This is a letter that me and Cllr David Nagle sent jointly last week to traders on Rothwell Commercial Street about concerns over problems with deliveries and speeding cars. We will be holding a meeting soon.
Dear Trader
Some of you have contacted us recently to share your concerns about on-going issues on Commercial Street. You might also have seen some of the recent press coverage in the Yorkshire Evening Post.
We thought it would be useful to update you all on the work we’ve been doing on your behalf.
There is an on-going problem with traffic and restrictions on Commercial Street. Both traders and shoppers have complaints and it is important that we try and come up with a solution that works for everyone. The two main issues appear to be:
· Traders having problems with receiving essential deliveries because of parking and access restrictions.
· Private cars illegally using Commercial Street making it dangerous for shoppers.
We are speaking to both Leeds City Council’s highways department and the police to try and work out both a short-term improvement and long-term solution. The challenge is that action to prevent private cars endangering pedestrians is currently unfairly penalising traders.
We had lots of responses to our town centre survey and in the early summer will be sharing the results and organising a meeting to discuss a plan of action. We have also been working closely with Angela Kellett from Rothwell Tenants and Residents Association to identify how local people can be encouraged to support local traders more. In the meantime if you have any specific queries then please contact us.
Elaine Taylor, of Glamorous Gifts has contacted me to ask for help with putting on a scarecrow festival in Rothwell in the early summer, I think this is a fabulous idea, and I hope that the traders will get on board with this. I have started to look into getting a small grant from our Outer South area committee to help start get things moving and fund advertising such as posters and banners. Rothwell In Bloom are helping to make the town look lovely as usual and a scarecrow festival could help with a much needed boost to kick off summer!
