A Conservative MP has been accused of “riding the crest of a populist wave” after he called for the reversal of a new one-way system that local campaigners say has made the town centre safer for cyclists and pedestrians.
Ashley Fox, the Conservative MP for Bridgwater, Somerset, along with local Tory group leader Diogo Rodrigues, launched a petition last week calling on the council to restore the previous two-way system for motorists on Salmon Parade and East Quay, which was replaced by a one-way road this month as part of the town’s Celebration Mile scheme.
According to Fox and Rodrigues, the new lay-out has resulted in congestion on surrounding roads, long detours for motorists, and decreased footfall for businesses in the town centre, which is, they claim, at risk of being “ruined” by the scheme.
The Celebration Mile regeneration project, which was initially planned and approved by the Somerset County Council and the Conservative-led Sedgemoor District Council prior to its abolition in 2023, aims to enhance the experience of visitors to Bridgwater town centre, while also improving walking and cycling provision.
As well as making the roads around Eastover in the town centre one-way to traffic, new wider pavements, street furniture, lighting, and planters have also been installed as part of the scheme, which also forms an active travel route linking the railway station to the docks.
However, the project, which has come in for criticism after being hit by a series of delays in recent months, is now the subject of a petition published by local Conservatives calling on the council to reinstate both the two-way system on Salmon Parade and East Quay and the parking spaces removed as part of the project.
“Salmon Parade and East Quay have been key routes for people living, working, and shopping in Bridgwater,” councillor Diogo Rodrigues said in the petition, which at the time of writing has attracted over 5,000 signatures.
“But since Somerset Council recently changed them to one-way streets, traffic has become worse, not better. Drivers face long detours with increased congestion on surrounding roads.
“Local residents and businesses are feeling the impact. What used to be simple everyday journeys have become frustrating and time-consuming, and more cars are now stuck in queues.”
Meanwhile, MP Ashley Fox told the BBC that Somerset Council needs to go “back to the drawing board”, arguing that shoppers are avoiding the area as a result of the changes.
“The Celebration Mile works in Bridgwater have been badly mismanaged,” the Conservative MP said.
“Now those works on Eastover have improved the street scene, but have removed much needed parking, so time will tell whether that improves matters for local businesses.”
Fox also claimed that the one-way system is “making journeys to work and school runs and trips to doctors much longer than necessary”.
“I’m hearing that people are simply avoiding shopping in town altogether and footfall is down,” he continued. “We need to revive our town centre, not ruin it.”
Mandy Maskell, who runs a shop in the Eastover indoor market, also claimed the one-way system has affected trade throughout market, describing the weeks since its introduction as a “nightmare”.
“Everybody’s business in here is down,” she said. “I can’t speak for the guys out on Eastover, but I know mine is. The café is definitely a lot quieter.
“It’s a nightmare. I’ve probably got a couple of months, if I’m lucky.”
“I’ve seen parking on pavements, people leaving their mega-SUVs engines running, showing little or no respect for pedestrians or cyclists”
This criticism has prompted Bill Revans, the Liberal Democrat leader of Somerset Council, to concede that he will “look carefully at the scheme” and that he is “prepared to make any necessary changes”.
However, the Bridgwater Area Cycling Campaign (BACC), which has been involved in the consultation process of a number of recent active travel projects in the Somerset town, has urged the council to avoid making any “hasty” changes to the scheme.
“Don’t bring back two-way traffic. This new layout favours pedestrians and cyclists – as it should,” Colin Gummer, the campaign’s communications manager, said.
“The Celebration Mile has been over a decade in the making. The plans for this new layout were put out for public consultation more than three years ago – where was your petition then?”
According to Gummer, reversing the changes made on Salmon Parade and East Quay would make the town centre unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists, leading to fewer people visiting the area and its shops.
“We take it for granted that Fore Street is a safe place to walk, and that traffic in the High Street is limited. But those were changes that surely faced opposition when executed,” he said.
“Would these politicians also like to make Bridgwater’s High Street two-way again? What about Fore Street? Shall we reopen that to cars as well?
“We say: give it time. See how it feels in five- or ten-years’ time. You never know – it might be quite nice.”
One local, Dave Chapple, who has lived on Eastover for almost three decades, also told Somerset Live that the changes represent an improvement for the area, arguing that the local Conservatives were simply “riding what they see as the crest of a populist wave” by opposing the scheme.
Chapple also criticised the claim that the one-way system was drastically increasing journey times for car drivers, telling the online outlet: “It only takes two or three minutes longer to access Asda via the Cross Rifles roundabout, rather than Salmon Parade.
“Living smack dab in the middle of Eastover, I have seen the massive increase in two-way traffic through the Eastover road itself, and a corresponding decline in driver behaviour.
“I’ve seen parking on pavements, people leaving their mega-SUVs engines running, showing little or no respect for pedestrians or cyclists, using side streets as a rat run to save themselves the Monmouth Street lights, but above all, clogging up this historic part of Bridgwater up with diesel and petrol fumes.
“Thanks to our new one-way system, we Eastover residents have been relieved. I look forward to many years of Eastover pedestrians, cyclists and car drivers, shopping happily and safely, and occasionally sitting down on one of the new benches to talk to one another without having to shout.”
Responding to the complaints from his Conservative opponents, Richard Wilkins, the Liberal Democrat council’s lead for transport, noted that the new system needs “time to settle in”.
“The idea of the one-way systems is to decrease the number of vehicles that are running through the centre of town and make it more pedestrian and shopper-friendly,” he said.
“It was only put into place a week ago. These things take time to settle in, a little bit of time for people to try the new road layout. To give up entirely on it in a week, I don’t think, is the right way.”
-1024x680.jpg "“Clear anti-cyclist bias”: Lawsuit filed against Toronto police after cop doored cyclist… before ticketing rider over incident")
9 thoughts on “Cyclists accuse politicians of “riding crest of populist wave” after MP claims new one-way system is “clogging up roads” and ruining town”
Good work Somerset Council.
Good work Somerset Council. It will take a bit of time to be accepted. No one wants to live in a car free town, until they live in one. #Motonormativity in abundance. Who are the Conservatives anyway, so last century.
Ysgubor wrote:
(Agreeing with the drift but) … they aren’t and won’t be living in one here either!
It’s a characterisation which – like all the “trapped in our homes” / “they’re banning driving” / the vast majority of stuff around LTNs – we do well not to echo, even while opposing it.
Also noting that “car free towns” in NL (surely the heart of darkness?) generally don’t actually ban all motor traffic – or even all cars.
Exceptions – this village which uses boats instead: https://giethoorn.com/en/giethoorn-a-village-with-no-roads/
… and this forthcoming development which will only allow a certain number of shared electric cars: https://dutchreview.com/news/largest-car-free-zone-netherlands/
“I’m hearing that people are
“I’m hearing that people are simply avoiding shopping in town” – I made it up.
One assumes that those
One assumes that those proposing this retrograde step would be happy to pay for it themselves?
No? I thought not.
Trouble over Bridgewater ?
Trouble over Bridgewater ?
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Probably my favourite pun of
Probably my favourite pun of all time !!
Is it scientifically proven
Is it scientifically proven that only conservatives and right-leaning people are anti-cycling? The political great divide is no longer between Tories vs Labour, Globalists vs Patriots, nope it runs between four wheels and two wheels. Officials can’t ignore local shop owners claiming their sales figures are dramatically down. For two reasons – these people vote and pay taxes.
On the surface not because a)
On the surface not because a) some members of all parties – even the odd Green councillor – see cycling as a political football (or certainly not worth losing any votes over) and b) counterexamples eg. Boris Johnson (pro); Baron Winston, Peter Kyle (who he?) anti.
On the other hand there does seem to be a modern correlation with electing the more “small state, pro business types” (or “let’s not change the status quo … when it comes to funding *other* infra / public transport”) and ending up with a transport agenda that is very pro-private-car over everything else.
Shopkeepers apparently often overestimate the positive effect of motoring on their businesses, and seem to be quick to connect any change in takings with “parking gone / road changed”. And to be fair any works may be disruptive – but I note that in my city (Edinburgh) works are happening somewhere all the time, and the vast majority are for other business or private developments. (Followed by utilities and street maintenance, because motor traffic).