Things should ease up traffic-wise now as improvement works to the junction between Queen Square and Gay Street in Bath’s city centre, have finally been completed.
A new pedestrian crossing has been installed on the north side of the junction and new traffic signals, replacing older signals which had reached the end of their lifespan. The new signals have pedestrian crossing countdown timers which show how much time is left to safely cross, and use LEDs, which are more reliable and significantly reduce power consumption.
Low level cycle signals have also been installed. These are separate from the vehicle signals and turn green before to allow cyclists to set off earlier and more safely. Road lining at the junction has been refreshed.
The new signals are a significant upgrade and are part of an ongoing effort by Bath & North East Somerset council to encourage more walking, wheeling and cycling in Bath’s city centre by making its roads safer for pedestrians.
Footways along the junction have been improved and, in some places, widened to allow more room for walking and wheeling, with traditional pennant stone paving used to stay in keeping with Bath’s heritage.
The improvement scheme was funded by the Department for Transports’ Traffic Signal Maintenance fund.
Councillor Manda Rigby, cabinet member for Transport said: ‘‘We’re pleased our works have finished and we can fully reopen the junction at Queen Square. Improvement works like this are so important to improve public safety, keep our traffic network up to date and support sustainable travel.
“We know it’s a busy junction in the centre of Bath and hope everyone can see the benefit of these works, and feel safer on their journey, whether they’re driving, walking, wheeling or cycling.”
