Warwickshire County Council has announced that, as part of the on-going review of the roadspace reallocation scheme in and around the centre of Warwick, various adaptations have...
Warwickshire County Council has announced that, as part of the on-going review of the roadspace reallocation scheme in and around the centre of Warwick, various adaptations have been made following ongoing engagement with, and feedback from, businesses and residents:
Swan Street - Having listened to feedback from partners, businesses and local Councillors, Swan Street has been reopened to traffic. The daytime closure of Swan Street was introduced as part of a package of measures designed to create space for social distancing and to give people confidence they could safely visit the town centre following the re-opening of non-essential retail in mid-June and the anticipated reopening of the hospitality sector.
High Street / Jury Street / The Butts - The one-way measures on High Street / Jury Street / The Butts, cycle lane on Banbury Road / Castle Hill and the complementary measures on Castle Lane are also being removed in light of increasing traffic volumes in the town. It is anticipated that these changes will be made before the end of the week, with Thursday evening a target. The cycle lane on Banbury Road / Castle Hill and the one-way restriction on High Street / Jury Street were introduced to support active travel by providing part of a key missing cycle link into the town. This was in line with Government guidance which continues to advise people to walk or cycle wherever possible and to avoid using public transport. These measures were also designed to provide an environment which was less dominated by traffic in which it would be easier for people to observe social distancing. The one-way restriction on The Butts and a reversal of the one-way flow on Castle Lane were introduced to support the overall traffic flow around the town.
One-way Restrictions - With traffic beginning to return to near normal levels and delays being experienced on journeys into and across the town centre from the south of Warwick, the decision has been made to remove the one-way restrictions from Warwick.
Market Place - The weekend closure of Market Place for the Saturday market will be retained.
Councillor Jeff Clarke, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for transport and planning, said: “We have always said that we would 'Act and Adapt' these measures in response to feedback, Government guidance and local needs. It has been a fast-changing situation in which we have been working at incredible pace to safeguard public health and support economic recovery.
“We have been listening to residents, businesses and partners and monitoring the situation carefully and feel that Swan Street should now be reopened to traffic and the one-way restrictions we introduced as part of our initial response to the public health crisis should now be removed. We will continue to monitor the situation carefully in Warwick and, if necessary, will take additional steps to safeguard public health which remains of paramount importance.”
Last week the County Council confirmed funding to progress the Warwick Town Centre Improvement Scheme which incorporates changes to traffic flows, including a one-way system which is broadly similar to the restrictions introduced as part of the temporary reallocation measures.
A fundamental difference between the two schemes, however, is that the longer term proposal retains two in-bound traffic lanes on Banbury Road and Castle Hill which will provide greater capacity and enable traffic to flow more freely than the temporary scheme which was designed for lower traffic volumes and has seen this section of road reduced to a single lane.
The proposed scheme will also make changes at key gateways to improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists as well as easing traffic flows. Further public and stakeholder engagement will be carried out on the Warwick Town Centre Improvement Scheme over coming months.