UPDATE: 6 May 2026:
On 30 April, the Parish Clerk attended a meeting with two B&NES Highways Officers and both B&NES Council Saltford Ward Councillors. It was clarified that the majority of issues arise when the A4 is congested, resulting in ‘rat-running’ through the Saltford Conservation Area, alongside the associated impact of HGVs using these routes in addition to increased general traffic.
Saltford Parish Council (SPC) acknowledged that any Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) restricting large or heavy vehicles would necessarily exempt those requiring access. However, it is hoped that such a TRO would still help inform the choices made by operators regarding the size of vehicles used for deliveries and other services within the village.
SPC was advised that its TRO request had not been included on B&NES Council’s programme for the current financial year (2026/27). However, at the meeting it was agreed that, as an initial measure, signage should be introduced at the A4 / The Shallows junction and the Beech Road / High Street junction indicating that the route is ‘unsuitable for large vehicles’ (or similar wording).
It was also confirmed that SPC’s June 2025 request for a size/weight restriction remains on B&NES Council’s Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) list for consideration in 2027/28, and that further data collection by B&NES Council will be required to support this process.
In addition, proposals were discussed for road markings at the Beech Road / High Street junction to encourage traffic towards the A4. These will be further considered by B&NES Council officers and, once developed, brought back for discussion at a future SPC meeting. Residents will be welcome to attend and address the Parish Council before it determines its position.
SPC thanks the Saltford Ward Councillors for their continued engagement and support in relation to this request, and awaits further contact from B&NES Council’s Highways Team.
Separately, SPC has followed up with B&NES Council’s Waste Services team requesting statistical information on vehicle movements through the old village during periods of A4 congestion (i.e. outside Saltford’s collection days). SPC has also reiterated the importance of the High Street and surrounding roads for safe cycling and pedestrian access, and has sought clarification on how B&NES Waste vehicle rat-running through the Conservation Area aligns with both B&NES Council’s and WECA’s stated objectives to improve walking and cycling conditions in the village. This follows resident concerns about B&NES Council’s Waste fleet using the Saltford Conservation Area’s narrow roads to ‘rat run’ to/from B&NES Council Pixash Lane site during periods of A4 congestion, as raised to B&NES Council’s attention in January 2026, and B&NES Council’s Waste Team’s response that it would continue to do so as standard unless a TRO was in place preventing this.
Images above taken by a resident on 6 May 2026, again highlighting the impact and risks of such large vehicles using High Street.
UPDATE: 10 March 2026:
In June 2025 Saltford Parish Council formally request B&NES Council (the Highways Authority) to introduce size and weight restrictions on High Street, The Shallows and Mead Lane. Please find the original article below.
These historic roads are very narrow, with limited or no pavements in places, and are regularly used by pedestrians and cyclists – including those accessing the Bristol & Bath Railway Path. When large vehicles use these routes, there is often very little space for other road users, creating safety concerns for residents and visitors alike.
The issue can become particularly serious when these roads are used as an informal diversion route to avoid congestion on the A4, bringing higher volumes of traffic – including HGVs – rat-running through the old village.
B&NES Council’s response
B&NES advised in February 2026 that it had assessed SPC’s request and decided that introducing weight restrictions had not secured funding within B&NES Council’s 2026/27 Local Area Transport Schemes programme. This was shared with SPC Cllrs and raised at its 3 March meeting.
SPC’s response
Saltford Parish Council has written back to express disappointment and to continue pressing the case for restrictions, highlighting:
• ~ Safety risks for pedestrians and cyclists
• ~ Conflicts with B&NES Council and WECA’s ‘active travel’ aims (see WECA page at https://haveyoursaywest.co.uk/index.php?contentid=67)
• ~ Regular traffic blockages and near misses reported by residents
• ~ The unsuitability of large vehicles on narrow historic roads within the Conservation Area
SPC has also requested further information from B&NES on how to progress its request so that it is listed on a future B&NES Council Local Area Transport Schemes (LATS) programme – as required for a change in size/weight limit – and asked for a site meeting with B&NES Council officers.
SPC thanks B&NES Council Ward Councillors for endorsing SPC’s request to B&NES Council.
The photos below show typical situations on High Street, where large vehicles must squeeze through very limited space, as taken in January and March 2026.
Saltford Parish Council hopes that appropriate size and weight limits will help make these roads safer for everyone who lives in, works in, or visits the village. Any restrictions would still allow legitimate loading and unloading. It would also protect the newly resurfaced High Street, which cost approx. £100,000 (£20k funded by Wessex Water, as requested by SPC). We’ll share further updates as the matter progresses.
Image above as shared by a resident in March 2026, demonstrating little space for cyclists to pass if coming from the direction of the nearby Bristol to Bath Railway Path. SPC thanks the resident for sharing this photo, as subsequently shared with B&NES Council.
Image showing the issue of congestion in the old village made more challenging by large vehicles also ‘rat running’, leading to gridlock as smaller vehicles are unable to pass. Safety concerns for cyclists and pedestrians have also been raised when these situations occur on High St and nearby roads.
UPDATE 1 July 2025:
SPC has welcomed responses from Saltford’s two B&NES Ward Councillors for their support for the Parish Council’s request to B&NES Council to introduce size and weight limits on High Street and nearby roads.
SPC had been informed by B&NES Council that its request had been added to B&NES Council’s task register for future consideration for its programme. SPC had been advised that this would be one of a number on the programme and as such would compete with other similar requests.
Should SPC be advised that its request had reached the Traffic Regulation Order consultation stage and SPC made aware, details would be shared with residents so that they could respond, and also so that residents could be aware of the chance to attend and speak at the meeting where SPC would resolve its own view. (SPC relies on B&NES Council to make it aware of any TRO consultations). Should this reach the TRO stage, SPC is aware that this may not be until 2026. Please see below under ‘Next Steps’.
Photo shared by a resident of a large vehicle negotiating access past parked cars and residences on a narrow section of High Street near the junction with the Bird Pub / The Shallows. Image taken 1 July 2025
Original article:
At its June 2025 meeting, Saltford Parish Council (SPC) resolved to request that B&NES Council – the Highways Authority – consult on implementing legal restrictions on vehicle weight and size for High Street, Mead Lane and The Shallows.
SPC has requested B&NES Council consider implementing size and weight restrictions on the following sections of highway:
- High Street, Saltford (e.g. from The Bird to its junction with Norman Road / Beech Road)
- The Shallows (e.g. from its junction with High Street / Mead Lane to the A4 Bath Road)
- Mead Lane (e.g. from its junction near The Bird to the end of the public highway by the Wessex Water site).
This request was discussed and resolved by the Parish Council for the following reasons:
1. Pedestrian Safety
In many places, pavements are narrow and exist only on one side of the road, or are entirely absent — as is the case along much of The Shallows and all of Mead Lane. Large and heavy vehicles often pass in dangerously close proximity to pedestrians and, in some cases, mount the kerb to navigate tight sections. This poses a significant safety risk to residents and visitors on foot, especially during periods of high visitor numbers to Saltford’s Conservation Area and river side areas. A size and weight restriction would also improve people’s enjoyment of this area which as well as being a residential area has both natural environmental and historical interest. Areas near the river are considered by many residents as Saltford’s ‘village green’.
The photo above, taken by Cllr Phil Harding, shows an area of High Street where there is a narrow pavement. Large vehicles have been known to mount the pavement on High Street for access. There is no pavement on much of The Shallows and none on Mead Lane, making walking (and cycling) in this area more hazardous when used by large heavy vehicles.
2. Road Safety and Traffic Flow
The narrow and historic nature of these roads makes them unsuitable for large, heavy vehicles. There have been multiple instances where such vehicles become stuck or are forced to reverse long distances, including as recently witnessed from the Bird in Hand back to near the War Memorial (at Beech Rd / Norman Rd). These situations disrupt traffic flow and create dangerous conditions for other road users (and pedestrians). This can cause the area to result in gridlock, which is especially a concern should emergency vehicles need access to reach resident’s homes, local business including three of Saltford’s pubs, or the river.
The images above, taken a couple of years ago, show large vehicles struggling to get past parked vehicles. Scenes like these are witnessed by High Street residents frequently, including as reported at SPC’s June meeting.
3. Cyclist Safety and Active Travel
These roads are the only routes available for cyclists accessing the section of Sustrans Bristol to Bath Path in Saltford. The presence of large vehicles on these narrow roads discourages cycling due to space constraints and safety concerns. This undermines B&NES Council’s commitment to promoting active travel modes such as cycling and walking. SPC hopes that cyclists will be safer should a vehicle weight and size limit be applied to these roads, and that this would also enhance their cycling experience through the Conservation Area and by the river.
The image above is of the Bristol to Bath Path, which is used by many cyclists. The access points to the path in Saltford are from High Street and Mead Lane, often via The Shallows. SPC views that a restriction on the size and weight of vehicles using these nearby highways would be welcomed by cyclists and encourage more ‘active travel’ in our area.
4. Access to Wessex Water Site now accessible by new bridge
Saltford Parish Council acknowledges that vehicles accessing the Wessex Water site on Mead Lane — including heavy plant vehicles that previously used High Street during site upgrades — now have full alternative access via Wessex Water’s new bridge (from the Bitton side of the river). There is no longer a requirement for Wessex Water’s heavy vehicles to use High Street or Mead Lane to reach their site. As such a size and weight restriction on Saltford’s High Street and nearby roads would not impact Wessex Water’s Mead Lane site.
Saltford Parish Council’s recent ‘Parish Walk’ route included the new £9million Wessex Water bridge over the River Avon, as visible behind the group shot. The bridge can only be used by Wessex Water traffic and by pedestrians. The new bridge has removed a considerable amount of traffic from Saltford’s historic roads since it opened, and is used by large vehicles to access the Wessex Water site.
5. Protection of Highway Infrastructure
Following planned resurfacing works on High Street in August 2025, it is important to protect this stretch of highway from premature deterioration due to continued use by inappropriate large or heavy vehicles. This type of use, as especially seen during the Wessex Water site and bridge works, causes significant deterioration to the highway. Saltford Parish Council has repeatedly requested that High Street is resurfaced, and welcomes B&NES Council’s planned actions to address the poor road surface – and is keen that it does not deteriorate to these levels again!
This medley of photos of High Street was taken in April 2024, as part of SPC’s request to B&NES Council to resurface High Street. Following its requests, SPC welcomes B&NES Council’s plans to resurface High Street in late August 2025. Details are on One.Network.
Saltford B&NES Ward Councillor support for SPC’s request
B&NES Ward Cllr Chris Warren expressed his full support of this request at SPC’s June Meeting and subsequently, which was shared in SPC’s request to B&NES Council.
B&NES Ward Cllr Duncan Hounsell also endorsed SPC’s request, as submitted directly to B&NES Council. Cllr Housnell stated that the proposals were timely following the construction of the Wessex Water bridge, and he raised the point that an essential rising sewer main runs under (or close) to the road in Mead Lane which would also be protected by a weight limit.
Saltford Parish Council appreciates the support of Saltford’s B&NES Ward Councillors.
Next steps
Saltford Parish Council has asked B&NES Council to assess High Street, The Shallows and Mead Lane, to determine appropriate vehicle weight and size limits to enhance safety for all users, and to add these to the next Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process for Keynsham and Saltford.
SPC recognises that if B&NES Council proceeds with SPC’s request that the proposal would be part of B&NES Council’s annual Traffic Regulation Order process, which for Keynsham and Saltford would likely take place in spring 2026. As with all Traffic Regulation Orders, a public consultation would take place. Any consultation would be on a future SPC agenda to resolve (if made aware by B&NES Council).
Should B&NES Council consult on a Traffic Regulation Order for the High Street, Mead Lane and The Shallows, the consultation would be open to all members of the public and businesses to respond to. Please see B&NES Council’s page ‘How we make and use Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs)‘ for more information. B&NES Council, as the Highways Authority, is the decision making authority (not Saltford Parish Council).
If Saltford Parish Council is informed by B&NES Council about a TRO consultation, it will share this information with residents and aim to have the matter on a Full Council meeting agenda (should the 21 day consultation period coincide with SPC’s meeting schedule).
As at SPC’s June 2025 meeting – when this request was an item on the agenda to discuss and resolve (details linked from SPC’s our ‘Meetings – Agendas and Minutes‘ page) – SPC welcomes residents to attend and speak on matters that are to be resolved at SPC’s Full Council meetings during ‘Public Time’. ‘Public Time’ takes place near the start of the meeting and prior to the Council resolving its view.
Any response from B&NES Council following SPC’s request for size and weight limits will be shared by Saltford Parish Council.
Image above shows large vehicles struggling to access the narrow road on High Street, Saltford. It also shows the current road condition which some residents report was made considerably worse following frequent heavy plant vehicle use in recent years.