Another nail in the coffin to m'bro town centre shopping

Middlesbrough's bigger issue for me is the utter nightmare mess they have made of linthorpe road with the cycle lanes. As a cyclist, I would never use them, it's awful. As a driver, it's made driving down that way absolutely a genuinely crap experience. Was at a standstill 3 days ago when we went and two vehicles had a prang so everything ground to a halt with no way round them.

I've seen motorbikes driving up and down the cycle lanes, there is very little space especially when a large vehicle is in the lane next to you. Seems to have made traffic worse rather than better.


You can detour around them but involves going down side streets and risking getting t-boned at every junction as people power over them.

Absolutely awful decision.
 
ThatFragranceGuy said:
Middlesbrough's bigger issue for me is the utter nightmare mess they have made of linthorpe road with the cycle lanes. As a cyclist, I would never use them, it's awful. As a driver, it's made driving down that way absolutely a genuinely crap experience. Was at a standstill 3 days ago when we went and two vehicles had a prang so everything ground to a halt with no way round them.

I've seen motorbikes driving up and down the cycle lanes, there is very little space especially when a large vehicle is in the lane next to you. Seems to have made traffic worse rather than better.


You can detour around them but involves going down side streets and risking getting t-boned at every junction as people power over them.

Absolutely awful decision.
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Agree 100% and I am on the whole in favour of bike lanes.
 
Nobby_Barnes said:
If you get on it you might be able to change something or encourage others....?
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The problem is, our multi millionaire mayor believes in the trickle down economics where all the help is handed down to his mates in the hope that Some of it falls low enough so the most deserving and needy gets some, where my belief is we give people a hand up which will then provide business an opportunity to fulfil a need, rather than people fulfilling a need to businesses.
 
BoroMart said:
exactly, this is the real challenge for town centres, not £1 all day parking
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Agree with what you are saying about Amazon and that they need to be taxed more but we are also our own worse enemies. How much online shopping did you do for Christmas this year? I bought all but three of my wife's presents online.
 
TheLodger said:
It would never happen because I simply could never accept collective responsibility with the people that are currently killing our town.
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So you think Labour would have allowed their councillors to serve had Preston asked them at the start of his term? Honest answer?
 
sherlock1969 said:
This is the biggest issue. Regardless of parking charges, people aren’t attracted to the town centre. Up to when I left Boro in February 22 I hadn’t been into town in years.

I’m up in Morpeth now. Free disc parking (actually the case for 99% of a Northumberland) and lots of things to attract people into the town centre. And it’s always busy, really seems to be thriving. As is Alnwick, Hexham etc.

Different feeling in market towns I know, but Boro needs to make the town centre feel more like somewhere people want to be, and not just endure.
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Totally agree.

I went to Stockton prior to Christmas and it was mainly just to have a walk around the market. The market wasn't too clever so went popped to Northallerton and finished our Christmas shopping there. Both had a good feel to them.

I had been in Middlesbrough twice just prior to this for my eye test and to pick my glasses up, I had a little wander around the town for Christmas inspirations but there was nothing to hold me.
 
You look at places like York - the place is transformed at Christmas time with the market - I'm sure that both Middlesbrough and Stockton could do something similar.

I think that the future is in independent retailers - something like Wembley Boxpark? A mix of restaurants, shops and activities...

WEMBLEY
 
Norman_Conquest said:
Agree with what you are saying about Amazon and that they need to be taxed more but we are also our own worse enemies. How much online shopping did you do for Christmas this year? I bought all but three of my wife's presents online.
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Well I live in Kent, and my local town centre is awful. Unless the girlfriend wants a voucher for a nail parlour, a tattoo, or some second hand clothes for christmas I need to travel an hour away or go online to keep her happy.

It's the same in many high streets in provincial towns throughout the country.
 
Wiseman_Vaughn said:
You look at places like York - the place is transformed at Christmas time with the market - I'm sure that both Middlesbrough and Stockton could do something similar.

I think that the future is in independent retailers - something like Wembley Boxpark? A mix of restaurants, shops and activities...

WEMBLEY
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exactly. Shopping habits are not going to significantly change, and the town centres must adapt.

Town centres should switch funding more away from retail, towards entertainment. The footprint of the modern town centre will probably be smaller, but day time entertainment for families, plus nighttime for adults is the way to go. Any multipurposing of facilities helps to manage fixed costs. Example a resteraunt can double up with day time fresh cheese, meat, veg sales. A daytime indoor golf facility, can double up as a cocktail bar etc.

Sadly the economy will limit the amount of money we have to spend, so entertainment might struggle for a couple of years, once we get the tories out and things moving north again then the opportunities for entertainment hubs will be clear
 
JackG said:
I bought all 3 of my wives online
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One wife is enough.

It's all about the distribution of wealth. Every part of the country can buy online but not every part of the country can support reasonable standard clothing retailers. Morpeth and Hexham mentioned earlier, more locally Northallerton. All towns with small populations but the wealth has been shifted towards them since the early 1980's.
 
sherlock1969 said:
Is it that wealth has been shifted towards them? Or that they have done more to attract investment and people?

Probably a mixture of both to be honest, but it’s not a passive thing. Boro can and should do more to make the town attractive to people and business.
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The wealth has been shifted towards them and away from post industrial towns and the diminishing real wage. They have money so their shops have stayed open. Our wealth is being eroded so our shops close.

A town the size of Northallerton can maintain a department store of reasonable quality, the whole of the Tees Valley can't.

It's half the size of Billingham with nowhere near the amount of investment that has come into the North Teesside town.
 
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BoroMart said:
exactly. Shopping habits are not going to significantly change, and the town centres must adapt.

Town centres should switch funding more away from retail, towards entertainment. The footprint of the modern town centre will probably be smaller, but day time entertainment for families, plus nighttime for adults is the way to go. Any multipurposing of facilities helps to manage fixed costs. Example a resteraunt can double up with day time fresh cheese, meat, veg sales. A daytime indoor golf facility, can double up as a cocktail bar etc.

Sadly the economy will limit the amount of money we have to spend, so entertainment might struggle for a couple of years, once we get the tories out and things moving north again then the opportunities for entertainment hubs will be clear
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Everything you are saying there seems to be what Andy Preston is trying to do
 
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