From Cllr Manda Rigby
Below an invite to a webinar about active travel. Please can you circulate and encourage people to attend, especially those impacted by the Beckford Road/North Road schemes, including the Bathwick Estate, Cleveland Walk, Bathwick Hill, and surrounding roads.
https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/webinar/active-travel-schemes
Please find the latest accounts posted on the accounts page of the website. The year has been unusual as there has been little activity due to the covid situation. The subscriptions for the year are a little down because cash was not able to be collected at the AGM or the Autumn meeting. Many of you now pay by standing order which is very helpful and I have had cash through the door from a number of members so thank you for that. Please email me on andreahaywood@hotmail.co.uk if you have any questions regarding the accounts or subscriptions payments.
Andrea (Treasurer)
You will have received a letter from B&NES regarding the proposed cycle lane on North and associated changes related to this.
Please can you reply to this on www.bathnes.gov.uk/activetravelschemes or
you can get a paper copy of the consultation by calling Council Connect 01225394041.
BHRA committee are meeting to discuss a response as we are concerned about the impact of increased traffic Bathwick Hill , but it is important that individuals respond.
The deadline for responses is 21st March 2021
For details of Uni plans, please click on link
To reduce pollution in Bath, the council is proposing increasing parking charges in conjunction with other measures. The proposal would see a vehicle placed in a charging band according its recorded emissions with the DVLA.
The base price of a residents’ parking permit would remain at £100 a year with a second permit costing £160. Under the proposals four out of ten existing permits would continue to cost this amount.
Charges for higher polluting vehicles would increase by 5% for each subsequent emissions band. Diesel vehicles would be subject to an additional 25% surcharge in order to reduce NO2 emissions in the shortest possible time.
Where an emissions rating is not available, which includes vehicles registered before 2001, charges will be based on engine capacity on a similar sliding scale. Other proposed changes include:
• A 10p an hour increase in on-street parking charges each year for the next three years
• The removal of the 10p service charge for all on street parking stays when using the digital MiPermit, so the charge is the same as cash
• On-street parking tariffs and residents’ permit operating hours to be extended to include Sundays
• An increase in trade permit charges
• An increase in temporary parking suspension charges
• A review of medical permits – to include the introduction of digitised permits to counter misuse and an increase to bring the charge in-line with residents’ permits
• A review of hotel and guesthouse permits – to reallocate the parking to car parks and to include the introduction of digitised permits
• A review of the remaining small number of historic paper permits – with digital permits issued if renewal is authorised
• Residents’ parking visitor permit charges to be increased by 50p a day in year one with subsequent rises of 25p a day in years two and three.
• The introduction of half day paper visitor permits to support vulnerable residents unable to access the financial savings offered by digital permits.
• An increase in Bath Christmas Market coach parking management fees, rising by 25p on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and 50p at weekends.
• The removal of the 10% discount for using MiPermit for residents as it disincentives the use of more sustainable forms of transport and encourages cars into the city centre
Revenue from the proposals will pay for their implementation and running costs with any surplus used to support the development of sustainable transport schemes across Bath and North East Somerset.
Full details of the proposals can be viewed by visiting:
https://democracy.bathnes.gov.uk/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=31781&PlanId=770&RPID=31357153<http://tracking.vuelio.co.uk/tracking/click?d=ARYGOLY0ewqHRaMi8qeAHxX017lqPij1y9F_GDEmqHfz7ja8KSCTarqlt5Z4sF9Z0DbvSN4nGX5-E4501Jh6WuaCTBayYLwAhyoB9W1u3IoAf7SvzO4CXa2mYdcK2HeQuQ2M2y7wvMAkEy6U2FMaF_mgz8kBHkvx8zfTd5xBuph7_2Mg_B9g2uu4v71KUrgFYNZD0MXbjY8nOOdais_JY_rlMnQZZOVXw9E9l3AzwDBM0>
Residents can check DVLA records to confirm their emissions, or engine capacity, online at https://www.gov.uk/get-vehicle-information-from-dvla<http://tracking.vuelio.co.uk/tracking/click?d=UjpbcmkFm4Wj8C0QTmh71hhDW2OX1T7mAItYhSC4EGCUxwLVZ4NcOFTTDxH0EIUoTbncEJGAIByLc44CCyEhLcxHnIoBBjUmICxWbNqg5CFhZp8NR0ZB_46D9w917HB8mJzBrt-2ESMxSm06GMe39IMY9tpuv7jodPr-jV4Cly9B0>
From the Council :
In late 2019, Bath and North East Somerset Council made known the need to carry out essential structural refurbishment of Cleveland Bridge in Bath. The bridge is an important link for traffic crossing the River Avon and the refurbishment is necessary to maintain the transport network now and for the future.
With funding from the Department for Transport, works were originally intended to take place in summer 2020, but the wide ranging and severe impact of the COVID pandemic meant that we were unable to go ahead as planned at that time. However, we have been continuing to work on our plans in the background and can now update you on the next steps.
We will shortly be publishing important documents on our planning portal which outline how we will carry out work on this listed structure that is sympathetic to its historical significance. We will also be advertising temporary traffic regulation orders that are necessary to manage traffic during construction.
The plan is for work on the bridge to start mid April, under traffic signal control, before a full closure of the bridge in mid May for around twelve weeks. The further use of traffic signals will be needed up until the completion of the work which is expected to be in October. More details regarding programme will be on our project web page.
There are many consultations in the pipe line, we as a committee look at those that have an immediate effect on Bathwick Hill and respond where and as we think appropriate. We also work with FoBRA ( federation iff bath Residents’ Associations to respond on Bath wide issues such as these consultations.
However it is very important that individuals who object or support proposals also respond.