The evidence is now public — and it is damning.
B&NES’ own reports show that the Winifred’s Lane trial has failed outright. By the council’s own data, the bollards will push over half a million additional cars past junior schools every year. This outcome directly contradicts what a Liveable Neighbourhood is meant to achieve.
Residents across Lansdown have carefully reviewed the B&NES reports and the underlying data. In doing so, they have identified serious gaps, omissions, and flaws in both the data and its analysis relating to Winifred’s Lane (WL). A detailed letter has been sent to all B&NES councillors, setting out these concerns and urging decision-makers to apply objective, evidence-based criteria when reaching a final decision.
Despite the scale of the problems identified, the recommendation being put to councillors proposes only minor mitigations. These do not address — or meaningfully reduce — the fundamental failures revealed by the WL trial.
Throughout the process, residents within the trial area have raised grave concerns about safety, environmental impact, and community division. The council has repeatedly stated that it is data-led. The publication of these reports now provides the opportunity to assess that data properly — and it does not support making this scheme permanent.
Key issues highlighted
- No evidence links the three ETROs. Their combination, following initial single-member decisions, is arbitrary and has no clear legal or evidential basis. They could be unlinked just as easily.
- The Winifred’s Lane scheme is deeply unpopular and empirically unsafe. The council’s own report shows 72% opposition within the trial area and 84% opposition overall.
- Traffic past junior schools has increased dramatically. Traffic increased by an average of 1,401 vehicles per day during the trial period (1,522 in comparable November periods), resulting in over half a million additional cars passing junior schools each year. These figures raise serious concerns about children’s safety and health.
- Critical data is missing or flawed. The reports omit key information on vehicle speeds, kilometres driven, carbon emissions, known collisions, and costs. Cycling data around WL is miscalculated, while pedestrian activity has declined overall. These outcomes are among the worst seen in any Bath ETRO — and possibly any UK LTN scheme.
- Proposed mitigations do not address the root problems. They cannot overcome issues caused by road layout, steep topography, blind bends, and the proximity of schools.
The full Heart of Lansdown Consultation Group (HoLCG) response and all referenced documents are available to download here.
There is still time to act! You can express your concerns by emailing:
Councillor Joel Hirst – Joel_Hirst@bathnes.gov.uk
Councillor Manda Rigby – Manda_Rigby@bathnes.gov.uk