Green Party Motion to Full Council on Reducing HGV traffic on narrow and unsuitable roads

13 March 2023

Green Party councillor for Lambridge Joanna Wright writes about her motion to Bath and NE Somerset Council which was voted for unaminously on the 16th of March 2023

HGVs are increasingly getting stuck, blocking streets and damaging public infrastructure and private property on our local roads. These incidents are having a significant negative impact on the lives of BANES residents.

In Lambridge alone I am aware of articulated lorries regularly getting stuck on roads that are not appropriate or legal for them to use. These lorries are not some ad-hoc vehicle accidently going the wrong way but belong to major businesses from Morrisons to Marks & Spencers.

To address these negative impacts I propose the following motion for reducing HGV traffic on narrow, and unsuitable roads and I am asking for this Council to write to the Government to require that HGVS only use commercial satnavs.

I ask all councillors to support me on this motion so that we can let residents know that this Council supports them and wants to stop the chaos caused by HGVs getting stuck on narrow streets.

Government figures show that HGV traffic nationally is increasing. The most recent figures from 2021 show that whilst car traffic has decreased, there has been an 8.9% increase in HGV traffic.

Within Bath these HGVs frequently cause chaos, and threaten the safety of all users of the public highway because they are being guided by standard car sat navs. The Department for Transport needs to take effective action to stop this.

The growth of HGV traffic on many of our local roads also generates noise and air pollution and can have a real impact on the quality of life of residents living on affected streets, causing sleepless nights and mental health problems. It negatively affects cyclists and pedestrians, especially older or vulnerable people and families with small children.

A further cause of the large volume of HGV traffic is new developments. Residents frequently report frustration that the appropriate routing of construction traffic is not given sufficient attention as part of the planning process, and feels like an afterthought. Residents should be front and center of the planning process. Presently B&NES does not require a ‘Construction Traffic Management Plan’ to be submitted at the same time as a planning application for major development and this motion asks that officers review this and make the submission of such a plan a mandatory requirement for planning applications for major developments.

Within Lambridge HGVS are increasingly using local streets such as Deadmill Lane, Ferndale Road, Charlcombe Lane, Brooklyn Road, Claremont, Eldon Place and Eden Terrace despite the fact that some of these roads have a weight restriction. This is illegal.

The Governemnt needs to bring is legislation that requires the use of specialist sat navs for HGVs which indicate bridge heights, narrow road warnings, and only highlight routes that are suitable for these vehicles.

Residents need to be protected and this Council needs to lobby the government to enact this change as a matter of urgency.

Bath and North East Somerset Council Full Council meeting 16th March 2023

Motion on reducing HGV traffic on narrow, unsuitable roads from Councillor Joanna Wright To be seconded by: Councillor Robin Moss Council notes:

1. Government figures show that HGV traffic nationally is increasing. The most recent figures (September 2021) show that whilst car traffic had decreased, there was an 8.9% increase in HGV traffic in just one year.
2. The growth of HGV traffic on many of our local roads generates noise and air pollution and undermines residential safety. It can have a real impact on the quality of life of residents living on affected streets, including sleepless nights and mental health problems. It affects cyclists and pedestrians, especially older or vulnerable people and families with small children.
3. One significant cause of HGV traffic along unsuitable roads is the use by lorry drivers of Google Maps and/or sat navs that are only intended for car use. In extreme cases, HGVs are routed up narrow, unsuitable routes and become stuck (one example is Brooklyn Road, Lambridge).
4. Locally, a large volume of HGV traffic is caused by new development. Residents frequently report frustration that the appropriate routing of construction traffic is not given sufficient care and attention as part of the planning process, and may feel like an afterthought, when from their perspective it should be front and centre.
5. Bath and North East Somerset Council does not require a ‘Construction Traffic Management Plan’ to be submitted at the same time as a planning application for major development. Council resolves to:
6. Ask the Cabinet Member for Transport to write to Government Transport Minister Mark Harper asking for his view on the Local Government’s Association’s call for HGVs to be required to use commercial satnavs; and expressing this Council’s support for such a measure.
7. Ask officers to review the ‘National and Local Information Requirements – Planning Applications (including Outline, Reserved Matters and Variation of Condition)’ document and to report to Council on making the submission of a ‘Construction Traffic Management Plan’ a mandatory validation requirement for planning applications for major developments. This will allow our officers, councillors and the public to have access to more information when determining the suitability of planning applications.
8. Subject to the funding being identified, produce a ‘Construction Traffic Management Plan’ guidance document for developers that highlights the importance of routing construction traffic away from narrow, unsuitable and residential roads in order to ensure that this is an integral feature of any planning applications and is actively considered at the earliest possible stage in the planning process.

Voted for unanimously by all Councillors 16th March 2023 at Full Council

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