After a lorry got stuck on a bollard in Milsom Street this week, causing huge traffic delays, calls were made to pave and pedestrianise it. Every week in the Chronicle Debate we present two sides of an issue – however this week we couldn't find a single person who thought this was a bad idea. We'd love to know what you think – do you support the pedestrianisation of Milsom Street, or should it be left as it is? Tweet us: @bathchron, or email news@.co.uk
Chief executive, Bath BID Company, Andrew Cooper
Currently, you see a lot of traffic circulating as people look for parking spaces close to the shops. This traffic tends to build up in the street during the day and makes it difficult for pedestrians to cross. It is also not good for the green agenda to have this much traffic idling in the city centre.
There is also a considerable amount of freight activity during the daytime and last week a huge articulated lorry took out a bollard which blocked the road, causing traffic delays and a great deal of inconvenience. While the infrastructure of our heritage city is challenging for deliveries to our businesses, the movement of goods needs to be managed in a sensitive way. In discussion with businesses, set times for deliveries would now seem like a sensible conversation to be having.
In general heavy goods vehicles and lots of local traffic is not conducive to providing a quality shopping experience. Therefore, the more short and long-term car parks available along with park & ride sites reduces the need for central on-street parking. If parking bays were removed from Milsom Street the city could benefit from having wider pavements making it easier for pedestrians.
So is pedestrianisation of Milsom Street a good thing? Yes. It would mean people could shop in comfort and dwell in a more relaxed way. Ultimately if we want our shops to thrive we have to create an environment that offers a nice visiting experience.