Improvements set begin on popular Bury Street Long awaited improvements are due to begin shortly in a busy shopping street in Bury St Edmunds. The section of St Andrew Street between the arc shopping centre and the historic core is a pedestrian zone with exceptions for buses, taxis and delivery vehicles. Safety concerns have been raised due to the frequent abuse of the restrictions by drivers and solutions have been explored with the help of a range of local groups and users. Jointly funded by Suffolk County Council and St Edmundsbury Borough Council, these improvements will be begin week on Monday 3 February and will last for around ten weeks. The improvements include: • build-outs at the main crossing points to reduce the road width to a single lane. Drivers will need to slow down to negotiate these narrower road and pedestrians will have a shorter distance to cross. • The Woolhall Street entrance will also be narrowed to make it less inviting to unauthorised vehicles. Again traffic will have to slow to negotiate this narrower section of road. This is will also assist the pedestrians crossing. • The junction of St Andrews Street/Risbygate Street/Brentgovel will see some changes. The road will be raised; pavements widened and the mini-roundabout will be removed. This will encourage lower speeds and reduce crossing distances for pedestrians. Councillor Graham Newman, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for roads and transport, said: “With the rising number of concerns expressed about safety in St Andrew’s Street, it has become essential for us to undertake these works. They will improve the environment for pedestrians and hopefully deter inconsiderate driver behaviour. “We hope that these initiatives will tackle many of the problems experienced by shoppers, and persuade drivers to observe the restrictions, which are there to promote the safety of everyone using this busy street. Although the changes were agreed in 2011, National Grid has been undertaking a large scale project in the town centre replacing gas mains. Clarification was sought about the National Grid programme, to minimise disruption and ensure that the work did not conflict. No timescales have been forthcoming so work is not being delayed further. Councillor Robert Everitt, St Edmundsbury Borough Council cabinet member for communities added: “The much anticipated improvements to St Andrews Street South will start over the next few days, we needed to make sure any improvements to this important Street made it an attractive and safe place for all that use it.” Further information on these works can be found by going to: suffolk.gov.uk/environment-and-transport/highways/roadworks-and-improvements/ ENDS
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 11:50:38 +0000
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