UKC

The Mendip Hills National Landscape Team has launched a survey to field public opinion on an Experimental Traffic Regulation order in Cheddar Gorge, a popular tourist attraction and climbing venue in Somerset, which the busy Cliff Road (B3135) winds through. An order to close the road once a month is under consultation.

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Note the current proposal is for trial closures once a month - not full time.

There's a slightly ambiguous detail that probably needs clarifying. The text refers to the bottom end of the closure as being at Cheddar Caves while the map shows it at Priest Rock car park; the latter is about 600 metres further up the gorge from the former and, from the 'being able to find somewhere to park' perspective, would probably be rather more practical as it would allow parking not only there but also in the High Rock car park and the other options lower down the gorge. It would also offer somewhere for traffic to turn round.

It's about ten miles away from me, and I'm probably there once a month or so through the year.  I think the plans are too conservative but a start's better than nothing.

T.

In the survey it's specified as closure "from the first narrows" whatever that means. Just after Pride Evans would be my guess?

I think parking is going to be the crux of this, it's hard to see how it could work on a busy bank holiday or even just the average summer weekend. On the other hand at quieter times - especially those spring and summer evenings when the modders are ripping the place to shreds - it could be lovely.

The downside might be having to pay for the parking of course!

Ah. 'The Narrows' is the bit on and just after the bend below Sunset Buttress, ie just above Priest Rock CP - although I've no idea whether it's known as such outside the climbing world; I think that's the first place, as you go up the Gorge, where pedestrians and traffic are forced onto the same narrow bit of tarmac. The section above Pride Evans, under Wind Rock, is a bit more open and accommodating. A closure before Pride Evans would presumably be impractical as it would affect the coach parking thereabouts.

I suspect that you're right about the parking being crucial; on a busy day I think that, without these options in the lower part of the Gorge, the few car parks down in the village would struggle to cope.

That would tally with the map, basically the bottom of the Horseshoe Bend complex.

(Always slightly dicey there descending on a road bike, carrying speed off the steep bit, commit to the tightening lefthander under HBB, feather the brakes and wait to find out what's coming towards you through the jaws!)

As an ex Cheddar habituee my view is that a 20mph limit through gorge enforced by cameras plus cctv on the car parks would go a long way to eliminating the idiots. Mind you it’s been a decade since I was last there

Doesn't need a speed limit, or traffic restrictions, just sound level monitoring. Only the knobheads are the problem, so just fix the problem. Start a gofundme to provide penis enlargement surgery for anyone that goes over 2000rpm.

Would that also stop preacher men? Mind you that was a long time ago now😀

Yes please! Close it for good! It's a natural wonder, take up the tarmac and let nature retake it with just a gravel walking and cycling track through the middle

Yeah it's not people speeding that's the problem, it's tossers with daft exhausts revving and popping their silly cars. Was unbearable the last time I was there.

I would have thought a big p&d carpark somewhere down in Cheddar and closing the parking in the gorge may help. The dream would be this + the gorge being totally pedestrianised. 

I live very near cheddar and have conflicting opinions.

As a climber I would love to see the road closed permanently, replaced with a gravel path and managed accordingly. It would vastly improve the experience of climbing in cheddar and make it a serious contender for one of the best crags in the uk...  

As a resident I am against it as alternative routes are poorly suited to high volumes of traffic. It has already been mentioned but parking is a concern too.

Perhaps a bigger project is needed to improve the infrastructure around the gorge before closing it off...

Which is a shame! Always though it would be a wonderful place without a road. Step in the right direction though. 

I like the dropped pin for reservoir hole on the map in the article, you're not also doing a bit of caving on the quiet are you? 😁

Having had a tent destroyed by a car that left the road on an upper bend I'm all for it

We were in the pub at the time! 

I was shocked by how bad it had become when I was last there.  It would be great if it could be closed every weekend.  As well as being a bit more actively policed to check for stolen cars, and the uninsured drivers that tend to specialise in driving like idiots.

Long overdue. I’ve even seen a sports car photoshoot happen while climbing, involving professional drivers and photographers and a very noisy fast sports car. When challenged about the speed and noise and danger, the photographer said something like, ‘It’s Ok, Duncan’s a real pro’ as he span his back end round the hairpin beneath Castle Rock. You couldn’t make it up. 

Large speed bumps seem to be the obvious solution to me. If placed regularly throughout the gorge it would completely ruin the driving experience of those who want to speed but allow locals to use the road as necessary. 

I am generally in favour of closures to vehicles at weekends, but I have some reservations about the speed at which some cyclists will then go down the gorge. I suspect it’ll be an obvious challenge to go as fast as possible and that could take out pedestrians and climbers as well as the cyclists themselves.

You'd prefer them to be bigger d!cks?

If they made it a winding gravel track that should slow them down a bit? Or make a dedicated cycle lane and let them go for it? At least they're quiet so won't spoil anyone else's enjoyment of the gorge.

I think the authorities are missing a trick with these knobheads in noisy vehicles. Set up a noise monitoring station and pull anyone with a loud exhaust. If the exhaust is illegal the car is impounded and sold at auction, with fitting a legal exhaust a condition of sale. It would pay for itself and make a profit. The knobheads could always buy their car back and fit another illegal exhaust, but I'm sure they'd get sick of spending the money if it was enforced regularly. 

Seems to be basically accepting a free-for-all attitude except once a month.

Enforcement of speed and noise limits might be a better option, and make it better every day of the month.

I wouldn't have any problem with cyclists if the road was turned into a one-way road, heading uphill.  

T.

A totally left field idea would be to have occasional organised motorsport events whereby the road is closed to the public for a few hours and people pay to drive/ride the road in a similar fashion to the Nürburgring.
The rest of the time, the speed restrictions which I believe are 30mph should be strictly enforced.
As for the noise itself, is there any actual specific definition of what is too noisy?
 

https://www.google.com/search?q=mot+exhaust+noise+limit+uk

Though it's an EU regulation, so we could now exert sovereignty and abolish it...

Exhaust noise seems to be a bit of a grey area:
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/tips-advice/361909/car-noise-limits-uk-laws-a...
As for your Brexit jibe, isn't that geting a bit tedious?

Brexit tedious? Yup, certainly is...

It get a bit tedious when it's used for any perceived failing to what is happening in the UK as a whole and in particular when it's used in local stories like noise limits in Cheddar Gorge.
I agree with you, Brexit is rubbish, but to shoehorn it in to stuff like this is bordering on the weird.

It's a weak attempt at humour, based on the fact that the noise regulation in question is EU 2014/540, according to the first google hit.

Humour is one way of dealing with the grinding stupidity that is Brexit.

Tell you what, we'll stop with the Brexit jibes when we see the positive impact it's had for the country.

As I see in the closure "bicycles" are still allowed. Thats going to be dangerous, since they usually come down faster than the cars!

I'd take a lifetime of Cheddar with no cars but the Tour de france every hour over an average summer evening with 50 rude bois, a load of fireworks, glass bottles and bass.

Let's close The Portway next.

It was brilliant at Avon when the tunnel was bult up by the bridge.  2 years of quiet