Get to church by tram - St Peter's Church, Nottingham on-line magazine

Get to Church by Tram!

The City Council explains what is planned

The Nottingham tram The introduction of a modern tram system into Nottingham is an exciting prospect which will improve the City no end. But it is understandable that people are concerned about how its construction and its eventual operation will impact on their lives.

It was originally intended that Wheeler Gate would be widened to allow buses to travel from Victoria Street to the bottom of Old Market Square, as the trams will be using South Parade and Cheapside. However, it has now been decided that buses from the south will come along Maid Marian Way, enter the Old Market Square via Friar Lane and exit along Beast Market Hill/Angel Row/Mount Street and back onto Maid Marian Way.

Parishioners may be concerned about effects on parking nearby. The disabled spaces alongside the church should not be affected, but those on the opposite side of St Peter’s Gate are likely to be lost permanently. Other parking bays are built into tram plans, but details have yet to be finalised. Access to Fletcher Gate car park may be affected, but not blocked, sporadically throughout the work.

Two weeks work will take place on Fletcher Gate in October and resume next January, with one-way systems and loss of parking between Collin Street and Warser Gate at various times - details will be sent to the church before work takes place.

The main thing to remember throughout the next three years (trams will be running by November 2003) is that it will be worth it in the end - a 21st century form of public transport fit for the 21st century city which Nottingham is developing into.

We might complain about the relatively short-term disruption caused by the creation of Line One of Nottingham Express Transit, but in the long-term it aims to reduce disruption, congestion and pollution around the City (and remember, it’s expected to develop into a comprehensive network across the City over the forthcoming years.)

Without the tram and other pioneering schemes which form part of an integrated transport policy for Nottingham, the City would be in danger of grinding to a halt, both in terms of traffic and economic progress. Two million road journeys wiped out by the tram’s first line each year is a significant step in the right direction.

And although disruption is inevitable during construction, the tram’s developers are making strenuous efforts to minimise this by approaching the work in a systematic way and putting in relatively long-term traffic management alterations so people aren’t confused and can make sensible journey decisions. People will also be helped by a concerted communications campaign which is committed to keeping anyone who needs to know about the tram fully informed (hence this article).

A City Centre Liaison Group meeting is scheduled to take place at the Council House later this year when details of city centre works will emerge and you will have a chance to ask questions of the tram’s developers. You will be invited to attend when a date is finalised.

Latest information about construction progress, traffic hotspots and general tram details can be found on these websites:

www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/tram
www.nottinghamtravelwise.org.uk

Any queries these do not answer can be directed to the Tram Hotline on 0115 915 6600.

Stephan Richeux

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