| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Traffic restrictions for Turnham Green Terr & Devonshire Road | |
| Posted by: | Anita Blake | |
| Date/Time: | 31/05/20 08:05:00 |
| You don't need to drive down TGT or Devonshire Road to shop on them so people who need to drive to the shops shouldn't be unduly affected. There is plenty of parking at the moment as the number of people visiting the High Road is down significantly and the temporary loss of 20 or so parking spaces isn't going to make that much difference. Some of the traders may not be completely happy with the move for instance the Oxfam Bookshop may be worried about a drop in donations. However, it looks like the council will be waiving the requirements to get pavement trading licences so some shops may be able to set out open air stalls. Rather than getting upset about it, it might be an idea to see how it plays out. As long as the council is quick to restore vehicle access if the lack of it does prove to have a negative impact then what harm is there in giving it a try at the moment? As we return to normality though some proper planning is needed for Chiswick Town Centre and parking. You can't have a viable commercial area with a policy of constantly putting the squeeze on parking space and trying to discourage shoppers visiting by car. We accept that our local cyclists are really amazing and an example to us all but they don't make up the largest proportion of customers, pedestrians are the biggest by far. People arriving in cars although smaller in percentage terms are essential to the survival of Chiswick retailers. A shop has a whole host of fixed costs - rent, rates etc. which means they have to generate a certain level of income to breakeven. In most cases the margin that they make in excess of breakeven is small - maybe 10% so a 10% fall in customers means a total wipeout of profit. Car based shoppers tend to buy more because they may have chosen to use the car precisely because they were planning to purchase more than they could carry home. Hounslow seems to have been operating an implicit policy of discouraging car based shopping in Chiswick for at least a decade and the consequences were seen before the lockdown with the high proportion of empty shops. In environmental terms this policy makes little sense because a proportion of the people you discourage from driving to their nearest shopping centre will just drive to one further away where they are made feel welcome. Many people who could be spending their money are now driving to Kew Retail Park or Westfield. Last Christmas people in Chiswick even got a part council funded leaflet extolling the virtues of shopping in Ealing including the great parking. The experiment on TGT and Devonshire Road may be well-timed because of the availability of parking and the good weather but when we get to Autumn and Winter and hopefully the end of a need for social distancing I don't think the scheme will remain popular. A far higher proportion of people drive to shop when it is colder and wetter and local traders really need to maximise their revenue to make up for the appalling losses they have experienced recently. The economic viability of Chiswick as a commercial centre should be the top priority for Hounslow Council and they start listening to what local traders are telling them when they formulate their policy. |