Comments on: St Andrews to get funding for ‘physical distancing’ http://standrewsqv.org.uk/2020/06/st-andrews-to-get-funding-for-physical-distancing-measures/ Examining the facts behind the issues Wed, 08 Jul 2020 14:26:22 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 By: Lesley-Ann Petrie http://standrewsqv.org.uk/2020/06/st-andrews-to-get-funding-for-physical-distancing-measures/#comment-452 Mon, 06 Jul 2020 12:03:27 +0000 https://standrewsqv.org.uk/?p=2509#comment-452 In reply to P.M. Uprichard (Miss).

I fully endorse Ms Uprichard’s response.
Town centre businesses are already struggling .
Consider this ; If you imposed the same proposals to out of town retail shops; Morrison’s supermarket for example, asking them to close their car park (for public safety), reroute the buses and increase their rates, five fold to that of town centre shops, would this acceptable?
Stop this lunacy !
Support town centre businesses.
Keep St Andrews open!

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]]> By: P.M. Uprichard (Miss) http://standrewsqv.org.uk/2020/06/st-andrews-to-get-funding-for-physical-distancing-measures/#comment-446 Sun, 05 Jul 2020 14:34:42 +0000 https://standrewsqv.org.uk/?p=2509#comment-446 For shops and businesses in St. Andrews, the lockdown has been harder than for some others, because it has included loss of income, with the accompanying worry about whether they will ever be able to open again.
At the moment lockdown is being eased, the number of new cases of Covid19 are declining, and the sun is shining. Fife Council has decided to choose this moment to propose sweeping changes to the traffic routes in St. Andrews, ostensibly to give priority to bicycles and pedestrians, but in fact imposing difficulties on car drivers and those using public transport. SUSTRANS has agreed to provide £2.4 million to fund the changes. The proposals are in summary as follows:
Closure of the West Port
Closure of Bell Street and re-routing of buses
Closure of Church Street and re-routing of buses
Closure of Queens Gardens – currently a one-way street
The introduction of ‘pop up’ cycle lanes is proposed
Removal of parking in Market Street and South Street
Removal of parking in Bell Street and Church Street
Doubledykes Road and Argyle Street (misspelt) to become one-way
Etc.
St. Andrews has until recently had about 650,000 visitors annually. They are hardly likely to come if they cannot get near the shops, park and take their purchases back by car. The proposals have the potential to be an economic disaster for the town.
Referring to Largo Road, the proposals say that there should be ‘an alternative route into town’. Where?
As far as is known, there has been no consultation with St. Andrews bodies such as Community Council. Other Community Councils have been consulted and have given their opinions. They are not all in favour of what is proposed in their area.
I am unhappy with these proposals for various reasons, not least because cyclists are much more likely than car drivers to flout the rules – some of them cycle the wrong way down one way streets such as Market Street, they cycle past cars which have stopped at zebra crossings, and they are generally less respectful of other traffic than car drivers. I wish that they could be required to have identification, as cars do, which would make it possible to penalise repeat offenders.
I hope that everybody who has problems with the above proposals will send in a comment or objection to Fife Council. I believe the proposals would cause huge problems for the town, particularly as it seems that bus routes would also be moved out of the town centre. There is no mention of arrangements for weddings, funerals, development traffic, street cleaning lorries, or motor bikes, or for disabled residents, nor for restocking the shops.

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