Traffic - Trust Annual Report 1989
The Trust has long taken a keen interest in traffic and recently a Working Party of the Trust's Council has had a number of meetings, including one with the City's Chief Engineer and its Traffic Officer to consider various aspects of the problem.
Traffic levels are now well above the levels of environmental acceptability set by the City Council some years ago and very significant increases seem inevitable, particularly with the opening of the Brooks Development. The general public are showing considerable concern over traffic issues, judging by the extensive correspondence following the decision of the City Council to close the Kingsgate Arch to all motor traffic and College Street to through traffic.
The City Council is now echoing this concern. Having made a bold decision on College Street, to which the Trust has given (qualified) support, it has now issued a policy statement 'A City for People', promising a re-appraisal of the role of the car in Winchester, and "a reduction of traffic to environmentally acceptable levels wherever possible".
Unfortunately, what is not yet clear is how the admirable sentiments of 'A City for People' will be translated into action. The Trust has made its views clear on what action must be taken to solve the problem - the link between the level of parking provision and the level of traffic is inescapable. Merely to stabilise traffic at current levels (let alone reduce it, as 'A City for People' promises) will require radical action much sooner than the document appears to consider necessary. Such action must be directed at increasing the efficiency of the road network to bring people into the shopping centre, by location of parking at peripheral sites and the provision of an efficient public transport system (eg. Park and Ride).
The Trust is extremely concerned that the scheme for the Lower Peninsula Barracks site includes provision for approximately 300 parking spaces for the public and visitors to the Museum, and intends to oppose this strongly. In addition to the general objections to another central car park in Winchester, the additional traffic generated by a car park on this particular site will result in serious congestion in Southgate Street and St Cross Road which are already overloaded.