Controversial plans for the Great Baddow bus gate have been scrapped

Essex County Council’s Baddow Bus Gate proposal, which would have stopped cars travelling westbound between Meadgate Avenue and the Army and Navy roundabout, had been heralded as a solution to congestion on the roundabout.
But it was widely condemned by residents and opposition group Great Baddow East Neighbourhood Association (GBENA), the members of which feel traffic will worsen and business harmed as a result.

Members of GBENA, who were told of the decision by Essex County Council (ECC) deputy leader and cabinet member for infrastructure Kevin Bentley, provided  their own solutions to improving the Army and Navy junction.

It is claimed that problems at the junction could take as many as three years to solve, because the flyover may never be repaired adequately.

Cllr  Bentley said: “Today I hosted a meeting with members of GBENA to hear their ideas and comments on the future of the Army and Navy flyover in Chelmsford.

“It was a productive meeting that showed we shared many of the same concerns and ideas.

“The group also presented their own thoughts on what might work, which we will now look at in more detail.”

GBENA members explained that the bus gate was only going to go in until ECC came up with a better solution for the Army and Navy and it is unfeasible to put  a bus gate in while the Army and Navy flyover is damaged.

Because the new layout will eventually remediate the problem of congestion, there is now need for a bus gate.

Cllr Bentley added: “One question that arose was about the Baddow Bus Gate.

“I explained I will not be implementing the Baddow Bus Gate and I am confident that with the new designs and plans being formulated for the Army and Navy junction that it will not be needed.”

While a replacement flyover currently looks remote, one solution might be a variation on a hamburger roundabout, along with dedicated filter lanes between Van Diemans Way and Parkway and the A138 and Essex Yeomanry Way.

Earlier repairs to the flyover which added extra rigidity to the structure are believed to have precipitated even worse damage when hot weather led to expansion of the metal frame, which was not allowed to flex properly.

That in turn subsequently led to significant movement of the footings.

The serious nature of the damage, that has closed the flyover “indefinitely”, has led to the abandonment of the bus gate plans.

ECC had proposed that during weekday peak hours of 7am-10am and 4pm-7pm, the bus gate would use a camera to prohibit northwest bound Baddow Road traffic from travelling past the junction with Meadgate Avenue.

It would only allow buses, taxis, motorcyclists and cyclists to pass this point between 7am and 10am and 4pm and 7pm on weekdays.

A consultation period on the plans was launched on July 17, 2017 and closed after six weeks on August 28.

The flyover was closed for several weeks a year later when the flyover suffered serious damage and a task force set up to come up with solutions.

Cllr Paul Clark, of the Chelmsford Independents Group on Chelmsford City Council, who was at the meeting on Wednesday (August 7), said: “Some of the solutions are a bit too late. These should have been thought of years ago.

“The park and ride and the parking in the city centre is imbalanced.

“You should be encouraging more park and ride and less parking in the centre.

“That is not happening mainly because the city council own the car parks and the county council own the park and ride.

“The meeting was positive. But I’m disappointed with the amount of people who have been working on this for the past 12 months that we have not got any further than we have now.”

Dave Oldershaw from GBENA said: “This is where they should engage with more community groups and listen to them.

“People know the area and know what affects the area. Last year Essex County Council had no interest in working with us.

“Now we have sat in with them for an hour and given them more ideas than they’ve had in a year.”