Air quality monitor to check Bradford on Avon's traffic pollution

5:25pm Thursday 31st January 2013 in Bradford

Traffic making their way from Masons Lane Traffic making their way from Masons Lane

An air quality monitor has been installed at a traffic hotspot in Bradford on Avon as part of a wider initiative to tackle pollution in the town.

The device, one of four across the county, has been placed in Masons Lane and will give detailed readings of pollutants and will be the scientific evidence behind new moves to look at managing 21st century traffic around the historic streets.

The monitor has been switched on as part of wider plans to tackle air pollution which include a new working group set up by Wiltshire Council and the local community. The Bradford on Avon Air Quality Alliance will build on earlier successful initiatives including the Lorry Watch Scheme.

Maggie Rae, corporate director of health for Wiltshire Council, will be leading the first meeting of the alliance, and she said: “We know many journeys around Bradford on Avon cover only a few miles and we want to encourage people to think of using other forms of transport such as walking or cycling to get around. Placing this monitor at the busiest road in the town will give us detailed readings which can help inform future initiatives.”

Keith Humphries, cabinet member for public health and protection added: “Wiltshire is a beautiful rural county which doesn’t generally have issues with air quality. However, we know where there is a build-up of traffic there can be pollution. We are taking it seriously and doing what we can to monitor those spots. This monitor is the start of a concerted drive to look at new ways of tackling 21st century issues in this historic town.”

The Lorry Watch scheme, made up of volunteers has already secured four successful prosecutions against large lorries flouting the weight limit on the town bridge which can in turn cause back up traffic on other roads.

Active Travel Maps have also been created to encourage alternative forms of transport around the town

Comments(19)

Jungleist says...
6:23pm Thu 31 Jan 13

How does the council know 'many journeys around Bradford on Avon cover only a few miles'? When was the survey? I wasn't asked!!

I use BoA to commute between Trowbridge and Chippenham. Trains (two direct each day) and buses (an hour plus journey) are not an option. Cycling (which I have done) is too dodgy with the traffic and the hills are pretty steep for the average cyclist.

It kind of annoys me they are **** around with air quality meters (look at the queues in the evening and that will tell you all you need to know surely) and mulling over traffic calming (an earlier news item)rather than proposing some decent longer term ideas to get people out of cars into trains or (heaven forbid) build a nice wacking great big bypass around the place like Semington got.

Walking is dodgy as well over the town bridge and up Mason's Lane. They were going to get a new foot bridge but they (whoever they are)didn't like the design so that was that.

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goateatingtroll says...
6:36pm Thu 31 Jan 13

Jungleist wrote:
How does the council know 'many journeys around Bradford on Avon cover only a few miles'? When was the survey? I wasn't asked!!

I use BoA to commute between Trowbridge and Chippenham. Trains (two direct each day) and buses (an hour plus journey) are not an option. Cycling (which I have done) is too dodgy with the traffic and the hills are pretty steep for the average cyclist.

It kind of annoys me they are **** around with air quality meters (look at the queues in the evening and that will tell you all you need to know surely) and mulling over traffic calming (an earlier news item)rather than proposing some decent longer term ideas to get people out of cars into trains or (heaven forbid) build a nice wacking great big bypass around the place like Semington got.

Walking is dodgy as well over the town bridge and up Mason's Lane. They were going to get a new foot bridge but they (whoever they are)didn't like the design so that was that.
Cycling is too dodgy with the traffic and hills? All the other cyclists manage it.

Also, I hope that you don't commute to a job that involves spelling JUNGLIST.

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Craig.S says...
7:07pm Thu 31 Jan 13

The solution is to build the long awaited link road between the A36 and the A4 at Bath eastern. This will make the A36/A4 a more direct route thus reducing traffic through BOA and London road in Bath.

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Mrs Donnyfly says...
9:53pm Thu 31 Jan 13

goateatingtroll said - "Cycling is too dodgy with the traffic and hills? All the other cyclists manage it.

How do you know? You might see the ones that do manage it, but there may be many others who haven't managed it and given up.

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OhThisIsFun says...
11:08pm Thu 31 Jan 13

The place needs a bypass and some bloody 3g cells !

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sirroms says...
8:47am Fri 1 Feb 13

How much is this air study costing???

It blatantly obvious its an horrendous place for traffic and pedestrians! Stop wasting money Wilts Council!

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beetawix says...
6:46pm Fri 1 Feb 13

Who cares about spelling of junglist?
In any case, as jungleist is a username it does not matter one iota whether the spelling matches a dumb slang word, a real word or even makes any sense or bears any resemblance to reality.
eh goateatingtroll?

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beetawix says...
6:54pm Fri 1 Feb 13

Does anyone know the ratio of short local car journeys between the upper and lower areas of BoA to longer car journeys between towns?

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PeterZahut says...
11:17pm Fri 1 Feb 13

Surely if you are going from Trowbridge to Chippenham you go via Paxcroft Mead, or Staverton onto Holt?

I use BOA to get from Trowbridge to Bristol (Well the M4). If Staverton is shut due to the same flooding as every other month (Surely just raise the road a couple of feet?) then i have no other option but to use BOA to get to work.

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beetawix says...
1:33am Sat 2 Feb 13

peter zahut said
Surely if you are going from Trowbridge to Chippenham you go via Paxcroft Mead, or Staverton onto Holt?

Not surely at all.
many go boa > Corsham > Chipp
or Semington > Melksham > Chipp.
I guess it depends on which is the quickest and easiest for you. Trowbridge is quite a big area and we don't all live in the same house.

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jigsaw 5 says...
7:42pm Sat 2 Feb 13

Bypass won't happen. 20 years this been going on. Council just does stupid pointless reviews then nothing, it keeps the public happy as they seem to be doing something.

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moonrakin wurzel says...
8:54pm Sat 2 Feb 13

Reviews, studies, signs, advertising, "traffic calming", PR wibble, junction tinkering - well, we've all seen it - nobody wants to volunteer how much it's all costing = a lot of money.

The obvious upgrading of the A36 is a shambles, the Highways Agency are an absolute shower, BANES council likewise - how sensible is it for M4 motorway traffic to be routed over Cleveland Bridge to the A36? The A 36 is now a major NorthSouth trunk and it's a murderous bodge-up.

Perhaps if the folk bleating about trucks in BoA grew a pair and started lobbying for some decent infrastructure the problems we're seeing might be mitigated.

Motorists pay billions every year in taxes and the money isn't spent on the roads. Wiltshire's roads are abysmal.

What BoA needs: http://tinyurl.com/b
r4zpyl

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Jungleist says...
1:04pm Mon 4 Feb 13

Dear Mr/Ms/Mrs Goateatingtroll

Thanks for taking the time to comment on the apparent misspelling of my user name and wether my employment requires me to be able to spell or not.

Also, not all of us are Sir Chris Hoy and are able to cycle up hills that lorries struggle with.

As it seems another poster is more concerned in my choice of route rather than the comments I made on the worth of fume monitors then it's simply because I live on that side of town and I prefer that route to work. The Paxcroft route is not as picturesque to my mind. Also, as Beetawix kindly pointed out, I do not live in the same house as the rest of Trowbridge so have differing travel requirements to some other people.

Thanks, Jungleist

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PeterZahut says...
3:55pm Mon 4 Feb 13

I didn't realise that we all had to live in the same house to not take the long route via BOA to Chippenham.

Well, well, every days a school day...

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Jungleist says...
4:49pm Mon 4 Feb 13

It's a shorter route (for me) actually from my place in Trowbridge to Chippenham.

Also, I like taking the longer route sometimes if the mood takes me.

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beetawix says...
11:22pm Mon 4 Feb 13

Just to reaffirm that the shortest route to Chippenham is via BoA for me also.

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moonrakin wurzel says...
10:41am Tue 5 Feb 13

And Wiltshire Council are looking for the shortest, quickest way to your wallet.

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Mrs Donnyfly says...
8:03pm Wed 6 Feb 13

moonrakin wurzel wrote:
And Wiltshire Council are looking for the shortest, quickest way to your wallet.
What a wonderfully oblique comment.

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Kate L Watcher says...
5:03pm Sat 9 Feb 13

How about closing the Old Town Bridge one Sunday a month between 10am and 4pm? (Except for emergency vehicles and public transport). It would help to show us all what life is like when it is quiet enough to chat on the pavement, and add to the sales at the 'artisan market'. It might help people discover alternative routes in the wider context. What do you think?

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