Lerwick town centre

[BigMouth]

Afraid to voice their opinion pubically or to living Lerwick members in case it causes trouble or ill feeling, is wrong but they get away with it it happens with other things in council eg planning.

 

It is a big problem within Shetland people too scared to speak out for fear of reprisals.

 

Those of us that do speak out risk offending the sensitivities of others, but where change is needed people are bound to get offended.

[BigMouth]

Ghosty said - "No argument with any of that, but it doesn't stop those who perceive a part of the public road is their own personal carpark from giving the earful - You don't need to have that in your life as well as having to be in the toon...."

 

Just ask them if they forgot their meds!  I know what you mean about being in the town.  Hellish place full of people!  A cattle prod would often be useful!

[Lerwick antiques]

Living Lerwick etc are to interested in cruse ships that come to Lerwick.

 

What I want to know, is, who benefits from cruse ship visits?

 

It's certainly not the shops, mind last year there was 2 cruse ships in and there most have been 400/500 of the cruse ship passengers in my shop through the day, only one sale which was to a local person.

 

Also I have noticed that local folk avoid da street when the cruse ships come in as most local folk don't like being on da street with large crowds.

 

Also, things tend to go missing out of the shops when the cruse ships come in, Not classing all cruse ship passengers as thieves, but there are a good few among them. When I first opened my shop, I was warned about this from other shop owners, but didn't fully believe it until it happened to me.

Edited January 28, 2018 by Lerwick antiques

[Guest Mr.Brown]

Despite the rhetorical nature of your point Mr Brown my response is that I don't care what people think of me, but if they are critical, then they may well have justification in being so.  I do get tired of hearing the perfectly able bodied moan about how difficult it is not being able to park in the doorway of the shop, although they don't quite word it this way.  Seeing young mums with pushchairs struggle around vehicles parked on the pavement also grinds my gears.

 

My comment - You can walk from King Harald St to the street and back in less than 10 minutes.

 

Should have been - I can walk from King Harald St to the street and back in less than 10 minutes.

 

Overweight and in my early sixties, many of the few people walking in the same direction as me are doing so much more quickly.

I absolutely wouldn't condone bad, inconsiderate parking, I've had my share of having to manoeuvre a baby in a buggy around such vehicles so I am well aware of the problem. But not providing car parking where it is needed is not going to deal with that issue.

I am not overweight & in my early(ish!) 50's & my outward appearance would not give a clue to my physical condition, my point being that you just can't always tell how able a person is from first sight.

Perhaps the people that moan about parking don't word it as not being able to park at the shop door because that's really not what they mean. Maybe they just want to be near enough to not get totally soaked if a downpour starts when they are heading to their car.

I think I am right in saying that when new shopping facilities are built now that it is a requirement to factor in parking (probably reflective of the size of the establishment), so if it is now deemed necessary then it makes sense to provide as much parking if at all possible for older shopping areas too. I would be happy to see any practical move to help revive our town centre. Must go now, I've been way more than 10 minutes & I really do have things to do!

[BigMouth]

Weather should come as no surprise to any of us, but it is another excuse trotted out by many to avoid walking.  There is no such thing as bad weather, just poor clothing choices.  I put some waterproofs on if I don't want to get wet.  Anyway, we are all waterproof, and our clothes will dry out.  More first world problems.

 

What I want to know is how close is close enough when it comes to parking?  Perhaps we need zoning.  We could introduce a local road tax.  Those willing to walk a bit further pay a bit less.  Blue badges give free parking.  Fines from driving in the restricted zone without a blue badge could help fund it.

 

Sorry to hear about your health condition Mr Brown.

[Ghostrider]

Living Lerwick etc are to interested in cruse ships that come to Lerwick.

 

What I want to know, is, who benefits from cruse ship visits?

 

LPA, with bus companies and an occasional tour guide picking up a little behind them.

 

Most cruise ship passengers these days are well fed, watered and tempted to buy more tat on board than you could shake a stick at to be much of a cash cow for any shop anywhere. Most are calling in to numerous ports so its just not practical for them to buy anymore than the occasional nick nack memoento in each one either.

 

If it wasn't for the harbour wanting their dues off them and enticing them, very few would come, The vast majority who come ashore go straight on a bus, tour someplace, come back, and go straight back on board ship, so why Living Lerwick is so fussed I dunno, for the unless the potential to sell a handful of cups of tea and a disgestive or a few postcards or other small '

'souvenir' items to a very small percentage of the few that actually get let loose on the town, they're more of a nusiance than a source of trade.

 

Gone are the days when a foreign boat in meant Don Leslie and to a lesser degree others sold a few dozen of the big several pounds weight tins of Quality Street along with god knows what else.....

[Lerwick antiques]

You will find that Living Lerwick lives on a different planet. They seem to think these cruse ships are the highlight of Lerwick, they think every shop is buzzing and tills never stop ringing.

 

I have not heard what big ideas or plans these two new Living Lerwick managers have, but, very much doubt it will be any sense.

 

These two new managers think they know it all, but they don't. Non of them has ever rented a place on da street and opened a shop/service. Maybe worked in shops, but it's 100x different owning a shop. How do they think that they can improve anything when they have not experienced starting up a shop/service on da street and getting it going. They know nothing about the hoops shop owners have to jump through or how hard it is getting established and getting enough money to "keep your head above water" as they have not been there.

[BigMouth]

The coffee shops are busy. I hear the staff moaning about it on the bus.

[Guest tiodylb17]

Toll Clock needs a lot of repairs done to the sheeting and also the big sign with the letter missing.

[BigMouth]

Has someone gone for a P

[wotsit]

It might need some repairs, but the quality of the shops inside and the service is excellent, and the footfall through is busy during the week at varying times, especially lunchtimes.

If some of the shops were not turning over stock or making money they would be closed.

[BigMouth]

That's true. Plenty have closed including the travel agents, Geordies DIY, the IT place plus those above, and others that have been lost in the mists of time.

[Malcolm]

I wonder who has felt the school move the biggest ?

The burger van at Tesco ? I'm thinking (will they need bigger tills? ) 

[wotsit]

Just depends what is on offer at the time whether the shops do well, but currently what is in Bolts is doing very well, travel agent is unlikely to succeed as most people book online now.

[wotsit]

If I was going to open a new shop I would put in Bolts no question if there was a space, funny how a shop from the street is about to do just that a very good move.