Shoppers urged to visit Bloxwich street again

Traders on a busy high street which has been hit by disruption due to diversions for a £1.8 million red route scheme are urging shoppers to return now traffic flow is back to normal.

People have only been allowed to travel south down Bloxwich High Street, towards Walsall, for six weeks while work to expand the car park in Samuel Street and alterations to parking spaces on the High Street were carried out.

Drivers travelling north, away from Walsall, were diverted up Elmore Green Road — a diversion which traders say had a negative impact on passing trade.

But the road was opened to north-bound traffic two weeks ago, and shopkeepers are trying to claw back the trade they have missed since the works started in July.

Emma Harewood, who works at Co-op Travel and is chair of the Bloxwich, Leamore and Blakenall Business Partnership, said traders wanted to get the message out there that the traffic flow is back to normal.

She said: "When it was one-way traffic it was really quiet because it was a nightmare to get into Bloxwich and get where you need to go because there was a big diversion.

"There is still work on the pavements, so I don't know if that's putting people off, but we just want to tell everyone to come back."

The scheme will take 19 weeks and is due to finish next month. Works are now under way to change the locations of bus stops and apply single or double red lines to warn drivers they can't stop there.

Pelican crossings will also be upgraded and new signals installed at the junctions of High Street and Stafford Road, and between Lichfield Road and Bell Lane.

Ian Collett, manager of Bloxwich Computer Centre on the High Street, said he was pleased the traffic had gone back to two-way, but that the real difference will be seen when the parking bays are available on the road.