Work finally begins

Work has finally began on the Two Tunnels project, thanks to pressure on B&NES Council by Cllr Neil Butters and Project Chair Gitte Dawson.

Attracting £1 million of Lottery funding, the project will connect Midford with the centre of Bath to create a new cycle and walking route between thelocations. The multi-user path will join Bath and Midford by an almost-flat system of tunnels and overland paths following the existing railway line that is currently out of use.
Prospective Lib Dem MP Gail Coleshill commented:
“The Two Tunnels route will benefit businesses, residents and visitors. It will encourage visitors to make more use of what Bath & North East Somerset has to offer.
Overall, this is part of the national Sustrans initiative which links up hundreds of walking and cycling routes around the country.”

Wellow traffic calming

After five years of effort by the Parish Council, and with the help of Cllr Neil Butters, Wellow is at last getting its promised traffic calming scheme - at a cost of £47,000 provided by the developers of the Business Park at Peasedown. This will be implemented by end-June.
Thanks to Wellow Parish Councillor Mark Watson, here is an indicative sketch of the proposed new scheme:

New footway for Midford

Also at long last, work is due to take place this summer on constructing a footpath
into the centre of Midford across the road from Clearbrook Farm. Neil is supporting the local parish councils in their bid to see the footpath upgraded and continued on
along the same side of the road.

Community Bus for Wellow area

Neil has been pressing B&NES Council to provide a modest grant to support some form of local bus service for the Wellow area. Despite the very difficult financial climate, £8,000 pa has been freed up. This will now go towards the excellent local Community Bus proposal.

Brassknocker floods

Local Councillor Neil Butters has been working with B&NES to tackle the flooding problems on Brassknocker Hill.
The excess flooding has been caused by:
- an old culvert that was discharging over the road, rather than through a
gully or roadside channel.
- an existing concrete channel that was not able to contain the water and was getting blocked by debris.
- another culvert that was discharging over the top of a gully rather than through an inlet.
Neil said:
“It’s always a problem, particularly in rural areas, when roads flood. Hopefully, Council officers can sort it out as soon as possible, so no further inconvenience is caused to drivers using this route.”

New signs are B&NES First!

Neil has worked with B&NES and the Department for Transport to erect new 'No Lorries' signs for
Freshford, which are the first of their kind in the authority.
Lorries have been getting stuck often because their SatNav systems have directed them down unsuitable lanes.
Neil said: “I am pleased to have been able to arrange for these new signs for Freshford.
I do hope they help in future.”

Fears arise over future of Community Transport

Fears have arisen over the future of community transport in Bath and North East Somerset, following the news that the Council’s designated Community Transport Officer role is being scrapped.

For several years, B&NES has employed an officer to work directly work with community transport groups in Keynsham, Radstock, Bath and elsewhere to liaise on behalf of the authority and represent the views of the groups within the Transport Department.

Now, after years of successful work, Tory-run B&NES Council has decided to pull the plug on the role and leave many of the voluntary groups without this vital support.

Senior Lib Dem Gail Coleshill, who is standing at the next General Election has her party’s choice in North East Somerset, said:

“I was very worried to hear that the Council has decided to scrap this role. Every year, hundreds of volunteers work hard to provide a transport service to the elderly, the disabled, and anyone else who finds it difficult to use Public Transport.

In North East Somerset, groups such as the Norton-Radstock Ring & Ride, Keynsham Dial-a-Ride, Bath Community Transport and the Swan Advice Network play a vital role in offering a life-line to residents.

Many people use these services to do their weekly shop, to visit friends and get to important medical appointments.”

Last year, 14,000 passengers used the Ring and Ride service in Radstock and Midsomer Norton. B&NES currently gives £94,000 a year to support the service, but with severe government cuts on the way this funding could be under threat. Gail added:

“The current government has got its priorities wrong when it comes to using public finances to improve public and community transport. Instead of investing £millions on building bus lanes that no one wants, money should be going towards extending the community transport schemes in rural areas.

Also, if the Tories win the next election, they are telling us to expect big cuts to public services. I wonder if the Tory Candidate for North East Somerset will distance himself from his party’s actions locally and their plans nationally?

I believe that in rural areas such as North East Somerset we can’t under estimate the importance of community transport and I call on the Council to reinstate the Community Transport Officer role before it’s too late.”

Work finally begins on the Bath Two Tunnels route -

Four years since its inception, the Bath Two Tunnels scheme – which will open up the Combe Down and Devonshire Tunnels as part of a walking and cycling route from Midford into Bath - finally starts construction this Monday. Contractors will begin work to excavate and reopen the Devonshire Tunnel’s northern portal and create links on both sides.

Former councilor, Gitte Dawson, who has been chairing the Two Tunnels Steering Group which brings Council, Sustrans and the Two Tunnels Group together in implementing this scheme, said
“I am excited that we are finally putting the first spade in the ground! Lots of people have done a great deal of campaigning, fundraising, planning and publicising to get to this point. I look forward to cycling through the tunnels myself next year."

Cllr Roger Symonds (LibDem Combe Down ward) said,
"This is a red letter day for those who mourn the passing of the old railway line. It marks the start of a revival of cycling in Bath. There must be more improvements to follow Two Tunnels if Bath is to become a "cycling city".

Cllr Neil Butters (LibDem Bathavon South) said,
“I would like to congratulate Sustrans and the Two Tunnels Group on a fantastic achievement. This project will take a significant slice of traffic off the roads, enabling people from Wellow and beyond to commute into Bath by bike and giving people in Bath ready access to the countryside.”

The Two Tunnels scheme is a £1.9million route that will turn a four-mile stretch of disused railway line into a walking and cycling path linking Bath and Midford. The scheme will renovate the disused Tucking Mill viaduct and open up the two long tunnels, of which one (Combe Down) is over a mile long, connecting the town and countryside for everyday journeys by foot and bike. With overwhelming support from people in and around Bath, the virtually flat route along the old Somerset and Dorset Railway Line will bring together the communities of Bath, Midford and all the places in between. Walkers and cyclists will experience two illuminated tunnels and a magnificent viaduct along the route that provides an inspiring yet practical link between town and country, with its unique blend of industrial heritage, wildlife and geology. The route will also link to the successful Colliers Way in the South and the Bath-Bristol cycleway in the West and create a great round-trip cycle opportunity between Bath and Midford, including the path along the Kennet & Avon Canal. On the 6th March it is the 44th anniversary of the closure of the line.

The partners in this scheme are the community-led ‘Two Tunnels Group’, Bristol based charity Sustrans, and Bath & North East Somerset Council, with the route's grand opening expected by the end of 2011. The Two Tunnels Greenway is one of 79 exciting Sustrans Connect2 schemes across the UK, using a total of £50m of lottery funding, of which this scheme will receive £1m. The remainder of the funding will be coming from BathNES Council and from local fundraising.

Further information about Sustrans, including other news releases and detailed online route mapping, is available through our website: www.sustrans.org.uk