BRADFORD on Avon Mayor, Simon McNeill Ritchie said that action needs to be taken about the potential population caused by Bath’s Clean Air Zone, at last week’s Area Board meeting.

Cllr McNeill Ritchie joined by chair of Streets Ahead, Trevor Bedeman, warned that Bradford could see negative effects brought on by Bath’s Clean Air Zone scheme as non-compliant vehicles use the town and its surrounding areas as rat runs.

Major concerns were voiced the potential for heavy goods vehicles and light commercial vehicles using the three routes near the town to avoid the £100 per day charge.

Mr Bedeman said: “If you consider traffic going to and from the A303 to the south, and M4 to the north, then there are three routes in our area; the A36 via Bath, B3109 through Bradford, and A350 to Chippenham and Westbury.

“We’re are concerned that this non-compliant commercial traffic will use the alternatives, and we will have more polluting quality of traffic as a result.

“Traffic uses the shortest time route often, and that can include us, and as Simon says, we are often the shortest distance.”

The Jacobs Consultation Response Report, commissioned by Bath Council, stated that: “Traffic would seek alternative and unsustainable routes through the local towns, for example Bradford on Avon, Winsley and Limpley Stoke via unclassified roads”

However, Mr Bedeman and Cllr Ritchie believe that the report greatly underestimates the likelihood of vehicles using Bradford as a cut-through.

Additionally, In February, Bath Council introduced an 18 ton limit at the Cleveland Bridge could add to this pressure.

He continued: “Whether we also have more HGVs in breach over the Town Bridge I don’t know, it’s a question to ask.”

At the meeting, Mayor McNeill Ritchie said: “We would like to be protected from the worst of the clean air zone’s effects.”