Lerwick town centre

[Lerwick antiques]

I think someone tried to open up a strip club up here a while back but the SIC wouldn't give them permission.

 

I took a walk through commercial street today and the middle does look a poor sight with 6 empty premises.

[Ghostrider]

^ I think it was Fordyce that tried to have strippers at the North Star back in the day, it didn't go well right enough, but that was a long, long time ago. Too much, too soon and all that....

 

I'm reasonably sure the betting shop came along after that, plus there's been the Chippendales and The Full Monty done the rounds since, so maybe now we're ready to take another step in to the 19th Century and get a bit more risque.

Edited October 13, 2017 by Ghostrider

[George.]

The 19th century? We've not got to the 17th yet. The S.I.C would be all worked up and put out by fan dances.

[magnie ii]

police are out trying to rid the street of any customers today seen them chasing away people from parking outside the pharmacy after all don't want people being able to park anywhere other than the supermarkets more good work by the sic

[BigMouth]

Excellent. The restrictions on driving through the street provides a safer space for pedestrians. If they have a disabled badge the Police won't trouble them.

[Urabug]

Excellent. The restrictions on driving through the street provides a safer space for pedestrians. If they have a disabled badge the Police won't trouble them.

What pedestrians,where have they all gone ?

[BigMouth]

Me and many others this morning around 11-ish.  Whilst it was not heaving by any standards, there were a fair few people for me to dodge around, whilst I went in and out of the shops, well, those that were open and not selling bric-a-crap.

[Property2017]

I noticed Tesco have now opened a mobile phone section where you can get contract phones on Tesco mobie, it is very small at the end of an isle with 1 guy standing there but I would imagine will do a good trade and probably yet another reason to stay away from Commercial street.

[Berserker]

police are out trying to rid the street of any customers today seen them chasing away people from parking outside the pharmacy after all don't want people being able to park anywhere other than the supermarkets more good work by the sic

About time! You can't move on the street for cars driving and parked everywhere. I nearly got hit by a car last week reversing trying to get through all the cars parked around him. 

[BigMouth]

The scaffolders had put up some of their poles at the TIC at The Cross, and were then having a nightmare trying to get the truck turned around trying to avoid the parked cars at Laings and outside the Music Shop, to get back onto Commercial Road.

 

The scaffolders could hardly park on the pier and carry the poles to The Cross, but the woman in her 4 wheel drive, picking up a tube of pile ointment could have.

Edited October 13, 2017 by BigMouth

[Colin]

police are out trying to rid the street of any customers today seen them chasing away people from parking outside the pharmacy after all don't want people being able to park anywhere other than the supermarkets more good work by the sic

Bit of a mix...

 

Police doing what they should have been doing for a long time is suddenly the SIC's fault?

 

Anyway, the restrictions(?) have been "in force" for some considerable time and enforcement is long overdue.

 

As a regular user(?) of the street, I am delighted that the lazy ******** who persistently drive through are being moved on..  The street is barely suitable for pedestrians and, imho, is not a place for vehicles.

[Ghostrider]

The scaffolders had put up some of their poles at the TIC at The Cross, and were then having a nightmare trying to get the truck turned around trying to avoid the parked cars at Laings and outside the Music Shop, to get back onto Commercial Road.

 

That would have been quite some feat, even if they'd not been another vehicle in the town at the time.

[Urabug]

It's very obvious that many of you commenting on this particular subject have absolutely no recollection of what the "street" used to be like .

 

You used to have to fight your way through the crowds of folk, cars ,trucks ,buses delivery bikes and carts but everyone seemed to manage,among the "mayhem" of delivery vehicles and shoppers.

 

When I drive on the street I respect pedestrians and most respect me, the same when i am on foot.I try to keep out of the way of the cars and so far all the vehicles have avoided me .  I do not have a problem.

 

Do not understand what you are all moaning about but I will agree that indiscriminate parking is a big issue.

[BigMouth]

I am moaning about laziness and ignoring the road signs. The signs, like a give way sign are there for a reason. If the law is not going to be policed than it is best that we take the signs down and let people drive along The Street, in either direction, in or on any vehicle, at any speed they desire. Too much is done to enable car driving, and that is one of the reasons so many cities are choking on pollution. With the wind we have, and the low density of cars to land mass, we are not likely to have the same problem from the fumes that we generate. The quality of The Street experience would be improved with less traffic and more shops selling quality goods people want to buy. Until those and other criteria are met, trade will disappear, the shops will gradually become charity shops, junk shops and empty units, with few jewels in the crown such as sooth businesses.

 

Just bear in mind that when the lazy git drives down the street because they can't be bothered to walk, the rest of us have to move for them. We make the effort so that they don't have to.

[Ghostrider]

I may well be wrong, and while other factors have undoubtedly made a bad thing worse, the main contributors to traffic issues on the street in my opinion is the decline in folk. Back in the day it was impossible to drive along sections of the street at more than walking pace, if that, during business hours due to the moving mass of humanity on it, and consequently few tried to. Footfall has reduced dramatically, and consequently cars find it easier to use, so do. Likewise, shopkeepers regularly 'chased off' folk from parking across any part of their frontage, mostly due to not wanting their deliveries/collections blocked, but many were also conscious that it was an un-necessary obstacle to customer access and potential costomers viewing their window displays, both which had the potential to cost them some small portion of profit.

 

Will removing vehicles increase the footfall? Possibly, but I'm far from convinced it will in any significant number, or in a number to make the street any more bouyant than it is, and you can only 'prove the point' by trying it. Which runs the risk of backfiring if the reverse happens, and disallowing vehicular access actually ends up in an overall footfall reduction when those customers currently arriving by car simply choose to shop elsewhere entirely, and for good.

 

Increasing footfall will almost certainly reduce vehicular traffic on the street automatically, but that, as has already been said, requires more shops selling more of the things folk want to buy at a price they're willing to pay. Its a bit of a chicken and egg situation, which tends to lead you to conclude that the street has passed its sell by date and is incapable of adapting one more time to what it needs to be to serve today's consumer expectations, of reasonably easy vehicular and pedertrian access without one noticably impinging upon the others freedoms.

Edited October 14, 2017 by Ghostrider