South Gloucestershire Council have just announced that buses will once again be allowed to travel in a single direction up Thornbury High Street.
No date for the reopening has been given.
This partial concession is too late to help the High Street shops & businesses with their Christmas Trade and could still take months to implement.
The High Street is still struggling for survival since SGC first closed the High Street 18 months ago.
SGC have now identified the need to talk to the various bus operators & reschedule routes, redesign the road layout at entry points of The Pump, Castle Court and exit point at Midland Way/Bristol Road mini roundabout, new road markings, removal of street furniture, new signage, new position for bus stop and constructing raised kerbs for bus passengers to alight.
Who will be paying for these alterations which could have so easily have been avoided if SGC had not been so hasty with closure of the High Street?
Is this a concession that we should welcome or is it an indicator that SGC’s “Vision” has failed?
Hopefully, it is just the first of many steps that SGC will be forced to take following immense pressure from the public.
It is a very significant step for those who are partially mobile and who will now at last be able to take the bus right into the heart of the High Street to visit shops and businesses. Shops and businesses will benefit, but only once the reopening issues are resolved.
Until through traffic is reintroduced and one hour parking & disabled spaces are again allowed there will still be a significant shortfall in the health of the High Street. Those with mobility problems will continue to experience problems accessing the shops and the various activities in the Town Centre
Mixed traffic will be permitted including Cycles in both directions, buses, delivery traffic, collection & drop off and access to the homes off the High Street.
It will not be classed as Pedestrian area.
Now that most traffic will be permitted it is surely time to allow the full flow of traffic?
What is SGC waiting for?
The considerable problems caused by the diversion route for traffic along Midland Way, Rock Street and the Plain do not appear to be considered a major problem by SGC or TTC.
Can their claims to support the Environment and Climate Emergency be taken seriously?
There is still no overall design plan for the Centre of Thornbury. Surely this should be prepared and made public before SGC makes any further decisions