Will this sort out our traffic? Options

[Bofem]

I think most of us are aware that WBC wants to ban buses in Northbrook Street, scrap the taxi rank in the Market Place, and sundry other bits and bobs to address town centre traffic issues.

This is to be decided next week
They seemed to have missed me off their consultation, but did ask some 'interest groups' and here's what they said, with the WBC response on the right.

What do you all think?

[Paul Thompson]

Banning private vehicles from park Way is crazy because once again we are left with only the A339 for cars to cross town and this is normally packed during the rush hour and now will be overly busy all day.
All it will take is a minor bump and chaos will ensue.
WBC should either continue to allow private cars across the Park way bridge or provide an alternative. Locals should not have to use the by-pass to cross town and go miles out of their way through Wash Common and Speen.

[dannyboy]

Banning private vehicles from park Way is crazy because once again we are left with only the A339 for cars to cross town and this is normally packed during the rush hour and now will be overly busy all day.
All it will take is a minor bump and chaos will ensue.
WBC should either continue to allow private cars across the Park way bridge or provide an alternative. Locals should not have to use the by-pass to cross town and go miles out of their way through Wash Common and Speen.

During rush hour you can drive down Northbrook St.

[Richard Garvie]

During rush hour you can drive down Northbrook St.

I await to see the impact of this.

[Iommi]

During rush hour you can drive down Northbrook St.

I await to see the impact of this.

What do you mean; this happens now?

[Richard Garvie]

I await to see the impact of this.
What do you mean; this happens now?

What I meant was, I wait to see what impact it has on Norhbrook Street. I would have kept the pedestrian zone until 6pm, and I did make that point at the NRA meeting this week.

[Iommi]

What I meant was, I wait to see what impact it has on Norhbrook Street. I would have kept the pedestrian zone until 6pm, and I did make that point at the NRA meeting this week.

Why 'till 6? That seems, if you would excuse me, daft?

[Richard Garvie]

Why 'till 6? That seems, if you would excuse me, daft?

The shops open to 5:30 or 6pm. If the street suddenly fills with traffic, would you shop there? Let's hope I'm wrong, and that we don't see too much of a difference, but that is my concern. I can't see the harm of taxi's parking in the Market Square after 6pm either.

[Iommi]

The shops open to 5:30 or 6pm. If the street suddenly fills with traffic, would you shop there? Let's hope I'm wrong, and that we don't see too much of a difference, but that is my concern. I can't see the harm of taxi's parking in the Market Square after 6pm either.

Well rush hour starts to build up at around 4:30pm, yet in my experience, Northbrook Street is 'dead' at that time. Personally, whether traffic exists in Northbrook Street or not doesn't make any difference on my decision where to shop. Maybe I'm being chauvinistic, but I wouldn't expect to see 'housewives/husbands' with young kids in the highstreet at 5:00pm either. I really doubt pedestrianisation has made any real difference on the consumers choice to shop in town or not.

Taxies will want to wait in the busiest places in town. Historically, the north end of town is a graveyard and an unpopular place for taxies to wait.

[user23]

Well rush hour starts to build up at ~4:30pm, yet in my experience, Northbrook Street is 'dead' at that time. Personally, whether traffic exists in Northbrook Street or not doesn't make any difference on my decision where to shop. Maybe I'm being chauvinistic, but I would expect to see 'housewives/husbands' with young kids in the highstreet at 5:00pm either. I really doubt pedestrianisation has made any real difference on the consumers choice to shop in town or not.

Taxies will want be where the crowds are.

It gets busy again between 5 and 6 and some shops stay open until 6 to pick up trade from those walking home from work.

[Iommi]

It gets busy again between 5 and 6 and some shops stay open until 6 to pick up trade from those walking home from work.

Not when I've been down there it ain't, certainly 'busy' is an exaggeration in any case. You have to get the WH Smith before 5:25 for instance.

[user23]

Not when I've been down there it ain't, certainly 'busy' is an exaggeration in any case. You have to get the WH Smith before 5:25 for instance.

I walk the entire length between 5.30pm and 6.30pm many weekdays and it's by no means "dead" any time before 6pm.