Exchange Street reopening in Norwich welcomed by shoppers - BBC.com

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By Jo Thewlis

BBC News, Norfolk

A decision to reopen a city centre road more than three years after it was pedestrianised has been welcomed by shoppers.

Exchange Street in Norwich was first shut in July 2020.

Business owners and taxi drivers said they were taking detoured routes out of the city.

Norfolk County Council will reopen the road to all traffic this month, following concerns about congestion and drivers flouting the rules.

man wearing prescription glasses in street

Simon Bass, 63, from Norwich, is a shopper who uses Exchange Street and said: "This is the best and most sensible news to come out of the county council for a long time.

"The closing of Exchange Street has cost businesses thousands, cost motorists severe frustration, right, left and centre, and cost taxi drivers a lot of money."

Julie Brighty, who works at a private healthcare clinic in Exchange Street, said: "It makes good sense. It's got to work for everybody as well as traffic.

"Sometimes I work Saturdays and you see it just back to back, tail end, which is no good really because you've got the fumes."

Members of the Green party and Labour groups at the county council tried to make the council reconsider the closure, saying the measures improved air quality and access for pedestrians and cyclists.

Paul Neale, a Green county councillor, submitted a motion to the council's scrutiny committee on Tuesday to retain the closure, but said it was turned down.

He said: "I can remember when London Street was the first street in the county to become a pedestrian-only street and people were up in arms about stopping motorists getting around.

"You ask everybody now how nice it is to walk around Westlegate, Gentleman's Walk, London Street, The Lanes and that's part of our city now and people adapt."

Graham Plant, the Conservative cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said "a thousand cars a day were not complying" with the closure and said it was "becoming financially unviable" to maintain.

Exchange Street is due to reopen to all traffic on 18 November.