Angry residents and opposition Councillors are demanding that Bath and North East Somerset Council call a halt to the Dorchester Street Bus Gate trial and tear up or refund any fines issued to date. The backlash comes as it was revealed that B&NES was set to raise over £250,000 in fines in just one month after nearly 9,000 drivers were caught breaching the controversial Bus Gate, introduced in Bath in mid-January.
The measures were brought in by the Lib-Dem administration as a means to 'create a safer, more welcoming environment for people on foot and who use bicycles', with the gate in force between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
But it has not been a popular move, particularly with those using the train station and now, with local people who have been on the receiving ends of fines, since they were introduced at the end of March. Many have been in contact with The Journal this week, angry that signage is not obvious enough.
Conservatives have said that the new Bus Gate has become a 'pointless farce', which is damaging Bath's reputation as a destination for visitors, tourists and business. The opposition group, which campaigned against the Bus Gate's introduction, has warned that the Council needs to put a stop to the trial, as soon as possible, before further damage is done to the city's image and economy.
They have said that if the Council were to restart the trial at a later date, it should only be as part of a wider strategic approach to transport in the city, following a full review of the signage and road markings for the Bus Gate.
Conservative Shadow Transport Spokesman, Cllr Anthony Clarke (Cons., Lansdown), said: "The Dorchester Street Bus Gate has descended into a complete farce, which is damaging Bath's reputation as a destination for visitors, shoppers and business and, as a result, causing immeasurable harm to our local economy.
"More and more people, including local residents, are now saying they would rather go and spend their money elsewhere, rather than risk further fines or hefty parking charges by coming into the centre of Bath.
"The Council's Lib-Dem leadership was warned time and again that their botched handling of the Bus Gate would cause resentment amongst residents.
"Even the former Lib-Dem Cabinet Member for Transport admitted it was a 'half-baked scheme', yet they ploughed on regardless.
"In order to salvage some of its reputation and in the interests of fairness to the thousands of motorists caught unawares, the Council now needs to call an immediate halt to the Bus Gate trial, tear up the fines issued so far, and refund any money already received. By calling a moratorium in this way, it will save B&NES the time and effort of dealing with and assessing all the countless appeals which have been streaming in."
City centre Councillor, Brian Webber (Cons, Abbey), who seconded a motion at a Council meeting in January which called for the Bus Gate trial to be limited to a maximum of six months, commented: "The fact that so many drivers have been going through the Bus Gate in its first three months makes the trial completely pointless and any findings from it, worthless. It simply won't be possible to assess the impact on other routes, such as the A36 and North Parade, when so many cars are still using Dorchester Street.
"By halting the trial, this would give the Council breathing space to properly review the signage and road markings and consider whether it is worthwhile continuing with this idea."
Such was the strength of local opinion, that by Monday evening of this week, it was thought that the Council might be reviewing its options. Speaking to The Journal, Councillor David Dixon, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, admitted: "Clearly the message has not got out there concerning signage."
B&NES Council, though, insists that the scheme is working. In a dedicated page set up on its website, the Council says: 'Although at an early stage, the traffic restriction experiment appears to be having a positive effect on Dorchester Street, with far fewer vehicles on the road.
'It appears as though buses can move much more freely in and out of the bus station. This is the primary purpose of introducing this restriction. The key challenge is to ensure that as many motorists as possible observe this restriction and find alternative routes for their journey.
'The Bus Lane regulations in the city centre exist for a reason – to substantially reduce the number of vehicles using these roads as a through route during the day. This helps make the environment more pleasant for pedestrians and cyclists, allows buses to move more freely to their destination and protects local historical landmarks from damage.
'It is the responsibility of drivers to ensure they do not infringe the bus lane rules. We estimate that about one vehicle every three or four minutes is now contravening the restriction.'
The Council also argues that it has acted fairly, with a six-week grace period where warning letters were issued up until the third week in March – in which time it sent out 8,000 letters.
'All current signage is in line with both Government rule and guidance from the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. However, in response to public feedback, we are further enhancing signage on all approaches to Dorchester Street, so that drivers get even earlier warning about the change in road layout ahead. These are now in place at Avon Street and St James Parade. If people have been caught out multiple times, the message is to approach us and appeal.'
Bus gates are naturally unpopular in cities, with tourists often being caught unawares, but in this particular case, a large number of local people, too. Over the past five years, £3.8 million has been yielded from other parts of the bus lane network in the city centre.
By Tuesday morning this week, a 38 Degrees online petition to cancel Bath's Bus Gate fines had been signed by nearly 4,000 people.