Transport in Somerset
The earliest known infrastructure for transport in Somerset is a series of wooden trackways laid across the Somerset Levels, an area of low-lying marshy ground. To the west of this district lies the Bristol Channel, while the other boundaries of the county of Somerset are along chains of hills that were once exploited for their mineral deposits. These natural features have all influenced the evolution of the transport network. Roads and railways either followed the hills, or needed causeways to cross the Levels. Harbours were developed, rivers improved, and linked to sources of traffic by canals. Railways were constructed throughout the area, influenced by the needs of the city of Bristol, which lies just to the north of Somerset, and to link the ports of the far south-west with the rest of England.
Today, the trunk road and rail routes to the south-western counties of Devon and Cornwall pass through Somerset. This gives the county good connections to Wales, London, and the north of England. A major port and an international airport are situated in the north of the county. Older infrastructure, such as canals and defunct railway lines, have been adapted to serve present day demands for leisure use.
History
Early developments
The oldest
Pack horse tracks and trails developed later on the higher, drier ground. These could be negotiated by people on foot, or horse and donkeys carrying larger loads.
Early trackways were limited in use by the conditions of the underlying soil. The temperate Climate of south-west England can be very erosive to any manmade structures. During winter in particular, whilst a horse and rider could cover a significant distance in a day, any attempt to convey heavy goods such as building materials could be extremely difficult and time-consuming.
Roman era
After the
One of the most important roads in the Roman's British network was the
The Dorchester Road ran south-eastwards from Ilchester, following the line of the present-day A37 through
The waters of the Bristol Channel and rivers such as the Avon were used for transport. The small vessels in use at that time could navigate quite some distance upstream, indeed the River Yeo shows evidence of being straightened near Ilchester. Harbours were established near river mouths at Sea Mills (River Avon), Uphill (River Axe), Crandon Bridge and possibly Combwich (River Parrett).[8]
After the Romans
The Romans left the area to its own devices after 410 CE, although most of the established settlements and infrastructure continued in use for many years.[9][10] Over time new settlements were established, often related to crossing points on rivers such as Highbridge, Bridgwater and Taunton. When Daniel Defoe surveyed the county in 1724 he reported that there were two routes between Taunton and Bristol. The 'Lower Way' which was often impassable due to flooding, and the busier 'Higher Way' over the Mendip Hills.[11] A causeway was created across the flood plains at Mark on the route between Highbridge and Wells.
Unlike today's mechanical transport, the long journeys at this time used animal power and were undertaken in small stages, fresh horses were required at intervals, hence the name
From the eighteenth century a number of turnpike trusts were set up to build and maintain roads. For instance, the Taunton Turnpike Trust was established in 1752 to improve the roads around that town. The network of turnpikes speeded traffic. Before the end of the century the time taken by the mail coach from Taunton to London had been halved from four to just two days; by 1823 the journey took just 23 hours.[16] The turnpikes were funded by tolls charged on users. Some individuals also had powers to charge road users, often where bridges replaced ferries across rivers. An example of a toll road which has survived into the twenty-first century is between the villages of Bathampton and Batheaston across the river Avon. This was built to replace a man-powered cable supported punt ferry in 1870.[17]
The early roads were improved by the use of
Waterways
The waters of the Bristol Channel are a natural highway and several of the county's rivers used to be
In the medieval period the River Parrett was used to transport
The River Parrett was originally part of the
Combwich Pill, a small creek near the mouth of the river, has been used for shipping since the 14th century; and the wharf in the 18th century was used for the unloading of coal and tiles. From the 1830s, with the development of the brick and tile industry in the Bridgwater area, it was used by two brickyards to import coal and to export tiles to other harbours on the Bristol Channel. This traffic ceased in the 1930s but in 1950 the wharf was taken over by the Central Electricity Generating Board to bring in materials for the construction of Hinkley Point nuclear power station.[29]
Following the passing of the Port of Bridgwater Act in 1845 all river traffic between the mouth of the River Parrett and the first bridge fell under the jurisdiction of the Port of Bridgwater. In 1998 Sedgemoor District Council took over the pilotage services for the river which had previously been operated by Trinity House.[30]
On the northern edges of the county, the
The
A Dorset and Somerset Canal was proposed in 1792, but the little of it that was constructed was closed in 1803.[33] Further canals were constructed in Somerset during the nineteenth century, including the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal (1827), Glastonbury Canal (1834), Grand Western Canal (1839), Westport Canal (1840) and Chard Canal (1842).[33][3]
The arrival of railways on the Somerset coast brought new traffic to its harbours. A siding from the
Railways
The period of canals as an important transport network was short-lived. Before the Chard Canal had been completed the
Another GWR line that would eventually link
In the meantime the
Meanwhile, the B&ER opened lines to
The
By now motor bus services were starting to appear. At first they were often operated by the railway companies as a way of offering services to new destinations, but after
Proposed reopening
It is hoped to reopen the
Trams
On-street tramways once operated in three Somerset towns. The first to open was in Bath on 24 December 1880. The 4 ft (1,219 mm) gauge cars were horse-drawn along a route from London Road to the Great Western Railway station, but the system closed in 1902.[55][55] These were replaced by electric tram cars on a greatly expanded 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) gauge system that opened in 1904. This eventually extended to some 18 miles (29 km) with routes to Combe Down, Oldfield Park, Twerton, Newton St Loe, Weston and Bathford.[56]
The Taunton Tramway was opened on 21 August 1901. Six double deck cars operated on the 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge line between Taunton railway station and East Reach where the depot was situated. The service was withdrawn for two months in 1905 while the track was improved; the original six double-deck cars were replaced at the same time by six single deck cars. A short extension beyond the station to Rowbarton was opened in 1909 making the line 1.66 miles (2.7 km) long.[57] In 1921 the tram company was in dispute with the council over the cost of electricity. The National bus company offered to operate bus services in the town[58] and so the power was cut off and the tram service ceased on 28 May 1921.[57]
The 2.9 miles (4.7 km) 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) gauge Weston-super-Mare Tramways network opened on 12 May 1902.[59] The main route ran from Birnbeck Pier along the sea front to the Sanatorium (now Royal Sands); a branch line ran to the railway station and on to the tram depot in Locking Road. The Weston-super-Mare fleet originally consisted of 12 double deck cars and 4 open-sided "toast rack" cars.[60]
The remaining tram services in Somerset came to an end during the 1930s. In 1937 the Bristol Tramways bought out the Weston-super-Mare Tramways and converted them to bus operation.[61] Bath was not far behind, replacing all its tram routes with buses during 1938 and 1939.[55]
Buses
In 1905 the Great Western Railway started a steam bus service from Highbridge railway station to Burnham-on-Sea and Cheddar. The following year a number of services were tried that radiated from Bridgwater, but all had been withdrawn by the end of 1911.[62]
Meanwhile,
Further south the National Omnibus & Transport Company opened depots at Bridgwater, South Petherton and Taunton in 1920, and Yeovil and Wincanton in 1921. National extended northwards to Weston-super-Mare in response to competition from Bristol Tramways.[66] In west Somerset, a network of services was built up by Minehead and District Motor Services, acquired by National in 1927.[67] The Great Western Railway's buses returned to the area with local services at Weston-super-Mare and Portishead in 1928[68] but by then the railway company was already in negotiation with bus companies about merging their operations. On 1 January 1929 National transferred its Somerset operations to two joint venture companies.[69] The Yeovil area services went to Southern National, jointly owned by National and the Southern Railway, and the other services went to Western National, jointly owned by National and the Great Western Railway. On the same date the railway company bought a majority of the shares in the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company (although this was reduced to just 50% after 16 months) which took on the railway bus services in its area.[70]
In Bath motor bus services were started by
From 1929 to 1983 most bus services in Somerset were run by Bristol Tramways (renamed Bristol Omnibus Company in 1957) in the north, by Western National in the south and west, and by Southern National (until 1969 when it was merged into Western National) in the south-east. All three companies were nationalised in 1948. In the south-east of the county three independent companies survived for many years. Hutchings and Cornelius of South Petherton operated from 1934 (Hutchings from 1926 and Cornelius from 1928) until 1979. Safeway, also based in South Petherton, operated from 1928 until 2008.[72][73] Further east, Wakes Services based at Sparkford ran a network of bus services between Yeovil and Shepton Mallet from the 1930s until 1999.[74]
In the 1980s both Bristol Omnibus Company and Western National were privatised. In preparation both companies were split. In 1983, the Somerset operations of Western National were transferred to a new subsidiary company, Southern National, and in 1986 Bristol's Somerset services were transferred to a subsidiary company called Badgerline. Both companies were sold to their managements. In 1995 Badgerline became part of First Bus, and in 1999 Southern National was acquired by First Bus. First combined and rebranded its Somerset operations in a single company, First Somerset & Avon. In 2014 the services in the south and west of the county were rebranded as The Buses of Somerset.
First now has a monopoly in most of the county, although there are some independent operators. In the north
Present day networks
Road
Somerset has 6,531 kilometres (4,058 mi) of roads, ranging from
The M5 motorway from Birmingham to Exeter provides a north–south trunk route from the Avonmouth Bridge in the north, to the Devon border in the south, with eight junctions in the county:[78]
- Junction 19 (Portishead) with the A369 and close to the Royal Portbury Dock
- Junction 20 (Clevedon) with the B3133
- Junction 21 (Weston-super-Mare) with the A370 and close to the A371
- Junction 22 (Burnham-on-Sea) with the A38
- Junction 23 (Puriton) with the A38 and A39 north of Bridgwater
- Junction 24 (North Petherton) with the A38 south of Bridgwater
- Junction 25 (A358
- Junction 26 (Wellington) with the A38
The older A370 and A38 roads serve many of the same towns as the motorway. The other principal north–south route through the county is the A37 which links Bristol with Shepton Mallet and Yeovil.[78]
The nearest east–west motorway is the
- A371 from Shepton Mallet, Wells and Cheddar to Weston-super-Mare
- A39 from Bath to Wells, Glastonbury, Bridgwater, Williton, Minehead and north Devon
- , Taunton and Williton
- A303 from M3 motorway at Basingstoke to Devon via Wincanton and Ilminster.
People are encouraged to use integrated transport routes by maps that show how bus routes link with the railway network.[79] Car-sharing is promoted by multi-occupancy traffic lanes to reduce the number of cars with just a driver and no passengers.[80] The county council, unitary authorities and Bristol City Council subsidise many bus services, for example there is a £70 million scheme to improve services and facilities on ten routes that link Bristol with areas outside the city. This includes 5 miles (8 km) of bus lanes and improved bus stops.[81] However cuts in funding across local services in 2011 included a reduction of 46% (that is £2.6 million) in the subsidies paid by Somerset County Council to bus operators, leading to the withdrawal of at least five services and many reductions in routes and service levels during evenings and weekends.[82][83]
The dominant bus operator in the north and east of the county is
There are also some independent operators such as Abus[87] and Nippy Bus Park and ride schemes link out-of-town car parks with the centres of both Bath[88] and Taunton.[89]
Other rights of way
The county has one of the first National cycle routes created in Britain
Rail
Somerset's rail network has three west–east routes linking the county with London. The busiest is the
The principal north–south route carries frequent local services serving Nailsea and Backwell, Yatton, Worle, Weston Milton, Weston-super-Mare, Highbridge and Burnham, and Bridgwater,[97] and also CrossCountry services between Cornwall/Devon and North of England/Scotland.[98] This route also sees some services from the Great Western Main Line which are extended south of Bristol.[95]
Another north–south route links Keynsham, Oldfield Park and Bath with Frome, Bruton, Castle Cary, and Yeovil Pen Mill.[99]
Most services and stations are operated by
The busiest stations are Bath Spa, with more than four million passengers each year, and Taunton and Weston-super-Mare with around one million. The busiest in South Somerset is Yeovil Junction but the least used in the whole county is Bruton.
2002-03 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bath Spa | 3,332,671 | 3,726,900 | 3,905,144 | 4,244,776 | 4,478,305 | 4,757,904 | 4,779,480 |
Taunton | 768,300 | 837,001 | 903,807 | 951,650 | 1,076,796 | 1,184,866 | 1,191,558 |
Weston-super-Mare | 716,827 | 799,414 | 836,036 | 857,777 | 935,569 | 963,626 | 935,814 |
Yeovil Junction | 155,441 | 174,456 | 192,645 | 194,798 | 209,290 | 215,688 | 210,786 |
Bruton | 14,706 | 17,167 | 18,449 | 19,369 | 18,520 | 23,444 | 25,576 |
The statistics show the total number of station entries and exits and cover twelve month periods that start each year in April.[100]
The West Somerset Railway operates to ten stations between Minehead and Bishops Lydeard on around 240 days each year using heritage steam and diesel trains.[101] A regular bus service links the stations at Bishops Lydeard and Taunton to give connections through to the national railway network.[102]
Water
The largest dock in Somerset is the Royal Portbury Dock, a part of the Port of Bristol. Its main traffic is cars, bulk cargoes and forest products.[42]
The other principal port in the county is the Port of Bridgwater. Sedgemoor District Council acts as the Competent Harbour Authority for the port and provides pilotage services for all boats over 98 feet (30 m) using the River Parrett,[103] an important service as the large tidal range (which can exceed 39 feet or 12 metres) results in frequent changes in the navigable channel. Bulk cargoes are handled at Dunball wharf.[104] Marine sand and gravel accounted for 55,754 tonnes and salt products 21,170 tonnes out of the 90,213 tonnes handled in the port in 2006;[105] however, in 2008 the only product handled in the port was 46,688 tonnes of sand and gravel.[106] A roll-on roll-off berth at Combwich is used occasionally for the transfer of heavy goods for the nuclear power stations at Hinkley Point.
Combwich Pill and the
There are two inland waterways in the county. The western end of the Kennet and Avon Canal is at Bath where it connects with the River Avon.[108] The Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, along with the River Tone navigation links the River Parrett at Bridgwater with Taunton.[109] The maximum size of vessels that can navigate the whole length of each canal is given below, but larger ones can be used on most parts of these waterways.
Dimension | Kennet and Avon[108] | Bridgwater and Taunton[109] |
---|---|---|
Length | 70.87 feet (21.60 m) | 50.00 feet (15.24 m) |
Width | 13.78 feet (4.20 m) | 10.00 feet (3.05 m) |
Draft | 4.07 feet (1.24 m) | 2.75 feet (0.84 m) |
Headroom | 7.87 feet (2.40 m) | 7.17 feet (2.19 m) |
Air
The only public passenger airport in use in the county is Bristol Airport which developed from a former Royal Air Force base, Lulsgate Bottom, after World War II.[110] A number of privately run air strips and airfields exist, but none are licensed for commercial flights, or flight training. Henstridge Airfield near Henstridge, south east of Wincanton, was commissioned in 1943.[111] The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance operates from there.[112]
Future strategy and proposals
The dominance of the car, and the convenience it offers: local authorities in Somerset have various proposals in place to try to ease the current "gridlock" that is now occurring on the roads throughout the county. The removal of traffic from city centres has now become a priority in Somerset, due to the antiquity of many of its towns and cities. These were originally designed for the movement of people, not large metal boxes on wheels. Since the privatisation of many areas of public transport, cities like Bath have many large buses, which in the 1950s would have been full of passengers; these can now be seen (in 2009) conveying only a small number of people at a time.[113]
One outcome that was not foreseen as a result of the closure of many branch lines in the 1960s was the loss of public access to those rights of way established by the various railway companies. Those structures of level ground upon which so much energy and labour was expended, could have been put to good use in the past, e.g. rapid transit routes. The loss of continuity in the system as a whole, means that what remains of these rail trackways are now the subject of competition between human power and motorised rapid transit solutions.[114]
Taunton metro rail (TMR) is a proposed light rail network using a combination of existing rail infrastructure and the construction of new infrastructure in the area of Taunton.
A charity, the New Somerset and Dorset Railway, was set up in 2009 with the aim of purchasing infrastructure and lobbying government.
See also
References
Notes
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- ^ Brunning 2006, p. 40.
- ^ a b Dunning 2003, pp. 10–11.
- ^ "Somerset Archives". Ordnance Survey map of Combe Hay c1900. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- ^ "Maps". Somerset County Council. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ^ Leach 2001, pp. 18–21.
- ^ Boumphrey 1935.
- ^ a b c Leach 2001, pp. 73–76.
- ^ Leach 2001, pp. 111–126.
- ^ Defoe 1989, p. 153.
- ^ Defoe 1989, pp. 88–91.
- ^ Holmes 1980.
- ^ Historic England. "The George Inn (1174953)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 March 2008.
- ^ a b Leete-Hodge 1985, p. 20.
- ^ Scott 1995, p. 37.
- ^ Mayberry 1998, pp. 75–76.
- ^ Gledhill 1994, p. 152.
- ^ Charlesworth 1984.
- ^ a b Farr 1954, p. 65.
- ^ a b Toulson 1984.
- ^ Gerrard 1985.
- ^ a b Dunning 1992, p. 193.
- ^ Dunning 1992, p. 73.
- ^ Dunning 1992, p. 75.
- ^ Fitzhugh 1993, p. 69.
- ^ Lawrence & Lawrence 2005.
- ^ Fitzhugh 1993, pp. 6–7.
- ^ Hawkins 1982.
- ^ Dunning 1992, p. 86.
- ^ Sedgemoor District Council, Facts on the Port of Bridgwater
- ^ Allsop 1987, pp. 5–10.
- ^ Chapman 2000, pp. 17–19.
- ^ a b c Hadfield 1999.
- ^ Aspects of Somerset History, Canals Archived 2 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d Athill 1967.
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- ^ Terrell, p. 31.
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- ^ a b c d e MacDermot 1931.
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- ^ Hulin 1974, p. 2.
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- ^ Morris 2008, p. 23.
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- ^ Morris 2008, p. 28.
- ^ Cummings 1980, p. 152.
- ^ Hulin 1974, p. 8.
- ISBN 0-7524-3171-4
- ^ Countrybus: Safeway
- ^ a b Countrybus: Wakes Services
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- ^ ISBN 0-319-23039-2.
- ^ "Public Transport Network Map 2006 - 2007". Bath & North East Somerset Council. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
- ^ "BANES CORE STRATEGY LAUNCH DOCUMENT" (PDF). bath & N.E. Somerset Council. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ "Bristol to Weston 'showcase' bus route work completed". BBC. 15 March 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
- ^ "First reveals bus services to be cut back in Somerset". BBC. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
- ^ "Bus service changes". Somerset County Council. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- ^ "maps". Bristol, Bath and the West. FirstGroup. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
- ^ "Timetables". Wessex Connect. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- ^ Cameron, Alex (23 October 2009). "Changes to bus services in Taunton and Wellington". Somerset County Gazette. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- ^ "Bus timetables and routemap". abus. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
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- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 January 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Colliers Way". Sustrans. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ "Bus Rapid Transit". Bath & North East Somerset council date no disclosed. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
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- ^ a b "National Rail Timetable 135 (Summer 2009)" (PDF). Network Rail. Retrieved 11 May 2009.
- ^ "National Rail Timetable 160 (Summer 2009)" (PDF). Network Rail. Retrieved 11 May 2009.
- ^ "National Rail Timetable 134 (Summer 2009)" (PDF). Network Rail. Retrieved 11 May 2009.
- ^ "National Rail Timetable 51 (Summer 2009)" (PDF). Network Rail. Retrieved 11 May 2009.
- ^ "National Rail Timetable 123 (Summer 2009)" (PDF). Network Rail. Retrieved 11 May 2009.
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- ^ "Timetables". West Somerset Railway. West Somerset Railway. Archived from the original on 16 September 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
- ^ "Timetables for Service Number: 28/28A/X28". First. 6 February 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
- ^ "Port Duties". Sedgemoor District Council. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
- ^ a b Sedgemoor District Council, Facts on the Port of Bridgwater
- ^ Sedgemoor District Council, Port of Bridgwater Trade Figures, 2006 Archived 3 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Sedgemoor District Council, Port of Bridgwater Trade Figures, 2008
- ^ "Departure Points". Waverley Excursions. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ^ a b "Boaters Guides". Waterscape. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
- ^ a b "Boaters guide to the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal and River Tone Navigation" (PDF). Somerset Navigators Boat Club. January 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
- ISBN 0-85059-510-X, pp. 119–121.
- ^ Henstridge Airfield [1] Retrieved 1 September 2009
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- Skinner, John (1985). Jones, Roger (ed.). West Country Tour. Bradford on Avon: Ex Libris Press. ISBN 0-9506563-9-9.
- Swift, Andrew (2006). The Ringing Grooves of Change. Akeman Press. ISBN 0-9546138-5-6.
- Terrell, Stan. Birnbeck Pier, a short history. Weston-super-Mare: North Somerset Museum Service. ISBN 0-901104-10-8.
- Toulson, Shirley (1984). The Mendip Hills: A Threatened Landscape. London: Victor Gollancz. ISBN 0-575-03453-X.
- "Aspects of Somerset History". Somerset County Council. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
External links
- Media related to Transport in Somerset at Wikimedia Commons