Image Source: Bridgend County Borough Council
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Following the recent decision of BCBC’s Communities, Environment & Housing Committee to “call-in” an 18-month experimental traffic order for Bridgend town centre, Bridgend Council’s Cabinet reconsidered the issue earlier this week (pdf).
Additional reports were provided for the Cabinet meeting that were not available the first time around.
These include a road safety audit that was undertaken in October 2024 (pdf), as well as a detailed consultant’s report outlining all possible options for access improvements to Bridgend town centre (pdf).
The road safety audit concluded that an experimental traffic order would be a good idea to see how cyclists and pedestrians interact. Though it also concludes that cycling should only be allowed “where pedestrian activity is less dense” (Market Street, Dunraven Place).
The access report was more detailed and went through the potential options. These are summarised below.
This option proposed changes to pedestrianised hours (11 am – 5 pm). Also, extra short-stay parking on Derwen Road and The Rhiw.
This option goes further than the proposed experimental traffic order, cutting pedestrianised hours to 11 am – 3 pm.
Dunraven Place, Market Street and Queen Street would be completely open to traffic between 3 pm and 11 am, with extra short-stay parking spaces provided along the route and kerb uplifts installed.
This matches what many town centre traders and opposition councillors have been calling for. Queen Street, Dunraven Place and Market Street would be completely de-pedestrianised, with extra short-stay parking spaces provided and kerb uplifts installed along the route.
Extra automatic barriers would be installed at the Dunraven Place end of Caroline Street and Wyndham Street.
- Additional bus stops in the town centre. Derwen Road (northbound, near Tabernacl) and The Rhiw are mentioned.
- Making Station Hill and Court Road one way (up Station Hill, down Court Road) and providing a segregated cycle route between the railway station and Dunraven Place via Wyndham Street.
- A segregated cyclist junction at the Angel Street/Park Street junction.
- Introducing a cycle hire and secure storage scheme and improved town centre signage.
- Developing a full car parking strategy for Bridgend Town Centre.
- Increasing the number of on-street blue badge spaces.
- Reinstating a shopmobility hub for hired mobility scooters and wheelchairs.
None of the options is deemed to be in line with the Welsh Government’s Transport Strategy (Llwybr Newydd) or the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act; though Option One was the least out of line.
Consultants also acknowledged a risk of “reputational damage” to Bridgend Council if they pushed a policy encouraging car use after declaring a Climate Emergency.
Based on that, it looks as though officers went for something in between Options One and Two when proposing the experimental traffic order.
Taxis to be allowed into town centre; bollard system “under review”
The revised report added a few new recommendations alongside the original traffic order. These include:
- Reviewing the automatic bollard system. During the meeting, BCBC’s Chief Executive, Jake Morgan, said the system was coming to the end of its operational life.
- Officers will undertake further work in consultation with Cabinet members to provide spaces for blue badge holders along Queen Street, Dunraven Place and Market Street (which was mentioned during the call-in meeting). This is in addition to the proposed blue badge spaces on Derwen Road.
- Officers will continue to undertake further work on the de-pedestrianisation of Queen Street, Dunraven Place and Market Street.
- A further recommendation was added during the meeting to allow taxis into Queen Street, Dunraven Place and Market Street as part of the traffic order (subject to a safety audit).
Corporate Director for Communities, Janine Nightingale, reminded everyone that this was “the first step”. The 18-month order will provide the evidence needed to decide whether it would be safe or practical to relax traffic rules further (up to and including de-pedestrianisation of the three streets).
Council Leader, Cllr. John Spanswick (Lab, Brackla West Central), added that he hoped that this was in line with the wishes of the scrutiny committee, residents and town centre traders.
The recommendations were unanimously approved.
There was a minor issue as Cllr. Spanswick, Cllr. Neelo Farr (Lab, Porthcawl East Central) and Cllr. Paul Davies (Lab, Caerau) had to declare personal interests after the decision was made, as close relatives of theirs are taxi drivers or, in the case of Cllr. Davies, they hold a live taxi licence.
