‘Nail in the Coffin’
Pedestrianisation is killing Bridgend Town
It may not be the only factor but is certainly not helping! Has anyone wondered why in your average Out-of-Town Mall or supermarket car-park; cars, people, children, prams, shopping trolleys and other shopping paraphernalia can occupy the same space, seemingly unmanaged! There are no dedicated pavements, zebra crossings or other safety features, yet within our town centres across Wales, we have this ‘risk averse’ premise that pedestrians and traffic shouldn’t occupy the same space. The whole notion of a “Town Centre”, surely, should be that it is the centre of things and being at the centre means it should be accessibility! This is a key success factor of the Out-of-Town model, a double standard!
Philip Arundale from Colwyn Bay who runs a greengrocer set up by his great grandfather there in 1878, has decided to close and concentrate on deliveries instead. He says pedestrianisation has been a "big nail in the coffin”
Chris Dearden reported in the North West Wales BBC News February 12th 2013
“Welsh councils are being asked to look again at pedestrian zones amid concern they are deterring shoppers. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) says towns need to find new ways to attract people.They should make them easier to get to and easier for car drivers to navigate around, it says. RICS members are meeting this week to discuss what should be done to make town centres more accessible and get more people spending there” “The key issue is accessibility. Small and medium-sized towns need to think about how they attract cars in the future with improved parking and making the shops more accessible.”
"It will not put the clock back, but improved accessibility may attract new independent retailers." The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
Support our Town Centre, sign this petition to get Bridgend Council to remove the pedestrianisation!