Active travel campaign groups are rallying opposition to the partial one-way traffic scheme being considered by Bradford on Avon Town Council next month.

Councillors will meet on Tuesday, September 24 to make a final decision on which of the three options , A, B and C, they wish to choose.

Already, one campaign is underway aimed at persuading the council to choose Option A involving a one-way system up Market Street and down Silver Street, with two-way traffic in New Road and Springfield.

Option B would install road narrowing 'pinch points', two in Market Street and one in Silver Street, while Option C is a hybrid alternative making Silver Street one-way with priority for uphill traffic in Market Street.

READ MORE: Council urged to reintroduce one-way system in Bradford on Avon

Heavy traffic volumes in Bradford on Avon cause congestion, air pollution and endanger pedestrians and cyclists.  (Image: Trevor Porter)

Jeremy Wire, coordinator of Climate Friendly Bradford on Avon’s Sustainable Travel Action Group, said: “One-way system supporters mainly seem to have drivers’ interests at heart.

“Drivers passing through our town may feel ‘entitled’ but will need to accept a compromise.

“We need a traffic solution centred on the interests of residents, pedestrians, cyclists and the mobility-impaired instead.

“As sure as night follows day, once you make more space for existing cars, it will be taken up by more cars, with more emissions, and we will be back where we started.”

Andrew Nicolson, the local group coordinator for Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking, said residents’ top concerns are air pollution, reduced traffic volume, and pedestrian and cyclist safety.

Reduced travel time is a low-ranking priority and Option A would not reduce traffic volume or congestion, as the social distancing one-way system installed from 2020-2021 showed, he said.

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“The Atkins Traffic Study showed that the ‘one-way’ Option A will perform worst for peak hour congestion in the long term, with heavy tailbacks on Bath Road, severe delays to bus services and by far the longest overall journey times.

“There are ways to improve walking, mobility and cycling in Bradford, slowing down fast vehicles and making the town less attractive to through traffic and thus lowering traffic volumes step by step.

“Wiltshire Council could start doing this even without any new traffic management scheme.

“For a start, they could make progress on the Town Cycle Network, planned over ten years ago. They could also bring in traffic-slowing measures as proposed for New Road, and design more of these for other routes around town.”

Residents have until Monday, September 16 to submit comments on the town council website.