Vision 2031 Up to 11,000 additional cars in Bury

Vision 2031  Preferred Options published in March 2012  6,300 new homes between 2009 and 2031  4,500 homes in new estates, the remainder in smaller developments, some of which have been given planning permission since 2009  No figure given for cars  Assume 10% more than the average UK 1.5 per home – approx. 10,000 cars, add 1,000 cars from new homes planned in rural areas around Bury (assume around 33% of these new cars in Bury frequently)

Vision 2031  Vision 2031 has focused almost entirely on the five housing developments  What is missing:  Infrastructure needed: roads, electricity, gas, adding hospital beds  Duty of care for the historic town centre  Timescale (may be a slightly later state)  March 2013: Bury Councillors will vote on the Bury part of Vision 2031  April 2013: the full Council will vote  May 2013: the “Final Document” will be published for public comment  October 2013: the Final Document will go to Ministers in Whitehall for implementation (with all public comments attached)

Research Study: Reducing Car Usage in the Historic Town Centre  Agreed to partner on the study with CAA Committee  Organised research and analysis period from November 2012 until January 2013  Consisted of combining parking and traffic data, stakeholder interviews, case studies and meetings with the steering committee

Goals of the Study  Understand future and present congestion issues in Bury  Explore past UK examples of city centre traffic limitations and pedestrianisation and analyse different strategies  Choose a ‘blend’ of best congestion strategies and tailor it to Bury  Recommend implementation plan  Forecast obstacles to enforcement and success

Traffic estimates  Bury traffic is already at capacity at times  Major roads get blocked  People commuting from one side of Bury take as long as for a city  There is parking pressure on the Grid with parking on double yellow lines and the pavement  Some car parks (such as Moreton Hall) already substantially used for “Park&Ride,” preventing local residents parking for doctor/shops etc  County/Borough Council insist that many residents will need to walk or cycle, as there will not be enough car space  Easy in summer/more challenging in winter  Not an option for children, the elderly, pregnant mothers

3 Strategies  Pedestrianisation options of the town centre  Parking regulation  Increase in quantity and usage of public transport

Pedestrianisation Option 1: Butter Market

Pedestrianisation Option 2: the historic centre closure is the Butter Market and the square of Abbeygate Street, Angel/Bridewell Lane, and Guildhall Street excluding Westgate Street

Cropped Map

Pedestrianisation Option 3: expanded closure of the historic city centre.

Option 4: Increased Town Centre Permit Parking  Should there be an increase in resident-only permit parking?  Ensure that the current number of permits residents’ places is maintained and not reduced?  Increase the number of residents’ places?  Who controls parking?  Should the police continue to control parking violation on double yellow lines and pavements?  Should there be a new St Edmundsbury Authority for both parking areas AND parking violations?

Considerations  Is it worth staging these changes to make their impact easier to handle?  Time Charges: Abbeygate Street closure is limited today to 10-4  Cambridge uses card-controlled bollards to allow delivery trucks to access roads closed to other traffic  Congestion Zone Charges  Although in general retailers normally welcome pedestrianisation, will some Bury retailers be adversely financially affected by these changes? Mark Cordell from Bid4Bury recommends the smaller Butter Market closure as the feasible option.

Public Forum  How will the new residents change the historic city centre environment through car usage?  What area, if any, of the historic city centre should be closed to car traffic?  Should permit-only parking be used in the city centre in order to encourage visitors to use the car parks?  How should parking and traffic controls be enforced in Bury?