Another Successful Bath Trams Conference

TramForward congratulates the Bath Area Trams Association (BATA) on a highly successful second tram conference, held on 8th February at the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution. The event was a complete sell-out with many hoping to be in the audience unable to be admitted.

BATA is campaigning for a new tram system in Bath with connections to Midsummer Norton, Radstock, Chippenham, Bristol and Keynsham. Both BATA and the Light Rail Transit Association (LRTA) support trams as the best way to provide improved connectivity in towns and cities and to reduce congestion and pollution through their proven ability to achieve significant modal shift from private cars to public transport.

The conference was chaired by Andrew Braddock, a Vice-President of the LRTA, and was introduced by Wera Hobhouse MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Climate emergency, Energy and the Environment and former Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Light Rail Group (APPLRG).

The keynote speech was by the transport author, Christian Wolmar; while amongst the other contributors were members of the LRTA Campaigns Group: David Walmsley, Jim Harkins and Tim Kendell. Bath and North East Somerset councillors Ruth Malloy and Neil Butters attended but BATA was disappointed that no representatives from the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) were there.

At the end of the full and varied programme, Dave Andrews, Chair of BATA, urged attendees to lobby the council and write to WECA “to be much more ambitious in their outlook. 2035 is far too late for action” he said. “We need trams in Bath now. The Joint Local Transport Plan 4 Consultation closes on 16 March and I urge everyone to write in and comment accordingly. We are after all, in a Climate Emergency”