Designs unveiled for barrier to block off Spalding town centre
Designs have been unveiled for the new barriers which will be used to help prevent motorists from ignoring a town pedestrian zone.
Vehicles should not be driving through Spalding town centre between 10am and 4pm Monday to Saturday but this rule is frequently flouted, with scores of cars seen passing through Market Place and Hall Place daily.
A new barrier, which will be created by Spalding’s Chain Bridge Forge, should be built later this year to block the road in Broad Street and the initial designs were unveiled at Tuesday’s Spalding Town Forum meeting.
Forum chairman Rob Gibson and Coun Liz Sneath have joined forces to get Lincolnshire County Council to re-write the traffic regulation order (TRO) which governs the pedestrian zone and this is currently out to consultation.
Coun Gibson, who sits on both South Holland district and Lincolnshire county councils, told the meeting that the order is due to be signed off in September and has asked the team at the historic forge to make an early start.
Possible designs could see the South Holland District Council crest, tulips or the Love Spalding branding included within the gate.
Forum members had called for the gates to be functional but there were also fears that small cars and scooters could get through on the pavement.
Coun Gibson said: “That is going to be the entrance to our town, we are trying to find ways with everything going on to make the town better.
“If small cars went through they would get a ticket The TRO is written in such a way they should not be doing that. If they do a traffic warden will be able to ticket them which they are currently not able to do as the TRO presumes that no-one is going to park in the town centre.”
Earlier in the meeting Coun Gibson told the forum that the gates were going to be bifold and will use posts which are currently in place.
Forum member Christine Lawton said the gate needed to be functional and stop the traffic while Coun Aaron Spencer said he supported the idea but stressed the need for long-term support in opening and closing the gate.
He said: “There’s no point doing it for a year, it needs to happen for a longer period of time.”
Coun Dave Ashby said that the gate needed to be vandal proof while Pedals chairman David Jones said it was more likely to be damaged by a motorist.
He said: “The damage they do remains for ages like the White Horse and Inkley’s (which were both hit by cars). The more we can keep motorists away from the place, the better.”
Coun James Le Sage said: “We re going to be shutting off the town centre so a lot of people will see it and be furious so we ought to give them a pretty view to calm down a bit.
“It is important that they do look good but they need to be vandal proof and they need to be pretty sturdy.”
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