PLANS to make a trial pedestrianisation scheme in Lichfield city centre permanent will be discussed by councillors next week.
The Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) was introduced in March 2023 and has evolved during the past 18 months as changes have been made.
The final phase of the trial saw blue badge holders allowed to drive through the pedestrianised zone to access parking pays on Bore Street, as well as providing access to permit holders and for deliveries to be made.
Security guards have been in place since November last year to control access between 9am and 5pm.
A report to Lichfield District Council’s cabinet is now proposing to make the scheme permanent after highlighting how the average number of vehicles using city centre roads covered by the ETRO had fallen by 50% since the trial began.
It also found monthly footfall in the city centre had increased from 5,068,736 for the period of March to July 2023 to 5,333,865 for the same months this year. The footfall figures from the same period in 2022 showed 5,042,632 visitors.
The report from Cllr Janice Silvester-Hall, cabinet member for the visitor economy, ecology and climate change, said:
“The ETRO comes to an end in September 2024, as such a decision is required as to whether the ETRO is made permanent or removed.
“The current ETRO has helped to more than halve vehicle flows in the city centre. It is recommended that the current restrictions introduced from March 2024 are made permanent.
“During the ETRO period, compliance with the restrictions significantly improved through the installation of temporary barriers and the use of appropriate enforcement.
“Research into other parts of the country that have implemented similar schemes has highlighted that most have installed some form of physical barrier as part of moving to a permanent scheme, including Wolverhampton, Kirkcaldy, York and Watford.
“The proposal is to install three hydraulic bollard stations in the pedestrianised zone on Tamworth Street, Bird Street and Sandford Street. An intercom access control system will be positioned on one side of the bollard station which will allow and regulate user traffic access from one direction.”
Permitted users would be able to access the pedestrianised zone either using a fob system, an access code or via an intercom system.
Cllr Silvester-Hall added:
“Work is underway to explore and agree how the intercoms will be manned and monitored, and to put in the place the procedures for issuing fobs to permit holders.
“There will be revenue costs associated with this, it is proposed that a budget of £50,000 per year is initially allocated.
“Until the bollards are installed, security guards will continue to man temporary barriers in the pedestrianised zone.”
The report said that figures showed that during the trial around 70 to 80 blue badge holders drove through the pedestrianised zone each day to access on street bays.
Cllr Silvester-Hall said:
“A particular issue that was raised during the ETRO was access to the blue badge parking bays on Bore Street, which is currently only one-way meaning blue badge holders have to drive through the pedestrianised zone to access them.
“We are exploring the feasibility and cost of making Bore Street two-way.”
The report will be discussed by cabinet at their meeting on 10th September.
