HGV ban 'must go ahead' urge Conservatives

25/05/2011

A planned weight restriction to prevent Heavy Goods Vehicles from travelling through Bath should be implemented as soon as possible, Conservative Councillors have urged.

Conservative Councillors have long backed proposals to curb the number of large lorries using Bath as a through-route and made implementing such a ban a key pledge during the recent local elections.

Conservatives are now urging the new Liberal Democrat administration at the Guildhall to move quickly to implement a weight restriction on Bath streets, a policy which the Conservatives had set in train prior to the elections.

The Council had been waiting on the previously planned Westbury by-pass in Wiltshire to be given the go-ahead before implementing an HGV ban, but with the planned by-pass now cancelled Conservative Councillors have said now is the time to implement the Bath weight restriction. The Council has been consulting on proposals for a weight limit on Beckford Road to cut the number of HGVs, though Conservative Councillors have said they would support whichever option would deliver the greatest reduction in HGVs on Bath's streets.

Bath Councillor and Deputy Conservative Leader Anthony Clarke (Lansdown) said:

"During the election, it was clear that reducing the number of HGVs travelling through Bath was a top priority for local residents. It's important that a weight limit to cut the number of HGVs in Bath, as proposed by Conservative Councillors, must go ahead as soon as possible.

"We would support whichever proposal is shown to deliver the biggest impact on reducing the number of lorries using Bath as a through-route, and we will be urging the Liberal Democrat administration to make a decision on this quickly. Bath's historic streets were never designed for such large vehicles and the city has some of the worst congestion and pollution problems in the country. Reducing the number of HGVs would have a real impact upon this."