St Ives Initiates Traffic Reduction Program

The initial phase of a £5.5 million initiative designed to alleviate vehicular congestion in the well-known Cornish seaside town of St Ives has commenced. This low carbon transport project in St Ives aims to decrease traffic volume, diminish air pollution stemming from vehicle emissions, and encourage increased use of cycling, walking, and public transportation among residents and visitors. As part of this first stage, the intersection where the Terrace meets Albert Road is undergoing narrowing to discourage drivers, alongside the installation of new paving. Project managers anticipate these alterations will prompt visitors to utilize more distant car parks, thereby preventing vehicles from entering the road leading into the town centre. This £5.5 million scheme is part of the nearly £20 million St Ives received through its Town Deal, an allocation from the former Conservative government’s levelling-up programme. Andrew Baragwanath, who chairs the St Ives Town Board, stated: “There are many people with legitimate reasons to drive into the town centre – residents who live there and businesses that need to operate and have deliveries to them at all times of the day.” He added, “It just doesn’t work to have blanket heavy restrictions so we are trying to do this with a light touch.” Mr. Baragwanath also mentioned that earlier proposals for a one-way system in a section of the town centre were abandoned due to potential adverse effects on buses and emergency vehicles. Cormac, the civil engineering contractor, announced that temporary three-way traffic lights would be operational at the Terrace junction, accompanied by some overnight road closures. Louis Gardner, Cornwall Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economy, commented: “None of us like roadworks, but it’s a good time of year to get them out the way and they are essential to our work to reduce visitor traffic in the town centre.” Cormac expressed its expectation that the work would be finalized by 13 December. Additionally, traffic monitoring cameras are slated for installation in the coming weeks to evaluate the impact of these changes. Further initiatives under the low carbon transport strategy include signage on the A30 and at St Ives’ entrances, providing drivers with information on car park availability. Work to enhance the junction at Zennor, connecting the B3311 and B3306, is also scheduled to begin in January as part of this comprehensive project.