Going back down pedestrianisation path again

ENNIS Chamber has made a detailed submission to Ennis Town Council, as part of the public consultation phase to decide whether parts of the town will be pedestrianised in the lead-up to Christmas.
Rita McInerney, CEO of the chamber said that after consulting with traders throughout the town on their views regarding pedestrianisation, they found that there are very diverse views about the proposal. She also said that their survey was based on the assumption that any pre-Christmas pedestrianisation would take place between the hours of 12 midday and 6pm.
“We found that there is a cohort of traders in Ennis who are against pedestrianisation in any shape or form, another group who are in favour of it with a number of conditions and others who are very much in favour of pedestrianisation and believe it is good for business. We do not have specific figures on the breakdown of this but I can say that a majority are certainly in favour of pedestrianisation in some form,” she said.
She added that traders have a number of concerns over pedestrianisation in the pre-Christmas period.
“There are of course concerns over pedestrian safety, traffic flow throughout the town, traffic management and parking issues. One of the big issues for traders is that pedestrianisation would start at 12 midday and not before that. The council, in their proposal, are suggesting an 11am start on Saturday, December 18, and on Christmas Eve.
“However, traders are adamant that it must not start before 12 midday, to allow businesses to cater for those who need to come into town in a car, be they elderly customers or customers with disabilities. This would be a big stumbling block for traders, if the pedestrianisation goes ahead at 11am,” the CEO said.
Ms McInerney said that traders are also anxious that potential shoppers will be put off coming into town altogether if traffic flow in those streets, which remain open, is hindered.
“Cars must be able to move freely through the streets which are open but this proves quite difficult when the main thoroughfares are closed. Certain options in terms of road use would need to be considered, for example, an option to turn left from the Queen’s Hotel onto Francis Street, which would allow people coming into town from that side to access parking in the vicinity of Tesco and its surrounds.”
Another potential issue for traders would be the lack of availability of car-parking spaces in the town.
“There have been issues previously with a shortage of parking spaces, so this needs to be looked at. Traders are also in favour of incentives on pedestrianised days for those who come into town and park early in designated areas,” she said.