| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Car free day throughout the Chiswick High Rd area? | |
| Posted by: | Joanna Biddolph | |
| Date/Time: | 14/07/18 20:23:00 |
| I, for one, am not conflating two issues. The original request was for us to consider closing Turnham Green Terrace and Devonshire Road for Car Free Saturday, 22nd September this year. My straw poll, detailed above, showed mixed responses - the strongest were against it not only because Saturday is their busiest day for trade and jeopardising that is a risk particularly if the business relies on customers being able to park nearby - and I mean relies. It's not a preference, it's reliance. Closing the High Road is a completely different proposition but the concerns will be the same for some of the traders on TGT and Devonshire Road and might (and might not) apply to some on the High Road. To be successful, any closure must be done with a lot of notice and a great deal of publicity - not paid for by the traders themselves as they aren't awash with cash - plus alternative parking elsewhere and nearby for those whose businesses rely on that or on a day when they don't trade, such as a Sunday. Even on a Sunday, some businesses will need commensurate parking elsewhere and nearby. The weekend is by far the busiest day for traders; I remember one telling me a few years ago that 50 per cent of his week's takings were taken on a Saturday. I can't speak for all businesses on Devonshire Road but I know of one (now closed) who saw a massive deterioration in business, one of its busiest days, during the street party because of the noise of the bands/music - customers didn't want to linger and left. It's important not to categorise all businesses in the same way. The street party is family orientated; some of the shops/businesses are not dependent on family support and families might not come to the street party to do the sort of business they would do without kids in tow. What works for some doesn't work for others. This is, unfortunately, not a straight line argument. There are many issues to think about and nuances to bear in mind. It's not simple and we can't think simplistically about it. |