The UNESCO World Heritage City of Bath is loved for its beauty and culture, providing a high standard of living for residents. The recent introduction and proposals for LTNs, RPZs, and 20mph zones all over the city will dramatically change the way Bathonians live and move around their city. These schemes will disrupt the everyday lives of residents, students, and businesses but there is no evidence that they will improve the quality of the environment or make the area safer or more liveable.

Many people support measures to promote road safety and improve air quality, but the inadequate consultations around the introduction of LTNs, RPZs, and 20mph zones were not widely supported. Residents weren’t convinced that the schemes are a suitable solution to the city’s problems. Bath already has plenty of amenities for cycling and walking.

These new schemes will create more congestion on main routes resulting in reduced road safety while increasing pollution levels for those living and working in areas on the boundaries of LTNs. Close-knit communities are now being divided by barriers and planters which will also hinder and delay emergency and other essential services. Elderly residents and people with disabilities will struggle to engage in daily life and the restrictions on travel will cause social isolation.

Under the schemes, businesses will be burdened with stress and face losing livelihoods as customer parking and delivery of goods becomes impossible. Some residents will no longer be able to receive visitors or care workers into their own homes without careful planning, which will surely impact mental health and create isolation and depression.

Many Bath residents feel that Bath can promote a more ecological approach to living without introducing such Draconian measures that won’t deliver but will prohibit the people of Bath from moving freely without risk of fines and punishment.

We are campaigning for:

(1) the immediate halt to the rollout of all LTNs in Bath

(2) an immediate review of the quality of the previous consultations; followed by

(3) a well-publicised, lengthy, and transparent public consultation involving ALL Bath residents and not just those within the immediate vicinity of the proposed measures or access to the Internet.