Torbay Road Revisited

It's been a while since I've been down Torbay Road so I was intrigued to visit it at just before 4pm on Tuesday 3rd January. What has changed and how are businesses getting on?

There were four school age children walking a dog while they were playing and skareboarding. Additionally, I could see at different times that there were approximately a total of eight adults walking along but not stopping to shop or take refreshments.

I was particularly struck by the extent to which businesses had displayed their pleas for the road to be reopened. Many had closed down, some permanently, while others strangely, not really as there were no customers, were shut down at 4pm on a Tuesday!!? It was dead!

Even eateries and open retailers saw no customers.

Scoffs, previously a thriving chippie, only had a couple customers.

I believe representations have been made to the Council about the demise of businesses in Torbay Road as a result of pedestrianisation but they are bullheadedly refusing to reconsider or recind their miscalculated decision.

Look what they have done.

However, there is some good as this streetsleeper finds warmth and an unhassled pitch outside an empty, but open, shop.

Get your voice behind reopening Torbay Road and lobby the Council to listen to the majority and admit their mistake. The latter is probably too much to ask. Nobody, especially leaders, like to admit being wrong but when you make decisions based on faulty data collection to support your predetermined decision what do you expect?