 We've awarded a new contract to run Taunton’s Park and Ride service to Stagecoach South West following a successful tendering bid.
The South West-based operator will run buses Monday to Saturday from the Silk Mills and Gateway sites from 12 February 2024, taking over from First Bus South.
Broadband provider Truespeed Communications Ltd has been hit with fines and charges totalling more than £34k after pleading guilty to five offences in Somerset.
The firm was prosecuted following works carried out in Frome and Street. Truespeed admitted failing to install proper traffic management and guarding broken and excavated road surfaces to ensure the safety of pedestrians on a number of occasions, in breach of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991.
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East Cranmore
Our Highways team is delivering an essential road maintenance scheme in East Cranmore near Shepton Mallet during January.
The A361 Cranmore Road between Dean and East Cranmore is showing signs of wear and tear and needs to be resurfaced.
The work was carried out between 8 and 19 January and was completed under a full road closure.
We'll be carrying out essential works to renew traffic signals on a major intersection in Shepton Mallet later this month.
Traffic lights at the Charlton Road crossroads in the town have come to the end of their working life and need replacing. The junction is the intersection of the A37 and A361.
Work will begin on Monday, January 22, completing this summer.
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A361 between Taunton and Glastonbury
Essential works are being carried out on the A361 to cut back a significant number of damaged and overgrown willow trees near West Lyng.
The work required a road closure and was originally scheduled for Monday 15 January to Friday 26 January, from 9am to 3.30pm. However, due to the closure of the A361 because of flooding, our contractor has been able to start work this week ahead of schedule which will reduce the impact of the works on local communities and road users.
The UK now has the most ambitious regulatory framework for the switch to electric vehicles of any country in the world, thanks to new laws which commenced on 3 January 2024.
Following extensive consultation with industry and manufacturers, the mandate provides them with the certainty they have called for to safeguard skilled British jobs.
The Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate sets out the percentage new zero emission car and van manufacturers will be required to produce each year up to 2030. 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain will now be zero emission by 2030, increasing to 100% by 2035.
This follows the pragmatic decision taken by the Prime Minister to delay the ban on new diesel and petrol cars from 2030 to 2035, putting the UK in line with other major global economies such as France, Germany, Sweden, and Canada. This allows time for consumers to make the choice to switch to electric, and to level up our charging infrastructure.
The government will also be aiming to lower the upfront and running costs of owning an electric vehicle including through the plug-in van grant of up to £2,500 for small vans and £5,000 for large vans until at least 2025 and £350 off the cost of chargepoints for flat owners.
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We have received £1.5m in external funding which could be used to deliver the next phase of a cycling and walking route on the A39 between Carhampton and Minehead.
The ring-fenced grant from Active Travel England could see the route completed if the scheme can be feasibly delivered with minimal disruption. The money was awarded in recognition of the scheme’s primary aim in providing increased active travel opportunities for local people.
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 The Trading Standards Service is advising consumers and businesses to ensure that e-scooters and Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (e-bikes) are safe and compliant with the correct safety regulations before they are purchased, sold or hired out.
And businesses are also reminded that it is their responsibility to inform customers that e-scooters are not currently legal for use on roads or other public highways unless a specific scheme is in place.
This warning follows a market surveillance operation on electronic vehicle safety by the Trading Standards Service and a recent safety message by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) which highlights the steps people should take when owning or thinking of buying an e-bike or e-scooter.
Further information about the legal requirements relating to e-scooters and Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles can be found on Trading Standards' E-scooters webpage.
Credit: Peninsula Transport
Peninsula Transport, the Sub-national Transport Body for Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth, Somerset, and Torbay is asking for views on its draft transport strategy.
The strategy is focused on overcoming regional transport challenges such as network resilience, seasonal variation, and rural accessibility. Peninsula Transport wants to see vital improvements in regional transport in order help to unlock the peninsula’s full economic potential, as well as boost its environmental and societal wellbeing.
To do this, the document sets out four outcomes and a route map to achieving a strategic transport network that works for everyone – from businesses to communities and visitors.
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