Decision details

Whether or not to make the experimental trial permanent, to change it or to abandon it.

i. Acknowledges the outcome of the public consultation to date on the Experimental Scheme;
ii. Approves the proposal to cease and revoke the experimental traffic regulation order (ETRO)
iii. Authorises officers to carry out further design work to identify appropriate alternate options and report back to a future meeting
iv. Notes that any closures of the swing bridge in 2022 would be managed by means of the local highways office’s powers to enact an emergency closure or planned closure on highway safety grounds.

Whilst the experimental scheme has allowed road users to contact the local highways office with their views on the benefits and dis-benefits of closing the swing bridge to traffic, officers do not recommend that the scheme is made permanent in its current form.

If a future version of the scheme is to be taken forward, and if funding is made available to implement it, it would be beneficial to all road users if any future scheme did not rely so heavily on signing alone. A scheme involving a change to the streetscape or the re-routing of ‘through’ traffic so that it does not naturally approach the swing bridge or St Ann’s Staith or Church Street would appear to be more intuitive.

Whilst it is preferable to settle on regular times for road closures to provide consistency, there are occasions when highways does have to react to certain events or footfall. Good weather is probably the biggest factor apart from school holidays in predicting heavy footfall.

Officers anticipate that further data analysis and design work will be necessary, as well as further engagement with groups representing those with protected characteristics, before being able to recommend one or more potential solutions which would then be the subject of further consultation.

Officers propose that an appropriate further scheme is developed, with a further report brought to the Corporate Director BES prior to any future proposals to trial a new experimental scheme or to propose a permanent TRO for this area.

None