Rickmansworth High Street to be closed on weekends to create …
Hertfordshire County Council has announced that experimental measures will be rolled out to help make Rickmansworth High Street a “safer space” that will “benefit” residents. After a public consultation, Hertfordshire County Council has decided to make amendments to the measures and close the road to traffic at weekends only and the road will be reopened to traffic throughout the week.
After consultation and discussions with Rickmansworth residents and businesses, the Project Board – comprising local councillors from Hertfordshire County Council[1] (HCC) and Three Rivers District Council – have advised that the High Street will close from 10am on Saturdays through to 6am on Mondays.
It is planned that these changes will come into effect in the new year after changes are enforced on the relevant traffic regulation orders. Alterations will be made to the existing parking system in the High Street to improve loading arrangements for business.
More blue badge and pedestrian improvements will also be implemented, according to HCC. The Rickmansworth[2] High Street Recovery trial has been in place since March 2023 and has recently been consulted upon to seek views on future systems.
From the consultation, 861 completed responses were received, and 46 per cent of respondents were supportive of the trial measures while 49 per cent would prefer the road to be reopened to traffic. This comes after the initial changes and timed closure of the High Street that were implemented in response to the challenges of Covid, enabling vulnerable people to access services more safely.
These changes were initially engaged upon in June 2021 with support for retaining the changes as part of a trial arrangement. Councillor Reena Ranger, Deputy Executive Member for Highways at HCC and Member for Rickmansworth East and Oxhey Park, believes the road being closed at the weekend will offer a “safer space” for people in the Hertfordshire town.
Cllr Ranger said: “When we consulted with residents and businesses, it was clear that the trial measures were not working for many of them. A weekend closure to traffic will help to create a safer space to run markets and events to support the high Street.”
Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst, Three Rivers Deputy Leader, and High Street Recovery Trial board representative, added: “The High Street Recovery trial has benefited many people who visit Rickmansworth High Street. Those who walked and cycled into Rickmansworth supported it and wanted it to remain traffic-free.
“People who drove into Rickmansworth felt more inconvenienced, even though there are over 500 parking spaces in nearby car parks. Keeping the road closed after 10am weekdays did not achieve majority public support and there were mixed views from businesses.
“Going to a weekend closure only will still allow for street markets then and possibility of re-visiting further days closures if the public and businesses want that.”
For more information, including a summary of the consultation feedback, visit the High Street Recovery web pages on the HCC website here[4].
References
- ^ Hertfordshire County Council (www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk)
- ^ Rickmansworth (www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk)
- ^ ‘Let us keep our grave rights for longer,’ say Rickmansworth families (www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk)
- ^ here (www.hertfordshire.gov.uk)