Bath
Bath | |||
Location Map ( geo) | |||
Bath Abbey | |||
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County | |||
Somerset | |||
Highway Authority | |||
Bath and North East Somerset | |||
Forward Destination on | |||
A4 • A36 • A46 | |||
Next Primary Destinations | |||
Bristol • Chippenham • Cirencester • Warminster | |||
Other Nearby Primary Destinations | |||
Glastonbury • Shepton Mallet • Trowbridge | |||
Places related to the A4 | |||
Bristol • Maidenhead • Reading • Slough • Hounslow • Chippenham • Marlborough • Newbury • Avonmouth • The City • Central London • Hammersmith • West End • London • Hungerford • Brentford | |||
Places related to the A36 | |||
Places related to the A46 | |||
Leicester • Coventry • Stroud • Stratford-upon-Avon • Evesham • Warwick • Newark-on-Trent • Lincoln • Cleethorpes • Tewkesbury • Cheltenham |
Bath is a city with significant Roman Baths and extensive Georgian architecture in north-east Somerset. It is unique in the UK in having naturally-heated spring waters which in the eighteenth century saw it become one of the largest and most visited cities in the country. The great crescents and terraces display the wealth in the city at the time.
History
Bath was the end of a major coaching route from London, the Bath Road. It originally finished outside the old post office. The A4 followed the same route originally, and finished here too, at a tripoint with the A367 and A431. It was extended to Avonmouth via Bristol over the A36 in the 1935 Road numbering revision.
In 1965 the Buchanan Report into Bath's transport network (Bath: A Planning & Transport Study, Colin Buchanan and Partners, December 1965) proposed creating a D2 Tunnel under the historic centre, taking the A4 from Walcot Street through to Kingsmead. Although this would have removed traffic from the heart of the city the substantial demolition required, including of several Georgian terraces, proved both too controversial and, ultimately, too expensive.
Environment
Bath now has a clean air zone, and most roads in the city (including the A4 and A36) have a 20mph speed limit. Some heavy goods vehicles now have to pay £50 to deliver anything to the city centre.
Traffic
One cause of congestion today is that there is no access between the Batheaston Bypass (linking the A4 with the A46), and the A36 on the other side of the Avon Valley. The only options are to head into the city as far as the Cleveland Bridge, or to take the unclassified private toll bridge near Bathampton. In addition the city is one of the most popular tourist destinations outside London and also has above average levels of in-commuting.
In May 2012, Bath and North East Somerset Council announced plans for a blanket 20 mph speed limit on all urban roads in Bath.
Routes
Route | To | Notes |
Chippenham | ||
Bristol (A4) | ||
Warminster | ||
Stroud | Primary section ends at Dunkirk | |
City Centre, Bristol | Non primary through the city - the A36 is the main route | |
Wells, Weston-super-Mare, A368 | Accessed via A4 | |
Bradford on Avon | ||
Shepton Mallet, Radstock | For many years this road was rather strangely signed for Exeter alone | |
Bitton, Hanham | ||
Combe Down | ||
Midford, Frome |