Risk of more restrictions on coach movements in Bourton-on-the-Water has returned after the village’s Parish Council agreed to formally ask Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) to introduce a further Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO).
An opening 12-month ETRO started on 6 November 2025. It created a drop-off and pick-up bay for two coaches in Meadow Way. That allows stopping for five minutes with no return permitted for 30 minutes and is in place to move coaches away from the village centre. Vehicles are expected to park at the nearby Pulhams Coaches depot.
Success of that approach has been questioned by residents and industry representatives. It has been claimed that coaches continue to use other areas of Bourton. Papers that went before a Parish Council meeting on 7 January pointed to “widespread dissatisfaction” with the arrangements.
Enforcement of the ETRO has also been criticised, while there have been “continuous complaints” of coach engines left idling. However, the papers also noted the economic value of visitors arriving in Bourton by coach. The ETRO may be withdrawn at the six-month point if it is judged unsuccessful.
At an extraordinary Parish Council meeting on 9 February, GCC Cllr Paul Hodgkinson said that the existing ETRO was the only option available at the time of its introduction but that an “officer group” has now been established to consider traffic issues in Bourton.
An amended motion carried at that meeting involves a formal approach to GCC for another ETRO that will restrict coach access from the A429 Fosse Way onto Station Road, Rissington Road and The Steeps, but allow turning right from Meadow Way onto Station Road for the Fosse Way.
If ultimately adopted by GCC, it would appear to restrict coaches to entering Bourton only via Meadow Way and ban them from much of the village. Problems with coach access have been present since closure of the Bourton Vale parking area at the end of 2023.
Some mainstream media sources have quoted a local councillor as likening Bourton to “Venice in the Cotswolds” in reference to over-tourism, but other parties have pointed out the benefits to businesses in Bourton of coaches.
Speaking about the current ETRO, RHA Operations Manager – Coach Sector Andy Warrender says that operator response has been mixed, with many now avoiding Bourton because of restrictions and others that would do the same if they could.
“The [existing ETRO] arrangement serves a purpose, but the general feeling seems to be that the distance to the village centre is an issue, particularly for those with impaired mobility,” Mr Warrender continues.
In Bibury, another Gloucestershire village where steps to cut coach numbers are in hand, an increase in people carriers and similar has been seen. The same could happen in Bourton if the proposed ETRO progresses.
“The fact that people still want to go to Bibury raises the spectre of multiple journeys in smaller vehicles if coaches are not accommodated, something that is already an issue for a number of destinations,” he adds.
“While the Cotswolds still figures strongly on the itineraries of overseas groups, the issues with coaches do not present a particularly welcoming image of the UK to them.”
Cllr Hodgkinson told the 9 February meeting that GCC as the highways authority is likely to seek clarification of the existing ETRO and ask whether the Parish Council would contribute financially to any new Order. A review of the current ETRO was due later the same week of the 9 February meeting.
