An improved route
between the 'Globe' roundabout, Bristol and Bath
For the moment, this is part-way between an aspiration and a proposal ...
The 'Globe connector' is the working name for a proposed link between the Globe roundabout (on the A4 west of Bath) and the Bristol to Bath railway path.
Mapping
Current footpath
A footpath leads in a straight line from the roundabout to the railway path's river crossing. Most is marked as a public right of way, the entire length is a regularly used walking route.
A boundary marks the former course of the river - the course has changed but the right of way map has missed the length of path between the towpath and the rail underbridge
Proposed cycle/footpath route
The orange line on this map marks the proposed route 'On the ground'.
- 'C' - the Bristol to Bath path.
- 'B' - the existing accommodation bridge beneath the railway.
- 'A' the 'Globe' roundabout.
Stakeholders
- People travelling to/from Newton Park by bike, bus, on foot
- Residents of villages who may cycle/walk into Bath or Bristol
- Bath Spa University
- Bath and North East Somerset Council (planning aside, their involvement may be minor, but the route joins their roundabout and this junction needs careful consideration)
- Sustrans
- Landowners/tenants (Newton Fields)
Schedule of work
- Land issues overall
- The link to the Bristol to Bath path needs landowner negotiation and extension of the existing rights of way.
- Point 'C'
- Ramp at 1 in 20 from Bristol to Bath path. It's now suggested that the ramp goes on the north side of the former railway.
- B to C
- Surfaced shared-use path, 3 metres width. One crossing for agricultural vehicles. The direct route across the fields passes across and along the former bed of the river, the ground having been filled and levelled.
- Point 'B'
- Existing railway accommodation underbridge surfaced to allow agricultural vehicles to pass.
- B to A
- 346 metres surfaced shared-use path, 3 metres width.
- Point 'A'
- Junction using existing field entrance to also provide a second crossing point for agricultural vehicles.
Estimated Costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Planning, design, wayleaves | £20000 |
| Est. 650 metres of surfaced path, on clean ground, £90,000 per kilometre | £58500 |
| Ramp at point 'A' to railway path | £20000 |
| 2 agricultural vehicle crossings at £6000 | £12000 |
| Enhanced strength surface beneath rail bridge | £8000 |
| Total | £118500 |
| Contingency at 15% | £17775 |
| VAT at 20% | £27255 |
| Grand Total | £163530 |
Minimum cost option
The following will cut the net estimated costs by an estimated £33,000. For people on bikes, this retains 95% of the usefulness:
- Omit the ramp:
use the existing steps between the railway path and river towpath.
- Substitute a stone dust surfaced path in place of a bitmac path.
Advantages, versus a route alongside dual carriageway
- No gradients, higher quality route
- The ramp to the existing path excepted, the proposed route is flat. The width of the path is not constrained by structures
- Potentially less construction
- Given landowner / tenant agreement, this is a more simple route to build than that via the dual carriageway.
- Potentially less expensive too
- The cost of the alternative route may be greater than a direct link.
- Serves travel from the west
- This is useful to people arriving from the direction of Saltford, Keynsham and North Bristol as well as travel from Bath.
- Traffic free route to Newton Park
- As a whole, the changes will offer a mainly traffic-free route for the many students who live in Oldfield Park/Waterside and the Newton Park campus.
Disadvantages of a route alongside the dual carriageway
An alternative is to improve the footpath there, converting it to shared use.While this offers a more direct route to the city of Bath but it would also have the following disadvantages:
- Distance of new construction required
- Routing the cyclepath alongside the dual carriageway involves 1.2 kilometres of counstruction as opposed to 610 metres for the direct route across the fields. The existing path would need removal and reconstruction, increasing the cost.
- Restrictions
- Overall, there is not the width of land available for a shared-use route to be built to current standards. There are several additional pinch points on the existing footpath. There may be underground services buried in the verge of the dual carriageway.
- Junction with existing path at 'Twerton fork'
- A junction with the railway path may involve land purchase and engineering works owing to the difference in height to eliminate the current junction with the railway path here which is informal and of very poor quality.
- Users to / from Bristol
- This option offers little to people using the railway path from the Bristol direction, with substantial distance and gradient penalties.
