Bath could be transformed into a 'mini-Holland' if the city follows the example of a London borough which overhauled its transport system.

But transport chiefs will have to ignore trolls and naysayers if they are to make radical changes to the way we move around the city, according to a politician who led changes in the capital.

Clyde Loakes' vote share shot up after he created a 'low traffic neighbourhoods' in the London borough of Waltham Forest – despite the warnings of a vocal minority.

The Liberal Democrats, who now have control of Bath and North East Somerset Council, want to follow his lead and made a manifesto pledge to introduce low traffic neighbourhoods in Bath.

These are groups of residential streets, bordered by main roads, where access to through traffic is restricted so cyclists and pedestrians can "reclaim the streets".

Invited to the Guildhall on January 28 to share his expertise, Mr Loakes said: "This is pushing the boundaries. We're turning the debate on its head.

"The Conservatives, Lib Dems and Greens all campaigned against mini-Holland, and even some of my own Labour colleagues.

"If I believed all that we would've been wiped out.

"My majority went through the roof. If you believe the angry trolls then you're doomed."

Mr Loakes said Prime Minister Boris Johnson came up with the term "mini-Holland" when he was the mayor of London and a keen cycling advocate.

He made funding available for transport schemes that prioritised cycling and Waltham Forest secured a share.

One of the first steps in creating low traffic neighbourhoods was installing "modal filters" – essentially moveable bollards that let pedestrians, cyclists and people on scooters or wheelchairs to pass through freely, but that restrict access for cars.

Cue hundreds of people demonstrating on the streets claiming the changes would be the death of their community.

Some compared the street furniture to the Berlin Wall.

But Mr Loakes said they were soon proved wrong: air quality improved, the roads became safer, footfall in shops increased.

"Now people say they wouldn't go back to how things were," said Mr Loakes.

"There's no rat running. The people driving through are just the people who live there. There's no speeding."

Restricting traffic in some areas inevitably pushes it into others.

But he said vehicles were diverted onto major trunk roads better designed to take them, reducing traffic volumes overall, adding: "As soon as you start to make it more difficult, people start to change their behaviour."

Another area of Waltham Forest that became a low traffic neighbourhood had been a dying shopping parade.

Business owners had insisted more parking was what they needed to boost trade, ignoring the fact that most of their customers did not come by car.

New customers and businesses flocked to the street when walkers and cyclists were prioritised and much of the parking was removed.

Some 850 spaces have been removed across Waltham Forest, and 800 new trees have been planted.

In 2013, 58,000 households were exposed to illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide. Now that is down to 6,000.

The council needs to tackle a similar issue in Bath and is introducing a clean air zone to do it, but some claim just charging the worst polluting vehicles does not go far enough.

Mr Loakes conceded Waltham Forest, a small, largely residential area in northeast London, faces different challenges to Bath, and said it would be up to the council to work out the detail.

He advocated residents' parking zones across the city, saying it needed to deter commuters from driving in.

Council leader Dine Romero said: "This has been a real call to arms.

"We need to work together. We need you to add your voices in support.

"Our vision is to create a connected city for the future."

Cabinet member for transport, Joanna Wright, said: "Low traffic neighbourhoods benefit not only the environment and health, but also social justice. 29 per cent of carbon emissions are transport related.

"43 per cent are for journeys of less than 3km.

"Those statistics are no longer acceptable.

"Our planet is burning. The climate emergency forces us all to do things differently.

"We will be implementing low traffic neighbourhoods across the city of Bath."

Nothing has yet been decided but Ms Wright hopes the council will make progress over the next two years.