Motorists already using new pedestrian zone in Wolverhampton city centre as rat run

On Sunday, changes to the centre's roads came into effect, including pedestrianising a section of Princess Street, reversing the traffic flow on Queen Street and part of Market Street becoming one-way.

But one trader today said that the controversial scheme could lead to the closure of their rehearsal studio business due to people not being able to access their building.

The changes have meant motorists who had been able to access Castle Street and Tower Street from Princess Street now have to do so via the Ring Road. But to avoid that, vehicles have been using a pedestrian section from Lichfield Street along Pipers Row as a rat-run - and the Express & Star has found that during one hour alone, a total of 132 cars and three motorbikes illegally drove through the zone.

During that time, our investigation found cars frequently turning left from Queen Street through the 'no go zone' with vehicles also driving up from the direction of Lichfield Street.

West Midlands Police has said that it is aware of the problems and carrying out regular patrols of the section

Sergeant Laura Wilson from Wolverhampton Police, said: "We are aware that some drivers are continuing to use Pipers Row and we are regularly carrying out enforcement operations in the area to tackle the issue.

"Anyone caught driving along the road will be issued with a fixed penalty notice and a number of tickets have already been given to drivers since the road was pedestrianised."

Those issued a fixed penalty notice will get a £50 fine.

The city council said it introduced the changes to create better links between the shopping area of the city and the bus and rail stations.

However, not everyone is happy with the changes, with the bosses of The Beat Foundry Multimedia Studio in Princess Alley worried the new road system could put them out of business.

City-centre resident Nicky Smith, one of the partners of the studio, said: "We get bands who have equipment which they don't want to be carrying out the city centre. They have keyboards, amplifiers and drum sets and so they want to access the studio as close as they can so they can drop it off.

"But my major concern is people finding where we are. We used to say 'just turn into Princess Alley', but now they have to go around the Ring Road and should they be out of town then it is really difficult to find us.

"I don't think the impact of the changes were made clear enough. It needed someone from the council to take businesses through every ramification.

"We're concerned that it will have a knock-on effect and we'll be out of businesses. It's like the clanging bell of doom above our heads."

Last Sunday's overhaul of the city centre's road network saw Princess Street, between Berry Street and Queen Street, become a no-go area for cars.

Queen Street has also had its traffic reversed towards the bus station and Market Street has become one way from Bilston Street. As a result, access to Princess Alley from the direction of Stafford Street means drivers would have to go along the Ring Road, then Pipers Row before turning up Berry Street.

The council has said it will hold talks with the company about access.

Councillor Peter Bilson, the council's regeneration chief, said: "We have been contacted by the owners of The Beat Foundry who have expressed their concerns about the changes. Officers from the council will be meeting with the owners in the next few days to explore ways in which we can address these concerns and improve access to businesses in Princess Alley.

"We understand that any changes to a growing city's road system will take a little getting used to and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank businesses, residents and visitors for their patience as we carry out the improvements our city centre needs to make it more accessible and more attractive for shoppers."

Meanwhile, pedestrians in the city centre said they had not been affected too much.

For Steven Hollywood, of Birmingham, the only change that had bothered him so far was that Market Street was now one-way. The 22-year-old works at a bar on Queen Street and said it had been "a bit difficult" when the road was closed on Saturday before the change as taxis could not use the street.

While the revamp has not affected 24-year-old Qasum Bashir much, as he lives on Lichfield Street and often uses the bus service, his partner now has to go "right round town" to get to work. She works in hospitality and has also mentioned the difficulty for taxi drivers picking up and dropping off because of the changes.