Local Sustainable Transport response to Covid-19: Ruthin
Why are we doing this?
This consultation ran from 10th to 26th July, it is now closed. You can read the original consultation and our findings below.
Finding a 'new normal' for Ruthin town centre
In May 2020, Welsh Government put out a call for expressions of interest from local authorities to bid for funding to make short-term, temporary changes to town centres that will help to make them feel safe and welcoming. The council submitted expressions of interest for proposed schemes in Ruthin, Denbigh, Llangollen and Rhyl.
On 21st June 2020, the council launched a survey to find out how businesses and residents felt about town centres beginning to re-open. Early responses indicate that businesses are quieter than they usually would be for the time of year, and that residents are generally nervous about returning to town centres. Many respondents indicated that they were only visiting town centres to carry out essential tasks and over half of respondents who left a comment expressed concerns about pavement widths and the inability to safely practice social distancing. The survey is ongoing and can be accessed here.
The survey responses received to date suggest that the range of propsals which the council submitted to Welsh Government are appropriate and proportional to the scale of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Welsh Government has approved funding for the proposals, however the council would like to consult with the local community before any final decision on the scheme is made.
In summary, the proposals for Ruthin are to:
1. Support social distancing in Market Street and Well Street by introducing a one-way traffic system to the town centre along these routes. This will enable pavements to be widened in problem areas
2. To support pubs, cafés and restaurants in Ruthin town centre to create outside seating areas where it is safe and practicable to do so.
3. To acknowledge the increased interest in active travel and associated health benefits, and to encourage and support people to choose active travel as a means of getting about in the town centre by implementing infrastructure changes which make active travel easier
Further details on the proposals are available to download below:
1. Proposal document: Ruthin town centre (PDF)
2. Ruthin scheme map (PDF)
What do we want to know?
Tell us what you think!
We would be grateful if you could help us to understand how you feel about the proposed scheme by filling in the survey linked below.
If the proposed scheme (or a modified version of it) goes ahead, we will continue to collect your feedback and the scheme will be monitored very closely.
Location:
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Start date
10 July 2020
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End date
26 July 2020
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Methods
Consultation Event
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Supplier
Denbighshire County Council
What we found out
The Council received a total of 606 responses to this consultation. Of these, approximately 81% of respondents were in favour of the proposed temporary scheme.
The response data was collated and presented to the Ruthin Member Area Group (MAG), a group of County Councillors for the Ruthin area. The reports can be accessed below:
1. Report to MAG (PDF)
2. Engagement Summary Report (PDF)
3. Detailed data report (PDF)
What difference has it made?
The Ruthin MAG recommended to the Lead Member for Waste, Transport and the Environment that a decision was made to proceed with the scheme, supported in part by the favourable community responses received.
The temporary scheme will be installed in November 2020 for a trial period not exceeding 18 months.
Local residents and businesses will be given an opportunity to feed back on the trial scheme once works to install it are completed.
Related documents
