Coach gets stuck in road closed off in controversial LTN scheme

A coach in Bath was forced to spend half an hour making a “a three point turn in inches” on Saturday after heading down Sydney Road — which the council recently bollarded up as part of its liveable neighbourhood programme.

It is one of Bath and North East Somerset Council’s five new trial schemes, which aim to make residential roads safer and more pleasant routes for walking and cycling. The road’s junction with Warminster Road was reworked in April and bollards were installed as the road turns into Sydney Place to prevent rat running, forcing traffic to take the Beckford Road route around Sydney Gardens to get into the city centre.

But when large vehicles do turn down the road, it poses a new problem for the road. Keir Cooper, who saw the stuck coach on Saturday, said: “It took him about half an hour to turn round (a three point turn in inches). There was quite a crowd watching.”

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He added that a lorry trying to make the same turn as the coach a few days before had hit and knocked down a one house’s stone gate post.

Cllr Manda Rigby, co uncil cabinet member for transport, said: “We are monitoring this issue and have been in touch with the resident who reported the coaches. Compliant signage is in place and we know that Google Maps shows it is not a through route so drivers should be aware of the trial.”

A spokesperson for coach owners South Coast Travel said: “Whilst we cannot make comment on the councils reasoning for the bollards being put into place, it is our belief that clearer signage is necessary on entrance to this road.

“Our drivers are committed to thorough route planning, however new road changes without clear signage can cause events like this to take place. We often use digital tools to check roads prior to travel, however these tools still are not updated to show the bollards have been put into place.”

Mr Cooper said: “The problem is – apart from the fact that it’s a terrible scheme, based on the lie that Sydney Road is a rat run (it isn’t, it’s a perfectly serviceable and much needed city thoroughfare) – is that they’ve stupidly closed it half way down the street and not created enough space for larger vehicles to turn. They claim it’s a six month test. We all know what that means.”

As with the council’s three previous liveable neighbourhood trials, the scheme is in place on an “experimental” basis while a consultation is carried out. Despite the incidents such as the one on Saturday, people on the road have welcomed the scheme.

At Bath and North East Somerset Council’s annual general meeting on May 16 — a few days before the coach got stuck — Sydney Road locals said the scheme was working and urged the council to make the scheme permanent.

Malcolm Robinson, who lives on the road, told councillors: “The Sydney Road LN creates a small safe space to move around without fear of being run down by a rat runner from Bathampton trying to get to Waitrose before it closes.”

Mary Allan added: “We have been freed from the tyranny of the motor vehicle.”

But the rollout was controversial, after the plans were announced about 4,000 people signed a petition against the scheme before the petition was disabled by petition website 38Degrees for “inappropriate content.”