Work is due to get underway on the town centre improvements scheme in Rhyl after Denbighshire County Council was successful in its bid for Welsh Government funding.
The funding, part of Local Sustainable Transport COVID Response Fund 2020-21, will be used to introduce improvements that facilitate social distancing and make it easier for people to travel actively within town centres. Work has already started in Llangollen and Ruthin. The Council is going back to the drawing board regarding the initial proposals for Denbigh and will come up with a smaller scheme for the town which will be consulted upon at a later date.
The works in Rhyl will include: the introduction of a widened pedestrian area on:
- The eastern side of Bodfor Street between Elwy Street and its junction with Wellington Road;
- Queen Street between its junction with Wellington Road and its junction with Sussex Street
- The south side of West Parade from its junction with Queen Street and its junction with Edward Henry Street.
This will be achieved through the introduction of bolt down kerbing and will provide enhanced facilities for people to social distance and travel actively. To facilitate this, on-street loading and disabled parking facilities will be suspended and re-introduced on the west side of Bodfor and Queen Street for the duration of the trial period.
In addition, the Council will also be changing the layout of the junction of Wellington Road and Queen Street, to make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
Works will commence on site on Monday 2nd November and will be conducted by KM Construction.
Councillor Brian Jones, Cabinet Lead Member for Highways, Transport and the Environment, said: “Active travel has become a more prominent issue in recent times, with covid-19 allowing people the opportunity to walk more or to get on bikes as a means of getting out and about.
“The funding made available was to be used to promote active travel and allow councils to introduce measures that would help protect people’s safety through social distancing, as well as encouraging more people to visit our town centre businesses.
“There was generally strong support for the Rhyl plans and we were happy to support these proposals going forward. We are now on the verge of starting work at various locations in the town and we will be keeping any disruption to a minimum. We would like to thank residents and businesses in the towns for their understanding”
In Ruthin, works will involve the introduction of one-way restrictions on Market Street and Well Street. Market Street will be one-way (away from St. Peter’s Square), and Well Street will be one-way (in the direction of St. Peter’s square. The works will be introduced on a trial basis for up to 18 months.
By introducing one-way restrictions the Council will be able to provide additional space for active travel users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, and provide increased safe space for social distancing. This will be achieved through use of bolt-down kerbs. In addition to the one-way systems the Council will also introduce enhanced social distancing facilities for outdoor eating and drinking on St Peters Square.
In Llangollen works will include reversing the one-way restriction on Church Street between its junction with Chapel Street and its junction with Regent Street. This will reduce instances of ‘rat running’ and provide improved access to schools and the town centre for pedestrians and cyclists.
Further measures include the introduction of a widened pedestrian area on the eastern side of Castle Street between its junction with Bridge Street and its junction with Regent Street. This will be achieved with the introduction of bolt down kerbing and will provide enhanced facilities for people to social distance and travel actively. To facilitate this work, on-street parking will be suspended on Castle Street for the duration of the trial period.
A one-way restriction will also be introduced on Market Street between its junction with Castle Street and its junction with East Street. Vehicles will be allowed to enter Market Street from Castle Street and proceed in a westerly direction. The purpose of this restriction is to provide an additional loading bay, for use by businesses, along the north side of Market Street.