Increased Sales in Pedestrian Zones Support Car-Independent Shopping Initiatives

A councillor indicated that an increase in sales within pedestrianised zones supports initiatives aimed at allowing individuals to experience shopping districts independently of car use. Studies conducted in various places, including Shrewsbury, revealed that pedestrians spend more money compared to those who arrive by car, and pedestrianised town centers experience greater sales. The charity Living Streets reported that sales in the town increased by an average of 14% when data from before the pandemic was compared with figures from 2022 to 2023 for both pedestrianised and non-pedestrianised areas. Town council leader Alan Mosley stated that people prefer urban centers that are not dominated by vehicle traffic. He commented, “The fact that sales have been higher in the area where people are encouraged to linger and enjoy the town centre in traffic-free streets would certainly seem to back up our strategy of finding more ways for people to travel in and around Shrewsbury rather than always having to rely on a car.” The most recent report from Living Streets investigated the economic contribution of walking “and wheeling” to high streets. During the pandemic in 2020, Shrewsbury’s busiest pedestrian thoroughfares, High Street, The Square, and Shoplatch, were closed to vehicular traffic daily from 10:00 to 16:00 as part of a three-month trial. These closures were continued and made semi-permanent in early 2023, following the lifting of social distancing restrictions. The charity stated, “Growth in the pedestrianised areas was 25 percentage points higher than in the non-pedestrianised areas (37% compared to 12%).” It added, “The most significant growth in the pedestrianised areas was in the ‘grocery’, ‘general retail’ and ‘food and drink’ sectors (which respectively grew 30%, 45% and 66% more than in non-pedestrianised areas).” Seb Slater, executive director of Shrewsbury Business Improvement District (BID), expressed his satisfaction that Shrewsbury was featured in the report. He further stated, “One of the key aims of the Big Town Plan is to enable the town centre to grow and evolve into an even more attractive destination where more people choose to spend their time – whether they are visitors, residents or workers.”