'Jury still out' on Bibury traffic measures

Concerns have been raised that measures aimed at easing traffic problems in a tourist village are not working.

Bibury, home to the picturesque Arlington Row cottages, has struggled with traffic for years. Gloucestershire County Council introduced a trial coach drop-off point last year to ease congestion, but some say coaches are not always using it.

Craig Chapman, chair of Bibury Parish Council, said "the jury is still substantially out" on whether it is working.

The county council's cabinet member for sustainable transport and road safety, Roger Whyborn, said it was "disappointing" to see reports that some were not using the bays as intended.

"The community view is that the long-term solution has to be that the larger tourist coaches don't come through Bibury," Chapman told the BBC.

"We have a very small listed bridge (Swan Bridge) which all transport has to cross, and we can't cope with them - it's too much, and this trial has highlighted issues with these large coaches."

Bibury resident Kris Watts said coaches full of tourists were often ignoring the rules and stopping "where they want" to drop off passengers.

"We moved here ten years ago, and we knew it was a tourist village, but since Covid it has just got worse and worse and worse," Watts told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"We had the coaches but not nearly as bad as what it is now. I think it's to do with influencers.

"People are posting reels showing you an idyllic traffic-free village, and then when you get here it's absolutely rammed."

Last week, Watts took a photo from the passenger seat of a car, which she said showed a coach offloading away from the designated zone (below).

The coach operator, Excelsior, has been approached for comment.

Whyborn added: "The drop-off points are there to help reduce congestion and improve safety for residents, visitors and all road users.

"We work closely with coach operators on arrangements for tourist hotspots such as Bibury and expect drivers to use the designated facilities provided.

"We are also continuing to review longer-term options for managing traffic and coach movements in the village, including Swan Bridge. Inspections and assessments of the bridge are ongoing."

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