The Future of Transport consultation launched in late 2021 as an exercise in collecting data and comments on traffic in Bradford on Avon.
The results of the Future of Transport consultation have been compiled by Bristol based company, Copper Consultancy.
We have released the raw data (with all personal information removed). When analysing this data please take extreme caution.
Future of Transport raw data
What were the results of the consultation?
Over 2,700 people responded to the consultation and identified 3 key priorities:
- pedestrian and cyclist safety
- air quality
- traffic volume.
On Tuesday 29 March 2022 the Sustainable Transport committee met to discuss the results of the Future of Transport consultation and agreed to send the Copper Consultancy report to the highways department at Wiltshire Council.
What happened next?
The report was sent to Wiltshire Council, alongside a covering letter, asking Wiltshire Council to use the data to inform any future traffic scheme.
On Thursday 28 April 2022, Bradford on Avon Town Council received a letter from Wiltshire Council saying the town council’s priorities had been considered and asking for clarification of the type of scheme the town council would support.
At the Annual Town Council meeting on Tuesday 3 May 2022, councillors unanimously agreed that the approach outlined did reflect the town council’s wishes as an appropriate response to views of residents expressed in the survey.
Councillors added that they were keen to see mitigations in those areas likely to see an increased volume of traffic from a scheme involving one-way traffic embedded in any scheme from the beginning.
In late 2022, we organised a meeting with the former MP Michelle Donelan and Wiltshire Council cabinet member for Highways, Councillor Dr Mark McClelland, to discuss the progress on developing a new traffic solution for Bradford on Avon.
There it was stated that the town council should pay for 66% of the cost for a traffic modelling exercise.
In March 2023, councillors agreed to contribute the funding with the aim that our 3 priorities are central to any traffic solution.
Traffic study brief
The town council was fully involved in setting the specification for the modelling. We held a scoping meeting with the company doing the work (AtkinsRéalis) on behalf of Wiltshire Council.
Traffic modelling report & executive summary
This report, by traffic consultants AtkinsRéalis, explains the anticipated impact of new traffic management models for Bradford on Avon.
The town council organised 2 public engagement events with experts from Atkins.
A survey on the traffic study was held at the beginning of 2024 – a summary of the town council’s analysis of this data can be viewed/downloaded below.
Once this is done, we will be in a position to report to councillors and provide updates when it is appropriate.
Letter to Wiltshire Council May 2024
Councillor Jack Vittles, Mayor of Bradford on Avon has written to the Wiltshire Council cabinet members for Transport and Assets, and Highways, Street Scene and Flooding on behalf of the town council.
The letter asks for answers to questions about the recent traffic modelling report, posed by town councillors and members of the public at Full Council on 7 May 2024.
In his letter, Councillor Vittles also requested a meeting between the 2 cabinet members, Councillors Nick Holder and Tamara Reay and all town councillors about the future of transport in Bradford on Avon.
The letter asked for clarification on:
- the use of bus gates and future scheduling issues
- potential options for trialling any of the schemes
- Wiltshire Council future plans to reduce traffic volume in Bradford on Avon and the local area
- long-term plans to reduce traffic volumes and improve air quality regionally.
Final decision
At Full Council on 24 September, Bradford on Avon Town Council unanimously approved a traffic scheme to recommend to Wiltshire Council.
After a thorough debate and hearing questions and comments from the public, the town council agreed to the following motion:
Bradford on Avon Town Council recommends Wiltshire Council to design a scheme on an experimental traffic order with the ability to be made permanent, and which will be assessed continually against our top priority of pedestrian safety, which has:
- 20mph speed limits throughout the town
- wider pavements being prioritised and maximised throughout the scheme, particularly at the bottom of Silver Street and the top of Market Street
- one-way traffic east to west on Silver Street
- two-way traffic on Masons Lane
- serious consultative mitigation measures put in place from the start in any areas negatively impacted
- transparent consultation with emergency services, local bus services and local schools on the impacts of any scheme.
We are open to exploring both one-way and priority shuttle working at the top of market street, and would welcome guidance from expert Wiltshire Council highway engineers as to which system it would be most beneficial to our priorities to put in place first on a trial basis.
This resolution will now be submitted to Wiltshire Council to develop and design a traffic scheme for Bradford on Avon.