Questions raised if £7m Bath Ring of Steel will make anything safer

Work has been ongoing for the last two years to protect Bath. From January 1, 2022, vehicles were permanently restricted in some streets in central Bath, as part of the Bath City Centre Security scheme.

This was to protect the city's most crowded spaces from the risk of vehicle-based terrorist attack. The final phase of works have begun.

Work will start on Lower Borough Walls in mid to late May and will take about five months to finish. The zone aims to limit vehicle access to the city centre from 10:00 until 18:00, in order to prevent attacks in busy tourist areas.

Pedestrian and wheelchair access will be maintained throughout the works, but cyclists and permitted vehicles will be diverted via Hot Bath Street, where sliding bollards have already been installed.

But while the works are set to make the city safer, one person is less convinced. In a letter to our sister print title the Bath Chronice, they question the value of the £7m project

Read the full letter below

Safety first with £7m Ring of Steel

I was fascinated to read that Bath and North East Somerset Council is completing its £7m-plus ‘Ring of Steel’ anti-terrorist project in the city centre.

I am sure It will make us all feel much safer.

I only hope that the terrorist organisations have given assurances that they will not bomb Milson Street, New Bond Street or High Street, neither will they allow Portable Explosive Devices to be carried into Bath’s protected area.

Gerry Jones

Bath