Totnes - Parking and The Pedestrian Question

It’s no secret that most people would probably prefer that Totnes Fore and High Streets were free of vehicles; as they seem dangerous, polluting and needless. But in my opinion much as a completely car free zone would be appreciated by some, the needs of others must be given priority for the town to survive as an exciting, busy and prosperous place.

Totnes with it’s long, steep drag up the hill is not like many other urban centres which have lent themselves easily to pedestrianisation with their centralised, wide, flat open spaces. Totnes has a different character and it’s why many people wish to visit, both from a local perspective and for all the tourists that come to see the town. Tourists do not much go to visit Newton Abbot for example…Totnes has history experienced through its arch(es), Norman castle, quirky Elizabethan buildings and the Butterwalk, all of which give context and background to one of the best local markets right in the middle of all this (and where it should stay!).

But access is paramount to the success of this town, and it can only thrive by allowing those people who want to come to get where they want to go quickly and easily, and with the minimum fuss. For local businesses to do well enough to pay for the maintenance and upkeep of these amazing properties, customers need to be easily able to get to their shops and also be able to feel that they can use their cars to take their purchases and / or family and friends with them.

So, and this may sound a little crazy but bear with me here, what Totnes really needs is more cars! Yes more cars that bring more people to visit and more trade to the town. Cars that are given priority access, cheaper parking and left alone by over zealous council money gatherers who seem happy to camp out in the pouring rain just to catch one of the aforementioned customers / visitors for being 5 minutes over time. (Yes this is from personal experience!). Basically, if prospective shoppers are stung in their pockets almost every time they come to town then they’ll just decide to go elsewhere, probably to an out of town centre where parking is free and there are no wardens..an unfair advantage that needs to be skewed back in the favour of town centres imho.

Overbearing and over patrolled parking control is simply not good for businesses in the immediate area (although it might appear to be good business for the council or private firms). Shopkeepers need to think carefully about whether they are being deprived of trade by these practices, because it is my belief that this is damaging to the economic vitality of this town (and most others in England too), and helping who exactly? 

There are people, both businesses and locals alike, who require constant access by car to their town centre properties for deliveries and everyday tasks.  The businesses benefit from pop and shoppers, i.e. the ability to quickly get in to the street, buy what’s needed and go again. The curtailing of this practice from a lack of a decent parking strategy, and those pesky fine slappers, has already affected the mix of businesses in the town, and many local people decry the lack of ‘normal’ everyday shops compared to the proliferation of charities, designer bits and bobs and coffee shops. Not that I personally have anything against these types of businesses, but you can see how local people have been driven out (sic) of using the town with their cars. Only Morrisons has benefitted from this policy. Even if cars become predominantly electric (and so less polluting) they will still need somewhere to park, so this issue is going to remain current for some years to come.

My family has owned a shop in the centre of Totnes since 1971 and personally ran a business there for some 32 years. During that time we saw many clumsy attempts at pedestrianisation; including speed bumps that just annoyed delivery drivers and motorists alike (and increased pollution) and also the hideous oil drum that was placed next to the arch with a bent ‘pedestrians only’ sign concreted into it, which did wonders for those important visitors’ photos! It's just not going to work as a black and white decision, but a strategy to reduce traffic flow along the main street to a fraction of its current level would make for a semi-pedestrianised zone.

Sure the main street has been used as a rat run to get to the top of the bypass, and as a racing hill climb for bikers back in the day, but in my opinion it’s the format of the road that is the problem. I advocate a ‘shared space’ approach that does away with the delineation of pavement to road, and so the issue of where people should go and where cars feel they have the right of way. Currently people are worried about stepping into the road, and car drivers get annoyed that the people are in 'their' road so the best thing to do is to take up the tarmac and remove the pavements (which have already had all their lovely original york paving slabs stollen some years back..) and replace it with cobbles right across the road. Cars just can’t drive fast over this surface as it is uncomfortable (but not so annoying and delivery hampering as speed bumps, or if well laid even to pedestrians). Where this surface is implemented both drivers and pedestrians know that in this shared space that obviously people have the right of way, so cars have to drive slower and be more alert to their surroundings. Eventually many car drivers will just get frustrated by the slow progress and not drive through any more. 

This approach has been used in many European countries, and is gaining some traction as has been proved to make these zones safer and more pleasant for all, and without needing loads of ugly signs, lights or bollards to make it work. Another benefit to a more historic town such as Totnes is that the cobbles (and lack of horrible yellow lines) just look more authentic too. So the rat run would be dispensed with as the main street would become a ‘go-slow’ area.

There has been a bit of a backlash recently against shared spaces, but mostly where they have been created for busy junctions when before there were lots of traffic lights, zebra crossings etc and in those cases maybe it’s not such a good idea, but for the main street of Totnes which is a single road with no lights, I believe it could work very well.

Another method to help reduce the vehicular usage of the street is to give cars alternative, easier routes into the centre that lead to ample parking zones that have quick walking access to the relevant parts of the town that people need to get to. As mentioned earlier, a parking strategy is vital to the continued health of the economy and so there needs to be appropriate amounts of parking very near both Fore Street and High Street. 

For the top of town the answer has been available for many years, but could soon fall victim to the grasp of those developers who would infill the southern area just to line their pockets without a second thought as to whether another estate of houses would relieve the town of vital parking amenities. I am old enough to remember Heath’s Nurseries in that area and, as far as I remember, that land was bequeathed to the benefit of the town, not for these others to make a fast buck out of. Already the link road has been designed in such a way as to lead into various housing plots (you thought it was laid out for the car parks or to reduce the rat run?!) It can easily be seen how bit by bit the developers are picking off the various car parks that are the lifeblood of the top of town.

This was a car park but no more..

It was mooted some years back to build a decked parking in what is known as the gravel car park, but certain people caused a stir over this, constantly referring to it as a ‘multi-storey’ conjuring images of monstrosities like the one that used to be in the centre of Brixham and so put paid to that plan in quick time. Some say it was even the Freemasons who complained as it would be too close to their hall! But in my opinion a decked car park is still a good option as if the main body of this was built into the top end of that area 2 floors could go in up to the level of the properties currently higher up the hill without any noticeable affect and possibly a third, or more, could go underground.

Gravel car park showing the elevation

In recompense the developers could get (most) of what they want by continuing to build over the further out car parking towards the Leechwell, which is all probably a bit far away from the centre anyway.

It is so important that pedestrians don’t have to walk too far into the town centre as people are unfortunately by nature a bit lazy and just won’t walk if they can avoid it! An access route to the proposed decked car park to the back of the Civic Hall has already been infilled with housing some years ago (see the white building in the center of the picture above).

Another way to alleviate some traffic flow away from the main street is to create a proper vehicular access through the gravel car park to the short stay parking at the rear of the Civic Hall.  Currently this is pedestrian only (and runs alongside the Freemason’s hall..) and would need to just slightly cut through the double section of old wall. Some few hardy souls do attempt to drive up South Street and do the 3 point turn around this wall (even vans on market days!) so by smoothing the road through to the top this would also reduce traffic coming up past the Grove infant school’s front gates. Certainly for those pop and shoppers this would give them a new route into the centre of town without using the High Street. Pedestrian access to the Narrows is also facilitated via the top end of South Street. Also the market could be serviced directly from behind the Civic again cutting down on traffic needing to use the main street to access the market square.

Pointless chaos

Straight through access to town centre

What is almost surely true is that if this option is not exercised soon then the builders will move in and extinguish this idea forever by plonking houses all over the gravel car park, and once they are there it’s virtually impossible to go back, once it’s built on it’s gone for good..

However, my second parking suggestion is for Fore Street and is asking just that! Many years ago my father fought the proposal to build a supermarket behind Fore Street, labelling it as a white elephant, too small and the wrong site. Well after a string of different retailers have tried and failed to make a go of this we now find that Budgens have given up too. and it looks like no-one else is interested either.  

Sorry looking and fit for nowt

So what am I proposing? This area is the perfect place to site the lower town car park. Demolish the old Budgens / Somerfield building and build a decent car park there instead. Again the site is hidden from view and on an elevation so parking on several levels could be built, and the pedestrian exit comes out just below the arch and so is great for people to access the centre.

Couldn't exit in a better spot!

Already pedestrian friendly..

Access to this site is just off the Station Road roundabout by Morrisons garage so would immediately bring people from Torbay, Newton Abbot and further afield directly into the heart of the town with minimum fuss and again help to reduce traffic on the main street.

Access not far from the Station Rd. roundabout.

Also a coach parking area could be incorporated to get tourists into the centre (so they don't have to climb the whole hill either). There is also easy walking access back to the lower part of Fore Street past the old King William pub.

Unfortunately, I just can’t see SHDC having the guts to implement such a plan, despite it’s obvious advantage to the economic health of the town and reduction of traffic (all currently vying for those few spaces available along the street). Although it could definitely be a money spinner for them if enough spaces are provided, and surely the car parking charges would pay for the site and redevelopment needed?  Although I would propose that the first hour is free to encourage more business to the town.

So then, more cars needed to bring more people and more trade to the town, but not in the main street, just within easy reach of this street. Then share the street to improve the dynamic, appearance and workability of the town. Total pedestrianisation, without proper thought to the requirements of this unusual layout and the traders who are its lifeblood, will only lead to gentrification and the gradual decline of this fantastic town with its bustling life. 

It’s the business people who need to stand up and be counted in this debate, they need to call for a proper parking strategy, at least along similar lines as proposed here, in order to protect their livelihoods for the future growth of the town. Their customers being penalised and scared away and the encroaching developers threatening to build in every hole available is surely something to get vocal about! However, there seemed to be more outcry over the possibility of a Costa coming to Totnes than the affected people demanding a proper solution is put into place before the options disappear..

In my opinion for too long many towns have been held hostage by the curse of the traffic warden and traders are just not doing enough to make sure that easy access to their businesses is both protected and enhanced in whatever way possible, as they are the ones who are both paying the elevated business rates and providing the colour and interest with their choice of trades that brings people, both locals and visitors to the town.

Pedestrianisation without proper forethought for how to bring people directly into the centre is just a pipe dream and for me is not even really the issue at large here. Even ideas of part pedestrianisation on certain days etc. would just be an excuse to create more ugly signage and confuse people. Sure more footfall is needed in the town, but expecting people to walk all the way up the street, or even be able to properly do their shopping on a bus is not realistic. Easy access is key to the survival of Totnes and time is running out to do something about it. Already I hear that there are plans to infill the Budgens site with a care home..this is just more short termism at large as this isn't going to help improve Totnes in any way, and let's be honest here are these new residents going to be using the town much, and where are their visitors/families going to park?

Is the council on your side? It’s a good question, and I think you need to look at the history here and to also consider whether their issuing of as many parking fines as possible is helpful to the town? Whether in recent times that the possible suggestion of building houses all over the Civic market square could ever have been in the interests of anyone other than associated developers?  

The massive increase of new housing that has already impacted on the hills above Longmarsh (and now all along Steamer Quay too) and other sites (like the Kevics lower school) are going to be bringing many more people into the town with little or no respective investment in infrastructure (let alone jobs). Where are all these prospective new customers going to park if the council have allowed the car parks to be built over and ignored the possibilities of providing better access and parking via the options outlined above?

It's time to demand a proper parking strategy or suffer the consequences...