Trade ‘not hit by traffic cut’
Wednesday 10th September 2008, 1:55PM BST.
More shoppers were attracted to Shrewsbury during an experiment to cut traffic, it was reported today, despite shopkeepers claiming that trade had been hit.The scheme was carried out to coincide with major roadworks and county council figures released today showed the number of vehicles entering the town centre fell by 4,300 a day – a drop of 16 per cent.
But over the same period the number of people visiting shops and cafes rose by almost eight per cent.
Despite the figures, business leaders today maintained trade had suffered as a result of the trial, which they claimed was badly timed.
The county council decided during its town centre centre improvement works, which involved the closure of Dogpole, to trial a vehicle reduction scheme from April 7 to May 23, with traffic being re-routed.
A report to Shirehall watchdogs tomorrow says: “Evidence collected during the closure period suggests the number of people accessing the town centre increased compared to the previous year.
“Overall, pedestrian, cycle, bus, park and ride, and car park user figures recorded an overall 7.9 per cent increase in the numbers of people entering the town centre on an average day during the closure.”
It adds: “Concern was expressed by businesses that the disruption caused by the road closure and road works during this period would deter people from shopping in Shrewsbury town centre. However footfall counts in the Pride Hill and Darwin shopping centres show that the number of people in the town centre did not reduce during the closure.”
The report says there was a generally negative perception of the road closure and a retailers’ survey showed the majority of businesses blamed the trial and road closures for falling of trade.
Simon Airey, chairman of Shrewsbury Business Chamber, said today: “All the feedback we were getting back from our members was that business was being affected probably by a combination of factors but certainly not being helped with the road closures.
“Consequently Phil Crossland from Shropshire County Council highways department came to see the chamber and we started working with him on the Shop in the Loop scheme.
“I don’t think the council would have taken the time to come and see us about it, and put the banners up, if they didn’t feel at the time that the road closures were having a negative effect on businesses.”
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Thats great ignore the businesses that actually know how there trade was affected and tell every one that business improved , im sorry but we are being run by a bunch of morons , all down hill from now on .
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This “report” is absolute rubbish! Trade was definitely hit hard, and so many visitors commented they will never come back to Shrewsbury. It killed Shrewsbury. So, whoever said it did not deter visitors is barking mad.
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I guess I’ll have to by the star tonight to see who ‘reported it’ !!
Might it be the council by any chance whose decision it was to impose choas on us all….
I wonder!
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Perhaps the shopkeepers told a few porkies ??? They do seem to claim every little thing has affected their trade.
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i for one didn’t go near the place during that time. The town was a mess. This sounds made up!
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I made the comment at the time of these temporary road closures that the council would say that it has been a ‘rip-roaring success’ and guess what?! Next prediction – the council will introduce new road closurers on the back of this ‘success’ but these will be forever. Council’s working for the people? Not in Shropshire!
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This is just statistics about foot flow!
Why doesn’t the Council listen to the traders? If it was better for trade, they would be all for it!
But no it sems that public money is better spend on ridiculous surveys that mean nothing – what happened to common sense?
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Outside of all the traffic chaos and supposed loss of trade – not being a trader I can’t comment however, I did find that when the road past the square and down past millets was closed for the street theatre walking around town was great. So I would welcome traffic not being in the town at all and in fact would then come here rather than going elsewhere!
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I found Shrewsbury to be far more pleasant and enjoyable during the experiment than at any other time, ever.
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Sign of things to come!
Your Caring County Council. I agree with Sammy Mac.
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Did Amazed and Grey actually spend more as a result of the closure?
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I really do believe the trade in town was effected, I feel so sorry for the many traders. Many people stopped coming into the town, and decided to go to Telford. In this current climate we need to be pushing for people to come into the town centre, free parking needs to be available more often, with more investments in marketing the Town. Shrewsbury has an amazing selection of independent retailers and well known shops, but the council doesn’t seem to care about supporting them.
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it shows the town can go green and still grow rich, well done to the council, the pavements look great too
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Well,
As the report says:
““Overall, pedestrian, cycle, bus, park and ride, and car park user figures recorded an overall 7.9 per cent increase in the numbers of people entering the town centre on an average day during the closure.”
And WHAT would a “sensible or logical conclusion” be from this “7.9%” increase?
Well …
If you block off roads, so normal traffic can’t get through, then I suppose it’s rather obvious that some of that traffic will use some other means (AND go elsewhere too!) … but …
Then, of course…….,
The 7.9% DOESN’T mean therefore, an OVERALL increase in volume, because it has to be balanced against the 100% of lost traffic, courtesy of the road closure !!!
So .. so much for that 7.9% !!
(could be 100-7.9 = 92.1% DECREASE??!!)
The car is here to stay for a while yet.
It is a major from of travel for the “potential customer” , and also is capable of transporting more value of purchased goods per journey than by foot, bycycle, or bus.
So … without it .. trade per “customer visit”
would be likely to fall, possibly quite dramatically in town centres
Car travel has been developing over 80 odd years, and we can’t just exclude it overnight from the economic system.
You cannot, in ANY system, be it mechanical, electrical, political,or economic, just “switch” from one “parameter” to another, without introducing instability.
And that is what is happening here, …
And it can’t be “proved” as a success by any stretch of the imagination, by one set of very dubious statistics.
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I’m with john davies on this one, the town centre is so much more pleasant as pedestrian only and its only lazy illegal parkers who complain about the fact that you can’t drive through the town.
parkrights gonna get ya
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Well you know the saying ” there are lies, damn lies and statistics” sounds about right for this situation. Being a regular in the town centre you could see the place was virtually deserted on occasion. How they can say this with a straight face is beyond me. They must think we are stupid.
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LOOKS LIKE THE DOOM MONGERS WERE WRONG THEN, WELL DONE SCC HIGHWAYS DEPT
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And the businesses that had to close down due to the uncompensated roadworks? What of them?
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The fact remains that Traders dont want it for commercial reasons. Trade is one thing, foot flow another.
Why wont the Council listen to the Traders who are the heart and soul of the town?
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so why was tax payers money spent on the shop in the loop campaign then if the traders were lying about their takings going down? Lets get the money back off them and pedestrianise more of town as a priority
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I don’t think that a business closing down can blame the traffic system. there is a recession on you know..
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so why are us tax payers paying for the shop in the loop campaign then???
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Surely if “the number of people visiting shops and cafes rose by 8%” it is reasonable to assume the shops takings would have also increased by a similar amount. Or is there a known link between pedestrianisation and window shopping? Increased footflow has to lead to increased takings for almost any shop.
spencer is absolutely right that the current economic climate is far more likely to be the cause of a reduction of spending per customer.
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askeric dotcom: Re comment 14 – Excellent, I never saw it like that. You are so right!
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askeric/Lucy W
You need to read the report more carefully. It says
“Overall, pedestrian, cycle, bus, park and ride, and car park user figures recorded an overall 7.9 per cent increase in the numbers of people entering the town centre on an average day”
It is saying quite clearly that the number of people entering the town centre increased by 7.9%.
It is NOT saying the number of people increased by 7.9% in comparison to the number of people previously entering EXCLUDING CAR DRIVERS.
The survey would have been conducted by counting pedestrians. The only people who will have been missed would be car drivers who drove through the centre without getting out of their car, and I hardly think they would have spent much !
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David: Fair point. But at the end of th day, this is a council statistic on foot-flow. The traders give a different light on the matter and say trade was down despite the increased foot-flow.
The Traders should be listened to – they are the people that make Shresbury Town Centre what it is – not some statiticians in the council.
It say a 7.9% increase, but an increase on what? The previous month that may have been rainy? The same month last year – that may have been rainy? The average day throughout the year? Its just a statistic and means nothing as it can’t be held up to scrutiny. While the Traders say they didn’t like it, I’m with them – if it was better, they’d be all for it. Its as simple as that.
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