IT'S debatable whether one of our greatest science fiction writers would have given a second thought to how people would be getting around Taunton in the 21st Century when he used to trudge around the county town's streets as a young man.

Arthur C. Clarke, born in Minehead 100 years ago this Saturday, was probably more interested in thinking how to reach Jupiter which would lead to him writing 2001 A Space Odyssey than dreaming up ways of travelling around Taunton when he was studying here in the early 1930s.

Somerset County Gazette:

Sir Arthur C. Clarke.

Sir Arthur C., as he later became, could surely never have imagined the traffic clogged roads that have become one of the greatest bugbears of people living, working and visiting Taunton.

And he's no longer around to witness the move away from petrol and diesel cars - the sale of which will be banned in the UK from 2040 - to electric vehicles and, sooner than most people think, the advent of connected and driverless motors.

With such advances on the horizon, Somerset County and Taunton Deane Borough Councils have commissioned a report predicting the changing face of transport in the county town leading up to 2037.

In their foreword to the document, Conservative council leaders Cllr David Fothergill (county) and Cllr John Williams (district) outline the town's "unprecedented growth and opportunity", with new garden communities springing up, a rejuvenated town centre and Nexus25 employment site beside Junction 25 of the M5 becoming reality in the coming years.

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David Fothergill.

They write: "How we travel and how we manage our transport networks, will be critical to ensuring Taunton can both capitalise on these opportunities and manage their impacts.

"Transport, accessibility and connectivity are essential to our everyday lives and vital to the economic success of our town."

They add: "Over the next few years, technology and innovations will radically change our transport experience, from electric vehicles, to real-time updates and the emergence of connected and autonomous vehicles.

"However, we also recognise that walking and cycling are fundamental to ensuring a healthy town with high quality of life."

Somerset County Gazette:

John Williams.

Recent improvements aimed at improving transport include the Third Way bridge at Tangier and the Northern Inner Distributor Road between Staplegrove Road and Priory Way, taking traffic away from the town centre; two park and ride sites; more walking and cycling routes; and improved traffic lights systems.

Key proposals in the pipeline include: pedestrianising certain streets, pay as you leave car parks, signs informing drivers where there are parking spaces, Taunton Station upgrade including a multi-storey car park and walking and cycling routes from the station to the town centre via Firepool.

There are also plans to improve the A358, Junction 25 and The Toneway to make it easier to reach the town.

The report says: "The growth of the town will add pressure onto our road network.

"While additional capacity can be provided in some places, especially around the garden communities, in many parts of the town, widening roads to overcome congestion is not practicable, feasible, desirable or cost-effective.

"We will need to make more efficient use of the road space we have.

"Technology will provide some solutions; however, many short distance journeys currently made by car could be made in other ways.

"Without that change, congestion could hamper the local economy and damage the town's reputation."

Solutions could include categorising streets as routes for movement or places in their own right; improving streets to make them safer and so that movement becomes "efficient and reliable"; new road and street connections in garden communities; better training for drivers, bikers and cyclists; removing unnecessary street furniture; and revised delivery and HGV routes through the town.

There will also be new car parks on Wellington Road and at Walford Cross served by buses, while existing car parks would be designated as either long or short term.

Cycle networks and pedestrian facilities should be improved, while public space improvements in the town centre would lead to people-friendly streets and less traffic in the heart of Taunton.

There are aspirations to ensure new garden communities are connected on bus routes and there should be rapid bus connections linking Bridgwater, Taunton and Wellington, while buses would also operate from a public transport interchange planned at Taunton Rail Station.

Funding is in place to upgrade the station to create "a much improved gateway to the town", more trains to and from London and shorter journey times will be in place next year and there are talks being held about re-opening Wellington Station.

The transport plan was on the agenda for Taunton Deane Borough Council's community scrutiny meeting last night (Wednesday), when the LibDem opposition was set to weigh in with criticism of the document as "a missed opportunity".

Ahead of the meeting, LibDem leader Cllr Simon Coles told the County Gazette: "There are pious hopes that new bus services and cycle routes will solve growing traffic congestion, but no realistic plans.

"How can we trust a council that fantasises about new bus routes while making savage cuts on existing bus services?

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Simon Coles.

"When taking power, the first thing the Conservatives did was to halve bus subsidies, resulting in many routes being closed down.

"They want new park and rides, while starting to reduce services on the ones we already have."

Mr Coles added: "LibDems want a realistic and properly funded public transport network, while pursuing the possibility of road links to enable people to reach other parts of the town and motorway and arterial routes without having to converge on the town centre.

"A southern relief road may be controversial, but it is not even mentioned as a possibility for consultation with local communities of south-west Taunton.

"All the recent road improvements, such as the Third Way and NIDR and those in the pipeline, such as the A358 scheme, won approval and funding under the LibDems."

Cllr Simon Nicholls said: "The plan is also a betrayal of local communities such as Staplegrove, Trull and Comeytrowe, which are facing a future of massive housing growth with minimal transport infrastructure.

"They wanted help. They have got nothing beyond the the ludicrously inadequate transport 'solution' that developers got away with when the housing developments were approved."

Cllr Habib Farbahi said: "The plan describes a car park in Rumwell next to a bus stop between Taunton and Wellington as a new park and ride.

"Taking the Wellington bus off the A38 on a long detour through a new estate will put off many commuters from using it. If this high risk scheme fails, Wellington Road will be reduced to gridlock, with fewer lanes for cars."

Gideon Amos, who hopes to stand again for the LibDems at the next General Election in Taunton Deane, said: "This plan is supposed to be a vision for the roads and transport infrastructure that Taunton needs for the next 20 years of massive housing growth.

"Instead it simply tinkers with the existing situation and offers totally inadequate solutions."

Somerset County Gazette:

Gideon Amos.