Safety fears over Keynsham Bypass bus stops plan

SAFETY fears have been raised over proposals for bus stops on the Keynsham Bypass.

Saltford & Keynsham Labour Party says that, although it supports the principle of investment in the A4 corridor, the scheme needs to place public transport and the needs of local residents at its centre.

In its response to the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) consultation on its A4 proposals, the party said: “We are particularly concerned that the proposed bypass bus stops and access through Memorial Park could create safety problems, particularly after dark, and that children could potentially gain direct access from the park to the bypass.”

It called on WECA to review the proposed pedestrian access through the Memorial Park to the bypass on safety grounds, and to investigate Pool Barton, Unity Road and The Avenue as alternative bypass access points.

Independent councillor Alan Hale voiced similar concerns after attending a consultation meeting at the Fear Institute.

He said that when he asked how children would be prevented from entering the bypass through a gate from the park, a WECA representative told him that children could just as easily walk out of a shop on the High Street onto a road.

“I was amazed at the answer,” said Cllr Hale, who represents Keynsham South on Bath & North East Somerset Council.

“I also raised the issue of vulnerable people, young women and the elderly and vulnerable men as well, standing at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere and perhaps on their own. Again, there was a dismissive attitude to such dangers.”

Cllr Hale said he was also concerned about the impact of new bus lanes to serve the bus stops, saying they would prompt potentially dangerous lane changes by drivers.

Saltford & Keynsham Labour Party, which has similar reservations about the bus lanes, wants WECA to install a genuinely segregated cycle route along the bypass with physical separation from motor traffic.

It also wants WECA to ensure that cycle routes remain continuous and clearly separated from pedestrian routes, particularly around St John’s Church and existing crossings nearby.

The party said: “We want to see an A4 corridor that works for the people who live along it.”

Pictured, a WECA image of the proposed path through the Memorial Park to the bypass