Wolverhampton city centre to become more pedestrianised

Businesses and councillors today had their say on the scheme, which will see more areas pedestrianised and hopefully stop some streets being used as rat runs.

Council bosses want to make the city more accessible and attractive for shoppers and visitors, with cafes and bars making the most of the new pedestrianised areas with tables and chairs outside.

As part of the work, cars will no longer be able to travel towards Bilston Street from Market Street with the road becoming one-way. There will also be a ban on cars driving between Berry Street and Queen Street as Wolverhampton City Council turns the road into a pedestrianised section. It will be from the hours of 9.30am and 4pm, with only service vehicles allowed to use the road between that time.

In addition, motorists heading along Queen Street will no long be able to drive towards the heart of the shopping centre but instead directed towards Wolverhampton Bus Station.

It will all begin on August 30, with the new traffic flow beginning the following day. The council has already begun preparing the roads for the dramatic transformation.

Parking bays in Berry Street will be removed and new traffic signals including pedestrian crossings are being installed at the junction of Queen Street and Pipers Row, opposite the bus station.

Earlier this month, businesses affected by the changes were contacted by the city council and given details of the initiative.

The authority wanted to reduce the impact of traffic brought on by cars using the streets as rat runs.

Jas Dhillon, who runs Home Kitchen cafe on Princess Street, which will become pedestrianised, said: "I have my reservations about it because as a businesses owner I'm thinking 'what if it doesn't work?' it will be us to pick up the pieces.

"I'm concerned I won't have customers who can park across the street and just pop in.

"The other side of it is, is that if it works then fabulous. If the council does want to bring in European-style cafe culture to Wolverhampton and we can have tables and chairs outside then I'm all for it.

"It could be a positive for the city but in equal measure it could go wrong. We will have to wait and see."

But it won't just be drivers the changes impact on.

Buses will also be re-routed as a result. But changes to the timetables have yet to be revealed by travel bosses.

The council has already carried out work on Queen Street, which is one of the routes to the bus and rail stations, by widening footpaths and improving the road.

It impacted deeply on traders who reported takings down as much as 50 per cent.

Opposition Conservative councillor Wendy Thompson said that the money spent on the revamp of the roads should have gone on dropping the charges on car parks in the city centre.

She added: "That is a much more pressing issue at the moment."

Council bosses said yesterday that the plans are to provide better links between the bus and railways stations and the retail centre in the city. It is all part of its Transport and Movement project.

City services chief Councillor John Reynolds said about the scheme: "The primary aim of pedestrianising key areas in the city centre is to make it more accessible for shoppers and visitors while reducing the level of traffic travelling through the city centre to encourage more people to visit Wolverhampton.

"These works will see improvements to keep walking routes between the bus and rail stations, as well as the main shopping area and visitor attractions. Work is due to start on the new Interchange 10 office and retail development, situated next to the bus station."

See also: Traffic chaos looms in last-minute works in Wolverhampton.

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