Colchester High Street car ban trial to start in November (From Essex County Standard)
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Colchester High Street car ban trial to start in November
1:34pm Friday 7th September 2012 in News By James Calnan
A TRIAL ban on cars using Colchester High Street will be launched in November.
Highways officers from Essex County Council have been carrying out checks in the town centre.
An engineer told a source the preliminary works were in preparation for a ban on all vehicles, except buses, bikes and taxis, using the High Street during the day.
County Hall has refused to release further details of the trial.
Opposition to a permanent ban during a consultation in March was so great county council bosses told Colchester Council it could only go ahead after a public inquiry.
A temporary ban is not expected to require an inquiry and will allow the authorities to make changes, if problems arise.
Businesses opposed the proposals because delivery vehicles would be barred from 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, while disabled campaigners said the loss of parking spaces would affect their ability to shop in the town centre.
Ron Levy, secretary of Colchester Retail/Business Association, said he believed a car ban would reduce congestion dramatically.
But he added: “If a trial scheme includes a ban on cars and delivery vehicles, then we would be extremely unhappy with that. We hope common sense will prevail.”
Michael Rance, of East Stockwell Street, opposes the plan because it would make his street a two-way road by moving bollards up to the junction with the High Street.
He said: “There is no great difference between the pavement and the road on East Stockwell Street, so in effect all our doors would open directly on to any traffic.”
Essex County Council was unable to say if delivery vehicles and blue badge holders would be able to use the High Street under the temporary ban.
In a statement, a spokesman said: “Essex County Council and Colchester Council are working together to deliver transport improvements in Colchester town centre. These improvements include proposals for traffic restrictions in the town centre.”
Comments(31)
Checkout
says...
2:40pm Fri 7 Sep 12
The REAL Norm
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2:55pm Fri 7 Sep 12
hughie-s
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3:48pm Fri 7 Sep 12
SamEssex
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4:07pm Fri 7 Sep 12
SamEssex
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4:07pm Fri 7 Sep 12
romantic
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4:54pm Fri 7 Sep 12
Of course some people will be grumbling about it, but we need to move away from everything being centred on the car. Air quality is not an especially "sexy" subject, but the High Street is pretty polluted when the traffic is jammed up.
I do think we need to move towards the High Street being fully pedestrianised, with access only to emergency vehicles. But that is perhaps a longer term thing.
Reginald47
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5:06pm Fri 7 Sep 12
Bigh321
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5:32pm Fri 7 Sep 12
omgwtfbbq
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6:07pm Fri 7 Sep 12
there are also a number of charity shops in the high street that rely on donations being dropped off in the day, these will not be able to function when the road is shut,
A trial is not needed the high street has shut for a number of events in the past and shops have already reported massive losses on them days.
Simon Taylor
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6:34pm Fri 7 Sep 12
romantic wrote:I agree with romantic. A sensible trial period is the way forwards and some solutions to perceived problems will be found through necessity, but I do wonder at the secrecy surrounding the whole thing.
I say give it a go for a few months and see how it goes. Better to do it this way than spend millions re-building everything. But we need to give it a while before deciding it has or hasn´t worked.
Of course some people will be grumbling about it, but we need to move away from everything being centred on the car. Air quality is not an especially "sexy" subject, but the High Street is pretty polluted when the traffic is jammed up.
I do think we need to move towards the High Street being fully pedestrianised, with access only to emergency vehicles. But that is perhaps a longer term thing.
While we're at it, we could trial a change in the direction of traffic in Priory Street, with sensibly timed traffic lights, to further reduce the number of cars in Queen Street.
Boris
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6:51pm Fri 7 Sep 12
SamEssex wrote:Can't you get to work before 10 am?
So I Can't access my Private parking space in town. Without driving around scenic route which no doubt is going to end up ungodly busy.
CJ1989
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9:27pm Fri 7 Sep 12
I'd happily give up the convenience of driving down the high street for a proper, fully pedestrianised street, like Chelmsford. But to ban it to cars, while allowing buses, bikes, and taxis just seems absurd. All of the inconvenience, but none of the benefits of a pedestrianised high street.
I wish whoever is in charge (it's still a lib-lab coalition isn't it?) would make up their mind about what to do with the town centre. While they're messing about deciding on how to not-quite-pedestrian
ise the high street, and whether the retail should be in the town or out-of-town, shops are closing and businesses are going elsewhere.
I'll be interested to see how this trial turns out, but I'm guessing it'll be exactly as it is now, but that little bit less convenient.
burlyb
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12:38pm Sat 8 Sep 12
network driver
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5:05pm Sat 8 Sep 12
wellnow
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7:55am Sun 9 Sep 12
TheCaptain
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11:31am Mon 10 Sep 12
burlyb wrote:as long as you know best hey.
the only LOW standards in all of this are the people who think they know best for this town....half of them are libDIM's and the other are suit wearers who have not got a clue what day it is let alone any practical hands on "past experience" of anything worthwhile...you can NOT route around a town on a hill you useless mugs....wake up and smell the coffee....this is going to be more of MY tax £'s down the ever widening drain and it's all due to wasters who really have no idea of practicalities
network driver
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11:45am Mon 10 Sep 12
burlyb wrote:mug!!!
the only LOW standards in all of this are the people who think they know best for this town....half of them are libDIM's and the other are suit wearers who have not got a clue what day it is let alone any practical hands on "past experience" of anything worthwhile...you can NOT route around a town on a hill you useless mugs....wake up and smell the coffee....this is going to be more of MY tax £'s down the ever widening drain and it's all due to wasters who really have no idea of practicalities
icecoolmark
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7:55pm Tue 11 Sep 12
network driver
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8:02pm Tue 11 Sep 12
icecoolmark wrote:Never been stuck in traffic in the high street? Ain't you the lucky one!
Ive never been stuck in 'traffic' on the high street! who makes this stuff up? I moved here from Kent 9 years ago, I think i'd like to go back please. At least they seem sensible and the countryside is nicer there!
Truth be told, its the travesty that is "east gates" and "network rail" that itself and itself alone gridlocks our town.
jut1972
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8:42pm Tue 11 Sep 12
A trial is sensible but CBC should be upfront and give some good reasons why they are doing this.
burlyb
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10:51pm Tue 11 Sep 12
network driver wrote:prize cunet
icecoolmark wrote: Ive never been stuck in 'traffic' on the high street! who makes this stuff up? I moved here from Kent 9 years ago, I think i'd like to go back please. At least they seem sensible and the countryside is nicer there!Never been stuck in traffic in the high street? Ain't you the lucky one! Truth be told, its the travesty that is "east gates" and "network rail" that itself and itself alone gridlocks our town.
burlyb
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10:53pm Tue 11 Sep 12
TheCaptain wrote:another one who sports a full beard and talks like one
burlyb wrote: the only LOW standards in all of this are the people who think they know best for this town....half of them are libDIM's and the other are suit wearers who have not got a clue what day it is let alone any practical hands on "past experience" of anything worthwhile...you can NOT route around a town on a hill you useless mugs....wake up and smell the coffee....this is going to be more of MY tax £'s down the ever widening drain and it's all due to wasters who really have no idea of practicalitiesas long as you know best hey.
rlee51
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11:59pm Tue 11 Sep 12
Then all the bays in the High Street after West Stockwell Street could be used for disabled parking.
These bays could be accssed via St Nicholas Street, Maidenbough Street, Williams Walk and West Stockwell Street.
However, during a trial period Disable Badge Holders would be able to access those bays by driving down the High Street.
This way, lorries could still make deliveries during the ban, disabled can access the High Street and there would still be a reduction in the polution levels.
romantic
says...
9:01am Wed 12 Sep 12
rlee51 wrote:You seriously want to route all the traffic down through the Dutch Quarter? Do you not remember the regular times when trucks are stuck down there because their sat navs send them that way?
If the trafic ban started at East Stockwell Street, all vehicles would enter the top of the high street but cars and lorries would have to turn left and go down West Stockwell Street.
Then all the bays in the High Street after West Stockwell Street could be used for disabled parking.
These bays could be accssed via St Nicholas Street, Maidenbough Street, Williams Walk and West Stockwell Street.
However, during a trial period Disable Badge Holders would be able to access those bays by driving down the High Street.
This way, lorries could still make deliveries during the ban, disabled can access the High Street and there would still be a reduction in the polution levels.
The traffic ban as mooted would allow deliveries to be made before 10.00. This works for plenty of other towns, no reason why it cannot work here.
At the moment, although you can´t see it, the town centre is a polluted place, and that is fully down to the traffic.
Long-term, we need to move towards a completely vehicle-free High Street, it would be a cleaner and much nicer place.
mattym1983
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7:08pm Wed 12 Sep 12
Simon Taylor wrote:Been reading the post and i aggree this is a bad idear to close the high street to all i have worked in a charity shop in the town and it kneeds access tho the day with collections and delevierys.
romantic wrote:I agree with romantic. A sensible trial period is the way forwards and some solutions to perceived problems will be found through necessity, but I do wonder at the secrecy surrounding the whole thing.
I say give it a go for a few months and see how it goes. Better to do it this way than spend millions re-building everything. But we need to give it a while before deciding it has or hasn´t worked.
Of course some people will be grumbling about it, but we need to move away from everything being centred on the car. Air quality is not an especially "sexy" subject, but the High Street is pretty polluted when the traffic is jammed up.
I do think we need to move towards the High Street being fully pedestrianised, with access only to emergency vehicles. But that is perhaps a longer term thing.
While we're at it, we could trial a change in the direction of traffic in Priory Street, with sensibly timed traffic lights, to further reduce the number of cars in Queen Street.
So where is all the traffic ment to go up a very congested balkne hill down a very conjested southway.
lets just say i live priory st currently im come home 6.30 come off a12 down rembrance ave up north hill down high st qweens st home all very busy but i still make a good time.
Now close the high street to me i have to go bulkne hill- south way- magdelen street -brook street.
all currently very congested thats an extra hr travil there easy then east hill qweens st
Not just that but there r flatts above some of the shops on the high street if i lived there how can i park my car in my private space
and i saw what u said boris no i cant i start work 6pm no fxxking way am i gonna get there b4 10 am i dont get home till 7am on nights
mattym1983
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7:11pm Wed 12 Sep 12
mattym1983
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7:13pm Wed 12 Sep 12
Sidney Harbour-Bridge
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8:46pm Wed 12 Sep 12
But not with anyone else it would seem
rhetoric
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9:42am Fri 14 Sep 12
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If you have something heavy to take there, you could use a sack barrow or garden wheeled conveyor of some kind!
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The time you save when not sitting in self-imposed traffic snarls you could spend on literacy classes! You might then make more of an impact/ impression on other posters.
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If the Town Centre in Colchester is represented by your sort of person with your sort of "logic", no wonder things are in a mess.
suvvers2003
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12:53pm Sun 16 Sep 12
But, despite all the good reasons for banning traffic from High Street, I do have reservations. There is a lot of traffic using High Street all day and that traffic would have to go somewhere. And since the road infrastructure around Colchester is so appallingly bad say hello to massive congestion on Balkerne Hill, Southway, Magdalen Street, Brook Street, East Street, Ipswich Road, and Cowdray Avenue!
Good luck Colchester, I'm glad I don't work there any more
Scoot says...
2:14pm Fri 7 Sep 12