HGV Ban in Bath Back on the Table

The Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) Council lost a bid back in 2012 to ban HGVs from travelling through the centre of Bath. Now, thanks to a temporary closure of the A36 for construction purposes, the proposed ban has been given new life. As a company offering HGV training in Bath and North-East Somerset, we plan to keep a close eye on the happenings.

According to the Bath Chronicle, the A36 will be closed for three months this spring while a stabilisation project is undertaken. The B&NES Council has said that it will take the opportunity of the closure to study traffic patterns in and around Bath in the hopes that the data collected will support their position that a ban on HGVs in the city would be beneficial. The council will be looking at traffic volume, accident rates, and air quality, among other things.

Once the study is complete, a comprehensive report will be prepared for use in future negotiations with the Department of Transport and other councils. It would seem as though the B&NES Council is prepared for the data to be very favourable to their position. If it’s not, there is no telling what the final report would be used for.

Trying to Make Do

It is understandable that the B&NES Council is trying to protect its citizens from unnecessary traffic congestion and air pollution. Like many other similar councils around the UK, they are trying to make do the best they can with a road system that was never developed to handle such large vehicles or traffic volumes.

At the same time, the transport and haulage industries are doing the best they can with the resources they have at their disposal. Both industries are vital parts of the UK economy that we cannot afford to lose. Yet at the same time, it seems we are continually making it more difficult for companies operating in these sectors to conduct a profitable business. There are no easy answers.

What We Do

At the HGV Training Centre, we can do little about traffic patterns and road systems. However, we can do our part to offer comprehensive HGV training in Bath and North-East Somerset. And that’s just what we do. In addition to our training in Bath and North-East Somerset, we also offer training throughout the UK at more than 45 different facilities.

We pride ourselves on providing some of the best training in the business; training that can prepare drivers to operate lorries, box trucks, heavy construction equipment, buses, coaches, forklift trucks, horseboxes, and more. We even offer non-commercial driver training for individuals seeking to tow a caravan or light trailer.

If you have any driver training needs, as either an individual or a fleet manager, we invite you to contact the HGV Training at your earliest convenience. New classes are forming on a regular basis, including classes for mandatory CPC training and certification. Feel free to call us for more information.