Poll backs part-time closure of Shrewsbury High Street
Campaigners who want to pedestrianise a busy Shrewsbury town centre road for part of the day say more than 50 per cent of businesses surveyed have backed the plan.
A survey carried out by Friends of the Earth Shrewsbury and Bus Users Shropshire found that 55 per cent of 55 businesses questioned were in favour of proposals to stop cars using High Street, Mardol Head, and Shoplatch from 10am to 3pm, Monday to Saturday.
The groups had submitted a proposal to Shropshire Council earlier this year, which is still under consideration.
Out of the 47 businesses that responded to the survey, 26 were in favour of the plan, 10 were uncertain, and 11 against it.
Barbara Philips, joint co-ordinator for Shrewsbury Friends of the Earth, said they had been encouraged by the support the proposals received.
She said: "We felt it was an important survey because in the past it has been generally been considered, rightly or wrongly, that businesses along the High Street and in the centre were opposed to restricting traffic in any way. Now this has shown that is not necessarily the case.
"We see it as encouraging and we think the point has to be made that people in cars cannot go into shops. It does not benefit for people to be going past in cars. Also people on foot dislike the traffic and town centres where there is traffic are where people spend less time and less money."
The survey also found that 12 of the businesses that were not in favour of the plans cited delivery problems as the reason.
Mrs Philips said that if the issues around deliveries could be resolved then the total in favour could rise to as much as 80.9 per cent.
The groups also presented their proposals to Shrewsbury Town Council at the Local Joint Committee meeting last night.
The proposals suggest closing High Street, Mardol Head, and Shoplatch, from 10am to 3pm, Monday to Saturday, with buses, bicycles, and disability scooters exempt.
As part of the plans there would be permanent/demountable bollards at the junction of Princess Street and the Square, with Princess Street open to two-way traffic.
Other recommendations include installing signs on all routes into Shrewsbury, with the groups indicating a preference for them to display real time information about traffic flow, car parking spaces, and prices.
