Banbury street calls for a rat run to be closed off to give residents a return to lockdown safety

Residents of Bath Road are calling on councillors to heed government advice and allow them to return their street to a lockdown paradise.
Residents of Bath Road got used to vastly improved safety and a cleaner environment when traffic stopped during lockdown. ©Geoff Crawford @gncmediaResidents of Bath Road got used to vastly improved safety and a cleaner environment when traffic stopped during lockdown. ©Geoff Crawford @gncmedia
Residents of Bath Road got used to vastly improved safety and a cleaner environment when traffic stopped during lockdown. ©Geoff Crawford @gncmedia

And the householders - who noticed huge improvements in traffic and safety for children and pedestrians during lockdown - say other residential areas should get the same improvements.

The residents want the county and district councils to listen to the Government and improve the lives of people living in the town. They have written to Banbury MP Victoria Prentis and local councillors urging changes to make their road and similar streets quieter, safer and less polluted.

Bath Road householder Neil Wallis said: “Because of the lack of commuter and commercial traffic, lockdown improved our lives dramatically by making our street freer of traffic noise and safer for our kids to play in… and the air smelled cleaner too. It was a more pleasant place to live during those months. I took some soundings from our neighbourhood and realised that many people felt like me.

Author Tim Smedley, left, and Neil Wallis of Bath Road who are calling for measures to reduce traffic in their street. ©Geoff Crawford @gncmediaAuthor Tim Smedley, left, and Neil Wallis of Bath Road who are calling for measures to reduce traffic in their street. ©Geoff Crawford @gncmedia
Author Tim Smedley, left, and Neil Wallis of Bath Road who are calling for measures to reduce traffic in their street. ©Geoff Crawford @gncmedia

“Unless something is done, traffic is likely to get worse once we fully emerge from the lockdown as people have been told not to share cars or use public transport. The Government has realised this and is urging local authorities to seize the initiative and take measures to make lives better for local people.”

The group is calling for a 20mph speed limit down Bath Road - and similar streets in Banbury. They also want measures to reduce through traffic (‘rat-running’) and to give residential road priority to walkers, cyclists and facilities for local people instead of cars.

A letter from the group is published in the Banbury Guardian this week which outlines their proposals in more detail.

In an email to group members, Banbury MP Victoria Prentis said she has been in contact with the Department for Transport and confirmed that new guidance published this year gives local authorities new powers to reallocate road space, including closing roads to traffic and enabling more space to be given over to walking and cycling, creating better places for residents and businesses.

Motorists use Bath Road as a rat run between Warwick Road and Broughton Road. The vehicles make the street a danger to pedestrians and cyclists and pollute the environment. ©Geoff Crawford @gncmediaMotorists use Bath Road as a rat run between Warwick Road and Broughton Road. The vehicles make the street a danger to pedestrians and cyclists and pollute the environment. ©Geoff Crawford @gncmedia
Motorists use Bath Road as a rat run between Warwick Road and Broughton Road. The vehicles make the street a danger to pedestrians and cyclists and pollute the environment. ©Geoff Crawford @gncmedia

One of the Bath Road group, Tim Smedley, is the author of an acclaimed book about air pollution, Clearing the Air, featured in the Banbury Guardian here.

He said: “The Government has published clear and urgent Covid-19 guidelines for local authorities to improve 'active travel' throughout all towns, to make it easy to walk and cycle, especially to and from schools. But what's happened in Banbury? Nothing.

“With winter arriving we know that traffic and air pollution will soon be worse than ever. The council's inaction is dangerous.

"I would love to cycle my children to school but without safe segregated cycle lanes I can't. At the moment even walking and crossing the road - especially on the Broughton Road hill and Queensway - is dangerous due to the volume and speed of traffic. All we're asking for is for everyone in Banbury to have the option to walk or cycle with safe crossings and paths to do so.

Traffic pounds through Bath Road throughout the day causing problems for residents. ©Geoff Crawford @gncmediaTraffic pounds through Bath Road throughout the day causing problems for residents. ©Geoff Crawford @gncmedia
Traffic pounds through Bath Road throughout the day causing problems for residents. ©Geoff Crawford @gncmedia

County councillor Eddie Reeves, who represents Banbury Calthorpe, has been in regular communication with members of the group about the proposals. Cllr Reeves says he plans to run an online petition during the autumn to get more details about how people would like their local streets to change in the future.