The current Traffic Regulation Orders in place in Wrexham city centre have been in place for between ten and twenty years, during which time there have been significant changes to Wrexham, its population, the journeys that people make, and the way people move around.
We want to ensure that the city centre is able to thrive and develop so that we have a city which is fit for the future, as well as ensuring that we are improving the environment, keeping road-users safe and allowing traffic to move appropriately in and around the city centre.
Some of you may have seen some information about some of the changes proposed for the city centre, or even given your views through a number of workshops that have taken place as part of our Placemaking Plan.
So that everyone can have their say we have prepared a Your Voice questionnaire which you can fill in here.
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Traffic and the Placemaking Plan
Part of the Placemaking Plan is concerned with journeys within the city’s central area, especially considering points of arrival and access to key destinations with a focus on ‘active travel’ i.e. walking, cycling and wheeling (using a wheelchair or mobility aid) and providing safe, convenient and attractive access for all. Wrexham’s centre benefits from being relatively flat and compact.
The distance from General Station in the west to Eagles Meadow in the east is 1.2km – or approximately 15 minutes walk, and the majority of the core shops, facilities and services are located within a 200m radius – or just a few minutes walk, of the centre of the city.
Despite these favourable conditions, there are clear accessibility challenges in Wrexham, both perceived and actual, and the Placemaking Plan has identified the following as primary objectives for improvements:
- Access for all
- Removal physical and perceptual barriers to movement
- Strengthening the quality and experience of routes between points of arrival and key destinations
- Improvements to navigation and way-finding
- Improvements to cycling infrastructure (partially addressed through the Active Travel project)
- Review of vehicle movement, management and Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) for a more practical, efficient, safe and manageable road network
- Future proofing for electric vehicles
- Review of parking provision to rationalise distribution, reduce traffic and encourage footfall
- Consideration of accessibility issues in support of the evening and night-time economy
Cllr Terry Evans, Lead member for Environment, said, “It’s important that traffic is managed effectively in the city centre for drivers and pedestrians. If you own a business, visit the city centre or drive in the area, please take the time to fill in the consultation to make sure we have a good idea of people’s expectations in order to ensure our recommendations reflect everyone’s views.”
Cllr Nigel Williams, Lead member for the Economy and Regeneration, said, “With so many visitors to the city centre, both local residents and the increase in tourists visiting Wrexham, it’s important that we have a safe space within the city centre for people who visit to shop or sit outside having a coffee or a meal to be able to walk and not have a constant flow of vehicles passing, sometimes at speed or parking inconsiderately.
“Certain vehicles will still have access during the morning until the restrictions come into force.”
You might also like to read £500,000 awarded by Welsh Government to tackle empty properties in the city centre
