At last night's town council amenities committee, the town council is again pressing ahead with its plan to provide a coach drop off point outside The Old Courthouse. A town centre location means coach parties having looked around town will (or should) migrate down to the Craft Centre, whereas dropping at the Craft Centre means few will bother to walk up to town. That's the idea, anyway.
The town centre coach drop off was an aspiration ever since in 2019 the town achieved coach friendly status. It's part of the proposed changes to the Square. Ideally, the town council wants the drop off for the 2023 season but delays at the county council will probably put paid to that.
With its sea of tarmac to its front, The Old Courthouse looks a little naked when there are no cars moored at its front
Laudable though this coach drop off actually is, and it *is* praiseworthy, isn't the town council simply going to find itself at the wrong end of moaning motorists on social media? Lost will be up to five premium car parking spaces, between 10 am and 4 pm. And for what? Does the number of coaches justify the loss of such parking? 2019 may have been in another world but does anyone recall seeing any coachloads of people then or beforehand? Even Shearings Holidays, who once diverted into the town to spin round the roundabout but never stopped, no longer comes.
Don't get me wrong. Parking on The Square should and could be reduced dramatically, to clear out the clutter that is the private motor car. The reality is that there is ample parking in car parks, all of which are but a short distance from the centre of town.
But the drop off point should be as a result of the overall plan for The Square and not piecemeal. If the coach drop-off goes ahead, what'll happen in the short term is that it'll be very unpopular.
- Motorists in a backlash will simply blame the town council for reducing parking spaces;
- There will be accusations that the roads up to and around The Square are unsuitable for large vehicles, such as coaches. The town council already complains about heavy wagons;
- Motorists will probably ignore the new arrangement. What chance is there of a traffic warden, anyway?
- Businesses will cry foul, citing a loss of trade on The Square;
- There won't be any noticeable coach traffic;
- And coach passengers are notoriously poor spenders. They actually contribute far less in terms of per capita spend than other visitors.
Rhuthun/Ruthin remains either the only coach friendly town in Wales or one of two.