Council abandons Rugby town safety measures after call for review

Local, national, international and oddball news stories

Council abandons Rugby town safety measures after call for review

Postby dutchman » Fri Jun 26, 2020 11:23 pm

Businesses in Rugby town centre didn't agree with the temporary measures being put into place

Image

Temporary changes to Rugby town centre, which aimed to make visits safer for shoopers, have been scrapped.

It comes after the leader of Rugby Borough Council called for a review of the measures.

Earlier this week, Warwickshire County Council released a number of safety measures in Rugby, including one-way traffic flows and changes to parking and bus stops.

The scheme had been put into place so as to follow government guidance around the reopening of retail on 15 June, and in anticipation of further reopening of the hospitality sector on July 4.

It was designed to create additional space required for social distancing and to give people visiting the town centre confidence that they could move about safely. It created additional space for queuing and for bars and restaurants to be able to seat customers outside.

Councillor Seb Lowe appealed to the county council to review the measures after businesses in the town centre said the measures had impacted on trade.

“The Prime Minister has announced that social distancing guidelines will soon be reduced to one metre plus, so it’s important that this change is also taken into account.”

Now, Warwickshire County Council took the decision to remove the measures and have street furniture reinstalled from Sunday.

Cllr Jeff Clarke, Portfolio Holder for Transport and Planning at Warwickshire County Council, said: “It is disappointing that we have not come to a consensus on what was needed in Rugby.

“Unfortunately, we have not been able to agree a compromise in Rugby. We were not willing to continue with the scheme without their full backing or that of the Borough Council.”

Image
User avatar
dutchman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 50286
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:24 am
Location: Spon End

Return to News

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests

  • Ads