Wednesday, 14 December 2011






Something a bit less prescriptive, and a bit more local.


Craig Loftus said...

> She recommends that local areas
> should implement free parking schemes

> encouraged to integrate public
> transport, parking and highways
> policy in a way that ensures that the > high street is easily accessible to
> the whole community

My first thought was why not free buses? There are all sorts of ways that careful design of the free fare zones could encourage people into the town centre whilst not providing the same benefits to people from other towns. Whilst providing various other social benefits for the families, disadvantages and disabled etc.

As you say, her recommendations seem both simplistic and overly prescriptive. Just rather unimaginative.

townmouse said...

In fairness to Ms Portas she was a retailer first, and became a celebrity on the back of it.

This report demonstrates just how far we have to go with cycling in this country - it's just completely not on the radar for anyone but the cyclists. Trying to argue against car parking on the grounds that cyclists generally spend more (well, in the Netherlands anyway) just gets you completely baffled looks. And the thought that anyone might shop by bus is clearly beyond comprehension. Surely only poor people use buses, and they've no money anyway. QED.

Am beginning to wonder if there's time to emigrate to the continent before the Conservatives pull us out of Europe altogether...

gom1 said...

I'm neither a retailer, nor a cycling campaigner (so I'm making this up as I go along). But I imagine that "reduced car parking will be good for your business" is going to be a tough sell. Their biggest worry at present is likely to be level of demand, so "We are keen to improve access to your shop for the whole community" sounds as though it will be more appealing to me. On that basis there must be a several reasons why town-centre retailers would support initiatives designed specifically for cyclists (or pedestrians, or users of public transport come to that). More people passing their shop, with more time to browse; attracting a particular demographic (families, young professionals, hunger for cake); fewer people travelling out of town to shop; more attractive town centre environment, suffering less congestion. There could be some local specifics as well. Perhaps office workers are more likely to use town centre shops (and less likely to use out-of-town) if they travel to work on a bike rather than a car; if the government change the way business rates are allocated, then lower highway costs might help reduce business rates. Less need to cater for cars might allow improved access to shops for deliveries, etc. Bike shops, of course, are a bit of a special case.

Robert said...

One can't help but wonder whether Ms Portas has a book out for xmas.

Tom said...

The simpler solution is to use local planning policies to block further out of town shopping centres, block massive supermarket car parks and block any large general car parks outside town centres. They're bad for the town centre economy, for social policy and the environment, so why put up with them?

A really imaginative council might look for ways to (legally) disadvantage out of town leeches as well.