Traffic study suggests changes to busy town

The study tackled Bradford-on-Avon's narrow streets busy routes

A long-awaited traffic study has suggested a combination of one-way roads and traffic-calming to help make a town safer.

The Bradford-on-Avon Town Council and Wiltshire Council research could improve the local road network for pedestrians and cyclists.

Bradford-on-Avon's sustainable transport group said the recommended solution is the "appropriate one" but the report "is really limited".

Wiltshire Councillor Tim Trimble said the scheme is "definitely the best solution to make the streets safer".

Traffic on Silver Street will become one-way if the report's Option C is implemented

The report outlined three options to improve safety, pollution levels and traffic volume:

▪ Option A - creating a one- way system in Market Street & Silver Street.

▪ Option B - installing road narrowing 'pinch points' , two in Market Street and one in Silver Street.

▪ Option C - making Silver Street one-way combined with priority narrowing in Market Street.

Andrew Nicolson from Living Streets, a charity promoting everyday walking, said the report's recommendation outlines "changes that are feasible. The traffic wouldn't just be in complete chaos".

Mr Nicolson explained that the report's findings are limited because "it uses the worst possible traffic forecasts for the year 2040 and we don't really know what's going to happen.

"It's a huge disappointment that they haven't looked at ways to reduce the volume of traffic - the modelling was incapable of doing that" he added.

Mr Trimble said the real advantage of the Option C was that it allows the widening of pavements in Silver Street.

"That's really important because if you look at the accident maps that's where the majority of accidents occur" he explained.

Two public consultation sessions will take plane on 20 and 23 March.

The Bradford-on-Avon Traffic Study is available to download from the town council website.