Sir,
My mother told me that in the early years of the last century there was a heated debate in Tenby on a proposal to ban 'horseless carriages' from entering the Town Walls on the grounds that the streets were too narrow resulting in danger to pedestrians and the noise disturbed the tranquility of the town.
I recount this tale merely to illustrate that the problem of traffic management has been around for almost a century and has been the subject of many studies, surveys, trials and experiments to little avail.
Yet every decade someone, usually a newcomer to the town, ignores the lessons of local history and raises the idea of pedestrianisation as if it were a new concept.
Unfortunately, there is a small percentage of the population who wish to see the streets of Tenby as empty in the summer as they are in the winter who support the concept.
The financial lifeblood of Tenby is the summer visitor, without whom Tenby would become a virtual ghost town inhabited by retired pensioners, of whom I am one, and those unable to afford to move away.
A few decades ago Tenby could rely on the trains to bring hundreds of visitors for their annual fortnight at the seaside. However, social change and the availability of relatively cheap air travel mean that the 'Costa del Sol' is a far more attractive alternative to the uncertain climes of Tenby.
These days the bulk of the visitors to Tenby are impulse day-trippers and those on mid-week to weekend breaks. At least 80 per cent of these visitors come by car, as they want to use their cars to explore the natural beauty of the Pembrokeshire coast and on inclement days to visit attractions such as Oakwood Leisure Park, Heatherton Country Park, Folly Farm etc.
Out of town car parks, even with a park a ride scheme, is not a viable solution for those who want to use their cars during their short break in Tenby. If Tenby becomes vehicular unfriendly, these visitors will seek alternatives to Tenby, with the inevitable consequences for most small businesses.
The priority for Tenby is the construction of more off-street parking in the town, with routes to various car parks colour coded, coupled with the strict enforcement of traffic regulations.
The proposal to develop St. Francis Yard as a multi-storey car park is an obvious but possibly expensive solution. There could be value in developing the Rectory Field Car Park into a suitably designed two-storey car park, obviously not a concrete monstrosity as exists in Upper Park Road, provided that it remained open all year. An alternative would be to develop the South Beach Car Park into a multi-storey car park and extend The Esplanade to provide access.
Local residents could be encouraged to use these car parks with special seasonal rates, thus reducing the absurd volume of illegal parking that now takes place. Coupled with more off-street parking, daytime parking meters could be introduced where practical inside the town walls and adjacent streets such as St. Florence Parade, The Esplanade etc. Revenue from this could be offset against the cost of a full-time traffic warden.
Once traffic was properly managed and only then should there be any consideration of pedestrianisation schemes. However, since Tenby is built on a peninsula with one main access road, it is the height of folly to consider pedestrianisation of the High Street and Tudor Square, since this is the road artery of the town and must be kept open to provide access to the harbour, lifeboat house, guest houses, banks, museum and for disabled drivers who have to visit premises within the town. If the lifeboat was late in being launched because the crew were unable to drive to the harbour quickly, who is going to face the relatives of anyone drowned as a result.
Other areas within the Town Walls such as St. Mary's Street, St. George's Street, Upper and Lower Frog Street might well be subject to limited day time pedestrianisation without too many problems, but even that would have to be given careful consideration.
Please, before we have any more ill-conceived pedestrian schemes foisted upon Tenby, will those involved please study lessons of the past and stop presenting the same old theme as a new initiative.
J. H. T. Griffiths,
3 Scotsborough View,
Tenby.