Banning cars from rural roads

[Tony33]

My local council's latest plan is to ban cars from rural lanes to promote cycling and walking following the upsurge during lockdowns and to make the county a cleaner environment. People would still be able to get to their houses and businesses on these roads would be allowed to have deliveries and customers, just that no one would be allowed to use them as a through road to get to somewhere else.

https://n-somerset.gov.uk/my-services/parking-trav...

Pushing all the traffic through the already congested routes and increasing travelling distances hardly seems a great solution to making for a cleaner environment plus of course a country drive for pleasure would be effectively outlawed.

They tried something similar when a main route between two towns was closed for works and they outlawed using the country lanes to force diverted traffic to go many miles around. Coincidentally one of the councillors lived on one of those lanes...

This is a consultation period so will be interesting to see what reaction they get.

[Scrump]

That is the roads near me. I had not heard this before.

[Tony33]

Here is the proposal with a map of the proposed closures to traffic

https://n-somerset.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2021...

[outnumbered]

"Local roads for local people"...

[MitchT]

So people will have to drive a longer distance via an alternative route, causing more air pollution in the process, to get where they were going. Seriously, can I just get off now? I've had enough!

[sociopath]

I'm a cyclist and I live in the countryside, and even I think that's a bloody stupid idea.

[NDA]

How would that be policed? Wouldn't people just ignore it if they know you can get through?

I assume the residents will be for it.

[105.4]

MitchT said:

So people will have to drive a longer distance via an alternative route, causing more air pollution in the process, to get where they were going. Seriously, can I just get off now? I've had enough!

Logic and intelligence are seemingly not prerequisites of becoming a Councillor.

[Scrump]

MitchT said:

So people will have to drive a longer distance via an alternative route, causing more air pollution in the process, to get where they were going. Seriously, can I just get off now? I've had enough!

Not just longer distances as I use some of those lanes to bypass the towns. If these lanes are closed to through traffic then I would have to drive through the towns adding to congestion.

[321boost]

NDA said:

How would that be policed? Wouldn't people just ignore it if they know you can get through?

I assume the residents will be for it.

And only the residents will ever know about this scheme and if even they dont agree then the scheme will be pushed anyway for another reason.

[Johnnytheboy]

That's insane.

"Rat runs" only exist because the more logical route is st.

[321boost]

Scrump said:

MitchT said:

So people will have to drive a longer distance via an alternative route, causing more air pollution in the process, to get where they were going. Seriously, can I just get off now? I've had enough!

Not just longer distances as I use some of those lanes to bypass the towns. If these lanes are closed to through traffic then I would have to drive through the towns adding to congestion.

Write to them then. Even if they push through it anyway, I think if there is a future legal challenge then they might have to give reasons why they ignored the consultation responses.

[Tony33]

Here is the map, I have lived here for many years and cycled and driven those lanes and would never have considered them as rat runs.

[Bill]

The irony being that it's generally the locals and delivery drivers who are the ones going too fast due to complacency.

[Chris32345]

If they want to promote build cycles lanes but not by take away a lane for cars they need to be independ walkiy and cycle route's

[321boost]

Tony33 said:

Here is the map, I have lived here for many years and cycled and driven those lanes and would never have considered them as rat runs.

Have you objected to the proposal by writing to them?

[321boost]

Chris32345 said:

If they want to promote build cycles lanes but not by take away a lane for cars they need to be independ walkiy and cycle route's

They wouldnt want to because it costs them more money and effort.

[Blockbuster]

In this area they are designated as “walking and cycling friendly” roads and have a 40mph limit. It seems to work well enough and more sensible than banning vehicles

[Red9zero]

We are just on the edge of this and our village parish Council wants to sign us up to it too. They say that as there is a bypass, people living at the far end of the village could use that instead. We already have a 20mph limit, planters on the road, a cycle route and more cyclists than cars most days, so why not just ban cars altogether ?

[Scrump]

Bill said:

The irony being that it's generally the locals and delivery drivers who are the ones going too fast due to complacency.

Not always due to complacency, maybe driving fast because of a humpback bridge on Kennmoor Road