To say things are hotting up…
…is a bit of an understatement as well as a ‘double entendre‘. There’s four conferences on the go at the moment – all addressing issues and opportunities for Bath regarding transport and climate change.
The first of these culminated at the Guildhall last night. Two of us from Camden and one from Frankley Buildings, along with 400 others, were there to hear the outcomes presented by delegates of an inaugural one day conference involving B&NES Officers and Bath University, as well as Bath Spa University. This promises to be the start of a highly fruitful relationship – a real opportunity right under our noses. I’ll post about this a little later but I can’t resist mentioning that after hearing separately about a piece of work being done by the university using air quality data from Mongolia, of all places, I was very taken by one quote that the University should continue to be:
Globally leading and locally relevant.
from Professor Ian White
This along with some other examples amply demonstrated how how much synergy is possible with so much research going on at the top of the hills which could be applied to the city.
The second is another ‘day-night’ event on 28th January with Clyde Loakes, from the London Borough of Waltham Forest on Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), for which the public evening event is a sell out, but is well represented from Camden. This promises to be a real launch pad for Bath’s LTN initiative with a funding application made for £2.25 million to support it.
The third is an intriguing 3 day conference starting 3rd February called “Beyond the car: future mobility in Bath”. An incubator workshop exploring what the transportation environment in Bath would look like if residents didn’t need to use a car and how this could be achieved. Three days of attendance is a tall order and tickets are in limited supply here. I’m going, and have been filmed today for use at the event, representing Camden residents’ views as well as our fervour for an LTN solution for NE Bath.
The fourth is a Tram Conference at BRLSI on Saturday 8th. There are some globally recognised speakers and a panel session at which Camden is representing the Federation of Bath Residents’ Associations. Tickets are available here.
A lot of conferences, then.
Yep – why don’t you come and cover some of them?
Um, yes. Lots of talk but will there be any action? It’s hard not to compare Bath’s deliberations and track record (eastern P&R) unfavourably with action elsewhere: e.g. Oxford banning cars from the centre and Birmingham banning through traffic. I am afraid I don’t see a resolution without that sort of measure.
Action from talk – yes that is a bit of healthy scepticism.
I’m optimistic for two reasons:
1. because of what I have called ‘Plantetary alignment, at this point in time (https://camdenresidentsbath.org/2019/12/07/planetary-alignment/)
2. this initiative from the new VC of the University who in his own words said, as he started in April…
Having previously lived in Bath with my family, it is a real pleasure to return to this remarkable and beautiful city. Like the University community, Bath is a place brimming with talent, creativity and opportunity. I look forward to forging ever closer links with the local community, including residents, businesses, local government and civic society organisations in the months to come.