We’ve achieved a lot in the five or so years we’ve been running. While we certainly can’t claim all the credit for the schemes that have come to fruition, we’ve at least had an influential voice on them all, if nothing else.
Here, we celebrate our achievements to date — and look at what’s in the pipeline…
North-south corridor upgrades
- New cycle path next to Costa drive-thru at Dunball roundabout. Although not our preferred design, we did our best to influence things.
- Cycle path from Dunball roundabout to Express Park.
- Riverside path from Express Park to Western Way. Officially opened by BACC members with Cllr Mike Rigby and children from Eastover Primary School.
- Path upgrade between Bridgwater Docks and Linham Road
Altogether, this means you can soon cycle all the way from Puriton to North Petherton virtually traffic-free!
Celebration Mile
With dedicated money from central government as part of the Town Deal, we have welcomed the progress of this major regeneration project. We’ve given input into the design process to encourage the developers to prioritise active travel and to ensure it meets the relevant standards.
Westonzoyland Road speed limit reduction
After a successful petition campaign, we are delighted that the speed limit on this notoriously dangerous road is being brought into line with the other major trunk routes into the town.
Kidical Mass
In case you’ve been living under a rock, you can’t have failed to notice the four successful Kidical Mass events we’ve hosted.
Major housing developments
We’ve been influential in decisions around how walking and cycling should be integrated into the big new developments around the town, including:
- Bower Lane
- Follett’s Farm
- Cokerhurst Farm (currently under construction)
- Bridgwater Gateway (near J24)
- Sydenham Manor
Lighting audit
We were asked by Bridgwater Town Council to conduct an audit of the town’s street lights, to help people feel safer getting around on foot and by bike after dark.This has been mapped out so that anyone can see exactly where the problems are.
Mapping
We worked extensively with Bridgwater Town Council and FourPoint Mapping to produce the town’s first ever walking & cycling map, aimed at both visitors and residents, to enable people to find their way about more easily.
Still to come
As we look to the future, here are a few of the things we’re anticipating…
- Work on Bridgwater Docks – upgrades to active travel routes around the docks basin.
- Albert Street Cutting — This has been closed so long, it’s easy to forget what an important piece of local active travel infrastructure this is. We have been applying pressure on the Canal & River Trust, with help from Bridgwater Town Council to get this reopened ASAP.
- Bath Road Bridge Upgrade — In our liaisons with Somerset Council, we’ve been able to push for the creation of a new bridge over the railway line on Bath Road. This will include cycling and walking provision.
- Active travel upgrades to The Clink area — In our discussions with Somerset Council, we’ve been able to influence the introduction of better cycle routes around the Clink area, from East Quay over to Cross Rifles roundabout.
Why not get involved?
As BACC enters a new era, we are actively looking for new faces to help out and continue the great work we’ve got going so far.
Do you know of an unloved bike route? Maybe there’s a ‘missing link’ on your commute or your school run?
If you know of any parts of the Bridgwater active travel network that are lacking, maybe you could help influence the future direction.
Somerset Council may be cash-strapped right now, but that’s all the more reason to support their work via the voluntary sector. We have a wealth of experience and knowldge we can share with you, so whatever you choose to do, however big or small, you will be supported by us.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of [motorised transport] is for good [people] to do nothing,”