street, Walcot Street, Northampton Street, Camden Road, Weston High Street, Lansdown Lane and St Saviour’s Road, Larkhall.
Temporary access restrictions in the city centre will remain in place for the time being to give people confidence to return to some of the more popular but sometimes crowded parts of Bath.
The roads affected are Cheap Street, Westgate Street, Saw Close, Upper Borough Walls, York Street, Milsom Street and Kingsmead Square. Keynsham High Street is currently closed for public realm improvement works.
In Kingsmead Square and Milsom Street the restrictions will continue as experimental traffic regulation orders and a consultation will be launched over the coming months to enable people to have their say over whether or not these should be made permanent.
Full consideration is being made on the impact of the access restrictions on disabled people and those with walking difficulties. A number of temporary disabled bays have been provided in nearby roads which can be seen on this map https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/sites/default/files/temporary_disabled_bays_0.pdf
Now we know the cars can manage fine without the space taken up by the barriers, why don’t we “build back better” by widening pavements and giving more space to pedestrians?
It is very interesting. I would welcome wider pavements in Larkhall longer term and liked the increased space I had to shepherd the family around over the last year or so. I would be interested in the data about how many more people shopped in Larkhall once the barriers were removed and what difference the reduced parking made. it is of course very difficult to give a like for like comparison.