Campaigners will gather this April 20th at Orange Grove at 11am to demand safer streets for Bath’s residents. Organiser Cllr Saskia Heijltjes said “Bath is a great town for cycling because of its size and the valley floor in the centre of town. Many people want to cycle, including parents with their children, but they need to feel safe. We need to create safe streets by stopping rat-running through residential areas and by providing safe routes to schools”.
The action forms part of a c-ordinated series of events organised by a coalition of community groups and national road safety and environmental campaign organisations called “Safe Streets Now” calling for an end to deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roads. At locations stretching from Torbay to Inverness, the day will feature a wide variety of actions, from banner drops, marches and vigils to joy filled protected “Kidical Mass” bike rides for families. The group say that a renewed policy focus on reducing traffic danger will not only save lives currently lost in preventable collisions, but will also make the nation’s streets happier, healthier and more vibrant places for everyone who uses them.
Safe Streets Now has sent an open letter (available on www.safestreetsnow.co.uk) to senior politicians including the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in advance of the day, outlining their demands for key changes, including default 20 mph zones in residential areas, a ban on pavement parking and increased resourcing for mobility lanes to better protect vulnerable road users as they travel. The letter, which has been signed by multiple national campaigning organisations such as Brake, Roadpeace, 20’s Plenty, Possible, ActionVisionZero and Mums for Lungs, also appeals to the Sentencing Council to revise their guidance on driving bans, so that dangerous drivers who kill people in crashes lose their licenses for good.
The Safe Streets Now coalition is also calling for actions on a local level, including School Streets outside every viable primary school by 2030 and safe routes to primary and secondary schools.
Local resident Sophia Soares said she fully supported the action:
“I take part in Kidical Mass because I want to be able to cycle in Bath with my two children without fearing for our lives. Cycling is such a lovely way to get around; it is fast, cheap and fun, and doesn’t create air pollution!”
Kidical Mass Bath was founded in May 2021 by Cllr Saskia Heijltjes, a local parent who got frustrated by the lack of safe routes for cycling for her family to get around town. Since then, groups of over 100 people of all ages and abilities have regularly come together for Kidical Mass rides, to celebrate cycling and to call for safer streets in Bath.
The Bicycle Mayor of Bath, Pete Dyson, emphasised how the city is changing “it’s amazing to see the groundswell of enthusiasm for safer and more cycle friendly streets. Once again, this Saturday the city will see children out front and leading the charge. It’s a celebration of spirit, but also an inspiration and a wake up call for action by our local and national leaders.”
In November 2023, BANES Council unanimously adopted a Vision Zero motion with the aim to eliminate road deaths and serious injuries in Bath and North East Somerset by 2030. BANES Council will be reporting back on progress towards this aim in November 2024.