I WAS recently looking at the Wiltshire Council website and in particular, information regarding the proposed Salisbury River Park incentive.

Whilst reading, I was also drawn to another little snippet which talked about “Defining parts of the city centre that may be suitable for pedestrianisation or enhanced pedestrian spaces, such as along Fisherton Street”.

As far back as 1960, ‘Pedestrian ways’ in the centre of Salisbury and a more imaginative use of the rivers were suggestions being made by Michael Dower, the town planning office with the Civic Trust.

Addressing a meeting of the Salisbury Hatcher Society, Mr Dower said: “At present, cars obviously dominate almost all of the streets of central Salisbury. There is no ease or pleasantness for the pedestrian. At times, the motorist can not get through easily himself, so it does not work either way.”

He continued: “It would be of immense benefit to the town to remove all through traffic from the central area, gradually service business premises from the rear, and provide a number of small car parks.

“The present car parking arrangements by the City Council were so inconvenient that one had to walk back into the town centre through puddles and a considerable distance along a not very pleasant footpath approach to the centre.”

Mr Dower suggested that as many streets as possible ought to be turned into ‘pedestrian ways’ and stated: “There would be opposition from traders, but traders, in other towns adopting this scheme, had been persuaded that ‘pedestrian only’ streets could increase the value of the shops for the shoppers.”

On the question of the rivers, Mr Dower said it was amazing how Salisbury – once an inland port – had turned its back on the rivers. It would be rewarding to bring them back into use.

 

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