'Don't kill town centre trade'

TRAFFIC-CALMING measures are killing town centre trade.

So says the leader of a traders' group who wants to see traditional parking spaces restored.

Music shop owner Tony Bird is inviting fellow town centre traders to join him in calling for "improvement" work in Western Road, Devonshire Road, Devonshire Square and St Leonards Road to be dismantled.

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He said: "Nobody has anywhere to park any more. It's killing trade."

He says the situation in St Leonards Road is so bad that trade has halved.

"There was a lorry unloading for half an hour in Western Road last week. Nothing could move and the tail-back of traffic extended into Town Hall Square.

"That's nonsense. That cannot go on..."

The chairman of Sackville Road Traders' Association has come up with a radical suggestion:

*Remove ALL the new traffic-calming measures

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*Introduce London-style red lines on the south side of Western Road banning ALL parking (including disabled) except for unloading

*Make Sackville Road one-way north to south with a ban on right turns from Wickham Avenue, so eliminating the need for the traffic lights

Tony Bird said: "Business in St Leonards Road has gone down by 50 per cent. Western Road is now so bad that it affects Sackville Road.

"I find I am doing more and more of my business by phone. People just can't get to the shop.

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"We have to do something. This can't go on. What I am saying is take away all the c**p that they put in.

All it's done is bring the town to a standstill.

"Everyone is suffering.

"This was supposed to be a six-month trial. Now you can't park anywhere in Bexhill and shoppers are going elsewhere. It just doesn't work to put traffic-calming measures in on these roads.

"What Western Road needs is red lines down the south side. If you park on a red line in London it's three points on your licence. Park in a traffic-moving area and its Pentonville here I come!"

Andrew Shilstone of Toyland, in Western Road for 21 years, agreed that business had been affected and that his "main grievance" was the loss of parking in Devonshire Square.

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"We noticed a downturn in business immediately following this loss of parking, particularly in Devonshire Road."

John Stocker of Newsmart said the biggest impact was on deliveries, but there had been a drop in trade with customers were no longer coming in to the town centre.

"There's the car park near the police station, but people don't go there because it's too far to walk into town. That is the age of Bexhill, the age of the people."

However, Ian Stanley of Drays TV said trade was down nationally, not just locally.

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"We need to do everything in our powers to encourage people to come to Bexhill, and the main problem that we have is lack of parking due to abuse by traders and residents who park in the two hour zone all day long. If that was cured we would not have a parking problem. One traffic warden cannot cope."

He pointed out there had been no loss of parking space but that spaces had been moved around - for instance now in St Leonards Road there was parking on both sides.

David Getty, president of the Chamber of Commerce, felt parking was a "continual source of debate" but that the subject had not been raised at any Chamber of Commerce meeting in the last few months.

He said the next business breakfast meeting would be held on July 13 where any member was welcome to discuss the matter.

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