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The ‘Connected Yatton Transport Improvements’ project has evolved over a number of years and further developed following positive feedback and suggested amendments from the local community during the public consultation which took place in Spring 2021.
These improvements are designed to ensure the new developments at North End Yatton contribute to making the village a safer and more attractive place to live and work.
Following the support from the consultation, improvements include:
- introducing a 20mph speed limit to improve road safety (from the B3133 North End junction with Wemberham Lane to the B3133 High Street junction with Claverham Road, including side roads)
- widening pavements at some of the narrow pinch points along the High Street
- improving crossing points for people walking/wheeling
- reducing traffic speeds on Stowey Road and Mendip Road to improve safety and enhance the school pedestrian and cycle zone (on Stowey Road)
- improvements to bus stops, including a new location for ‘interchange stops’ just south of the railway station
- accessibility improvements to help people get to the bus stops and train station (‘first/last mile’ access improvements to the public transport network)
- other minor alterations to signage and road gullies to facilitate the works.
The works will be phased, starting with pavement widening and some daytime parking restrictions between The Ridge and Grassmere Road. The project will enable the return of bus connectivity lost in the autumn with a re-routing of the X5 bus service through the village in the summer, following on from the demand-responsive bus service to be introduced from Monday 3 April.
This is the next phase of the Connected Yatton Transport Improvements, after the new safer access into Yatton schools from the Co-operative store car park was completed back in August 2022.
Cllr Steve Bridger, Leader of North Somerset Council and ward member for Yatton, said: “Creating the safe walking route into the school was only the first step in the delivery of a much wider vision to make streets in Yatton more people-friendly. Once this next phase is complete, I hope that people in our community will feel they have much more opportunity to walk, cycle or scoot safely, particularly from the new developments at North End to Yatton village centre, including trips to and from school, and to increase the proportion of short journeys made this way.”
Cllr Steve Hogg, North Somerset Council’s Executive Member for Highways & Transport, added: “We are committed to creating more opportunity for active travel across North Somerset and this programme of works will make Yatton safer and more attractive for people to get about the village under their own steam, and link up to public transport for longer journeys.”
Yatton Parish Council have also been involved in the development of this project, and their chairman, Cllr Jonathan Edwards, said: "The Parish Council welcomes these improvements to our High Street, which have been designed to address the concerns raised by our residents over many years concerning the safety and wellbeing of pedestrians, wheelchair and mobility scooter users and cyclists. The introduction of the new demand-responsive service will come as a great relief to those residents dependent on public transport, and will hopefully encourage less use of private cars on our roads."
More information about the Connected Yatton public consultation can be found on the North Somerset Council website. Information about current and future roadworks in North Somerset is available at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/roadworks.