RESIDENTS of Bradford on Avon are being invited to have their say on how pedestrian river crossings could be improved in the town.

The consultation, led by independent consultant Sarah Gibson, has been organised by the Bradford on Avon Area Board with the backing of Bradford on Avon Town Council to see how pedestrians feel about the current river footbridge crossings.

Starting on Friday (March 10) from 1pm-7pm in the Coach House of the Swan Hotel in Church Street, the consultation will run on Saturday at The Swan from 10am-5pm and will then be taking place at St Laurence School in Ashley Road on Tuesday (March 14) and Wednesday (March 15) between 3pm and 4.30pm.

Mrs Gibson said: “We are asking the people what they do when crossing the rivers in the town. We have done quite a lot of consultations previously but now we want members of the public to really get involved.

“We know a lot of people walk, cycle and drive through the town so we want to know where people usually cross the river and how it could be improved for pedestrians. This could either be by improving a current crossing or even by creating a new one.”

Depending on the results from the planned open consultations which are already scheduled, there is a possibility for more events to be organised.

“We may end up setting up more, it really depends if we feel there has been enough feedback collected during the current events. There will also be an online questionnaire for people to fill out and we will print some out for people who may not be able to access the internet,” added Mrs Gibson.

"We need to take into account the extra residents who will be living in Bradford with all of the current housing developments. This will end up with an increase in traffic as well as more pedestrians."

Mrs Gibson continued in saying that it is important to try and gauge the whole town’s opinion so a balanced and informed plan can be put together.

Jeremy Wire, of Frome Road, said: “There is a lot that needs to happen. There are local elections coming up and we have already had two consultations but the referendum failed. Something really needs to be done but trying to engage people with the consultation can do no harm.”

The public consultation events will be taking place at the Coach House at the Swan Hotel on Friday and Saturday (March 10-11) and then at St Laurence School on Tuesday and Wednesday (March 14-15) from 3pm-4.30pm.