Groups link up to fight transport plans

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Campaigners from both sides of the city have joined forces to oppose plans for a new public transport system through Bath.

The Newbridge-based Response2Route group has teamed up with residents of London Road who are also against the proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) scheme.

Bath and North East Somerset Council wants to use hi-tech buses to transport people into the city centre from park and ride sites to the east and west of the city.

But in the process six homeowners would lose part of their gardens and 54 on-street parking spaces would be lost.

At the latest meeting of Response2Route, two homeowners said they had received letters regarding compulsory purchase orders for their land.
 
The letters threatened legal action if they were not responded to within two weeks. One resident of Ashley Avenue said: "There seems to be some confusion from the council about the land they are seeking to purchase. "My garden is three feet wide and 15 feet long right up to our garage. At first we were told they didn't want very much. "Now they seem to want the whole lot."

The group has organised a series of protests and demonstrations over the coming weeks, starting this Saturday at Green Park Station.

Members will be collecting signatures for a petition which will be presented at a full council meeting at the Guildhall on Thursday November 20 at 6.30pm.

Residents of London Road have also expressed their concern about the increased volume of traffic travelling past their homes when the new route is operating.

Alex Schlesinger, chairman of the London Road and Snow Hill Partnership, said: "We have agreed to work with Response2Route and attend each other's meetings.

"It is important that we work together to halt these plans."

The route would use an existing bus lane but Mr Schlesinger said London Road was already too narrow for this sort of scheme.

"If they think it is congested now, they haven't seen anything yet."

Response2Route spokeswoman Jo McCarron said: "We are planning to coordinate our protests together in interest of halting council plans. "This is not really about better transport. We are all for that, but this is an environmental disaster."

During the meeting, which was held at the Dolphin Inn, members also agreed to work alongside the newly-formed Bathampton Meadows Campaign.

The council wants to build a new park and ride at Mill Lane, which would accommodate 1,300 cars.
Spokesman Mark Stephens, of Batheaston, said: "There is no evidence to suggest that building a park and ride on the Bathampton water meadows will reduce traffic congestion in Bath. "Park and rides do not reduce through traffic, they do not reduce the movement of heavy goods vehicles and they do not reduce school traffic and local trips around town. "It is not so much the sighting of the park and ride but why we should have one at all."

A public exhibition, when the £16 million BRT plans will be on display, is due to take place on November 6,7 and 8 but details have yet to be released.

A council spokeswoman said the CPO letters were part of a laid-down process to win Government funding.

"The council is committed to providing a more reliable and efficient east-west public transport system as part of the Bath Transportation Package. "In order to secure funding from central Government, the council needs to be able to demonstrate that it can secure the land for the proposed scheme. "In its communications with landowners the council has made it clear that its preferred option is to purchase land and interests through negotiation - discussions are ongoing with a number of landowners and the council is happy to meet with others that might be affected. "However, to secure the scheme's viability and delivery, the council has advised landowners of the decision to begin the statutory process of compulsory purchase. "This is a statutory procedure that will run in parallel with negotiations and can only be implemented if approved by the Secretary of State after consideration of any objections. "The first formal step in the compulsory purchase procedure is a statutory request for information from all affected landowners." "These letters and time scales are part of a statutory process which the council has to follow, and it is therefore obliged to bring to the attention of all recipients of those letters that failure to respond may be an offence. "However the council reiterates that it continues to welcome direct discussions with landowners and its preferred option is to acquire land and interests through negotiation."