Comment: New barriers create safe zone for people in Kirkcaldy High Street

Delivery lorries need access, and Blue Badge holders have to get as close as possible to the shops, and both use the same part of the street which is, after all, meant to be for people first.

Meeting the demands of all has been a challenge which has taken far too long to crack, but the changes introduced last week are a very welcome first step.

During lockdown, too many people took full advantage of the lack of enforcement to use the High Street as a shortcut. That behaviour had to be curbed.

The new barriers are a significant upgrade on the previous signage which was all too easily ignored.

'No consultation' over barriers to restrict vehicle access in...

They put people first. They make the area safer for all at a time when, anecdotally, more people are shopping local and giving the town centre the footfall it needs to remain viable and lively.

And, as businesses, move more and more outdoors in order to comply with social distancing and lockdown restrictions, so we must go further and think out of the box to ensure they are given every possible help.

Taking the indoors outdoors means less scope for traffic. We need to see all traffic diverted down Tolbooth Street, leaving the end of the pedestrianised zone solely for people – and, in doing so, turning it into a place where people can meet safely.

Claims from Tory councillors that the barriers are a ‘death knell’ are simply preposterous.

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