General

While production of the Movement Strategy is recognised as being well intentioned, It is not
clear what it seeks to achieve since it largely replicates what is contained in the 2022
Journey to Net Zero Plan at
https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/document-and-policy-library/journey-net-zero-final-report which
has already been adopted as council policy.

The development of the circulation plan is considered to be a higher priority which will inform
the Active Travel Master Plan and the requirement for further liveable neighbourhood
schemes.

The strategy contains no clearly defined measures for success. It is suggested that key
performance indicators (kpis) are put in place for each of the 15 strategic levers.

Comparative Analysis to the 2022 Journey to Net Zero Plan (JtNZP)

Missing Specific, Measurable Targets (Key Performance Indicators) for Vehicle Reduction

● The most significant omission is considered to be the removal of the specific,
quantitative goals from the JtNZP, such as the 7% decrease in car journeys and 25%
reduction in kilometres travelled per person by car.
● The goal to simply “Reduce vehicle traffic volumes” is considered too vague and
non-committal, limiting accountability and potentially enabling the Council to avoid
the difficult actions necessary to create safe and desirable walking, wheeling, and
cycling environments.

Ambiguity and Deferral of Most Effective Levers

● The strategy presents most effective measures like Road User Charging and Better
Management of On-Street Parking – which are key to reallocating road space for
walking, wheeling, and cycling — simply as options (“decide how far we want to ‘pull’
on each lever”).
● This vague language allows for the indefinite deferral (e.g. through multiple rounds of
public consultation) of the most effective, but challenging, actions required to reduce
car dominance and provide space for walking, wheeling, and cycling infrastructure.

Weakening of the Framework to deliver Journey to Net Zero Ambitions

● The exclusion of the term “Sustainable Transport Hierarchy” and only using the
“Transport Hierarchy” and referencing the JtNZP weakens the overall strategy. The
term Sustainable Transport Hierarchy needs to be re-iterated in full to remove
ambiguity and be placed at the core of the Movement Strategy.
● The use of the term “encourage” within the context of walking, wheeling, and cycling
should be replaced by the term “enable”.

Lack of Targeted Institutional Travel Data

● The proposed strategy omits the detailed travel data and mode splits for major trip
generators like the Universities and the Royal United Hospital (RUH).
● Omitting this data weakens the evidence base for developing effective, targeted
walking, wheeling, and cycling routes and interventions for the city’s largest
employment and education corridors.

Vague Success Metrics

● The use of qualitative terms like “significantly” to describe the intended reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions is not a measurable metric for success, making it difficult
to track and prove the strategy’s effectiveness in encouraging mode shift to walking,
wheeling, cycling, and public transport.

Relevant Goal Analysis

Create Great Quality Places
● Lever 1: Safer traffic speeds across the city
There should be a blanket 20mph speed limit across the whole city.
● Lever 2: Public realm improvements
Walk Ride Bath has previously submitted a proposal to remove through traffic from
Queen Square which would meet this objective. A copy is attached for ease of
reference.
● Lever 4: Create better and greener places
Many physical barriers, put in place in years past, require removal to ensure access
for all abilities. The Movement Strategy should include an exercise to identify these
barriers, along with a plan to modify or remove them.
Improve Travel Choices
● Lever 6: Active Travel Masterplan
The ambition to implement the entire Active Travel Masterplan is welcomed, but not
considered to be realistic. It requires a route prioritisation step to provide an
affordable programme of route development.
Reduce Vehicular Traffic Volumes
● Lever 7: Making the most of our Interchanges
These should ensure that the eScooter and eBike hire schemes cover the whole of
Bath and are integrated into the interchanges and park and rides sites.
● Lever 15: School travel plans
School travel plans (STPs) alone are largely ineffective: behaviour-only measures
like posters, assemblies and short campaigns consistently produce little or no lasting
modal shift. Safety concerns, distance, and car-dominated streets are barriers STPs
cannot meaningfully change. Evidence shows real gains in walking, wheeling and
cycling only occur when schools tackle these structural issues directly. The most effective approach is a school-street-led package: traffic-free streets at
pick-up and drop-off, supported by infrastructure improvements, safe crossings, cycle
training and ongoing engagement. Crucially, school streets work best—and remain
politically sustainable—when enforced with ANPR (Automatic Number Plate
Recognition) rather than staff or volunteers, avoiding conflict with parents, as advised
by Active Travel England. Walk Ride Bath proposes that every school should have a
school street wherever physically feasible.