'Golden Mile' U-turn expected

Traders lost business

Hard-hit traders in Paignton’s Golden Mile have welcomed reports that a controversial pedestrianisation scheme they say has turned the resort into a “ghost town” could be scrapped.

The new Conservative administration on Torbay Council – voted in at local elections earlier this month – is understood to be ready to announce major changes to the scheme introduced last year under the previous council – then led by a coalition of Liberal Democrats and Independents.

A lengthy public consultation carried out before the vehicle ban was introduced resulted in a clear majority of respondents in favour of banning cars from Torbay Road, the “Golden Mile” street of arcades, shops, cafes and bars leading from the town centre to the sea front.

But when the scheme launched as a trial last September, some traders reported business dropping dramatically. Shoppers said they liked the traffic-free street, but one long-serving shop owner said he had experienced his first ever day of taking no money at all, as passing trade dropped away.

Angry traders took to the streets in a placard-waving protest demanding the road be re-opened, and a number of Conservative candidates lent their support in the run-up to the elections.

Now the majority Tory party on the council is poised to announce sweeping changes to the scheme which, it is understood, will allow traffic back.

As another “trial”, vehicles could be re-introduced from the level crossing, going one way down the street towards the sea front as far as the Garfield Road junction.

Drivers would meet cars coming up the one-way street from the sea front there, and turn into either Garfield Road or Queens Road. It is understood the proposal will also open more parking spaces and improve the area for pedestrians on the ‘sunny’ north side of the street.

The proposals are also expected to see Hyde Road returned to two lanes of traffic, with bollards that now squeeze traffic into one lane removed. Many of the bollards have been damaged since they were installed.

The new arrangement could be in place before the start of the summer tourist season.

Council leader David Thomas (Con, Preston) said: “We had so many people on the doorstep before the election talking to us about it, and when we went down to Torbay Road we had people stopping us in the street.

“Whatever we do is not going to please everybody, but you can’t please all the people all the time. Quite a lot of people said that in principle they were up for pedestrianisation, but once they had experienced it, it hadn’t worked out as they wanted it to.”

Martin Bullus, who has run the Come West clothing store in Torbay Road since 1985, said it would be “fantastic” if traffic was allowed back in. Mr Bullus was one of the leaders of the protest in the street and said the effect of pedestrianisation on his business had been “catastrophic”.

He said: “We hear the Tories are going to keep their word and re-open the road. We’re very pleased, but we hope we get a lot more parking here as well.

“We don’t know the details yet, but it’s a good result. It’s a step in the right direction, but we’d still like to see some progress on the parking.

“It has been dreadful down here. When the tourists are here you can hit some figures, but when they’re not here it’s like a ghost town.”

Categories: Transport Policy