Newland Avenue traders warn of big downturn in Christmas sales

“Roundabouts are safer than signal controlled junctions,[45] with crashes usually occurring at a slower speed and at a slight angle instead of right-angle or rear-end collisions at junctions.
Roundabouts allow U-turns within the normal flow of traffic, which often are not possible at other forms of junction.
In general, roundabouts substantially reduce congestion and delays as vehicles are not required to perform a complete stop.
Compared to intersections, Roundabout operate more efficiently and thus reduce delays and congestion as they are not at the whim of an artificially induced delay by traffic signals. Efficiency is gained by a direct response from the driver to the traffic conditions without any restrictions set by traffic signals - i.e. drivers may proceed when traffic is clear without the delay incurred by a traffic signal.
The mound of land inside a roundabout may be used for a monument, civic art, or landscaping, thus contributing to the urban environment while at the same time solving a traffic problem. Features that might encourage pedestrians to cross the circulating roadway in order to approach whatever is in the circle should be avoided completely, however, as pedestrians should not be in the circle at any time.
http://tinyurl.com/w95oq”

“Many of the shops, especially towards Cott Road end, are too gentrified now, the whole Avenue is too gentrified and has never been the same since Newland Primary School closed in 2006, a serious amount of footfall and community spirit was lost with its closure.”

“to be fair newland ave still covers every angle in the shopping list , tesco , sainsburys for grocery items , recycle shop for hardware second hand goods ,post office , boutiques ,stamps ,heron , but it is just so hard to get to , why have loading bays ,when the wagons just block road anyway , more parking needed , and current layout needs scrapping , goodfellowes land sharp street could be used for car parking , the old school now used as a community hub , as a playground that could be opend up , its just crazy if you happen to be following a bus , as there is nothing you can do but sit in the tailback , re open cott road entrance , make it one way , i.e off newland only , avoid the buses , who will still follow newland route”

“Many years ago the Avenues supported themselves by the amount of permanent residents who lived in the area, but the type of people in the area has changed dramatically , bear in mind also that many houses on the front of Newland were converted into shops that are now surplus to requirements , if you stroll down Newland you will see that the majority of shops are either eating establishments or charity shops, gone are many of the stores which sold anything form DIY, furniture,etc. The need of car parking was not as important then as it is now, many people used public transport to use the shopping facilities, lets face it there is no community anymore, I used to take my children shopping on Newland and it used to take a couple of hours because you always bumped into someone you knew and could stand and have a chat, the death knell sounded years ago when I went shopping on the Avenue and never saw a person I knew.”

“As a person who traded on the avenues for more years then I care to admit too I feel as though I can speak with a bit of experience on this subject.
Number one problem is the appalling lack of parking. Traffic in the area has increased ten fold over recent years and parking spaces have been reduced. How does that work?
Problem two. Hull has been allowed to be saturated by massive supermarkets and Tesco express stores. The supermarkets have huge FREE car parks. Do you see the link?
Problem three. Hull has been gridlocked on the roads virtually all year. The amount of road works carried out at the same time is scandalous. It is major operation getting from A to B in this city so to expect someone to shop on Newland or Chants Ave is asking a lot.
I drove around four times on Sat afternoon looking for a parking spot on Chants. Other people are not so patient.
Newland is even worse. Also it is a myth to blame a lack of trade on the students going home.
The students do help but in no way like some people like to think. They have virtually everything they need on the campus for a start.
Newland Ave may have been quiet on sat, Chants certainly was but Asda on Hessle Rd and on Kingswood was manic. You would have thought the world was about to end.
The trade is still out there but the massive problems with car parking in the area have not been dealt with and sadly this article is the result. Successive councils have ignored this problem, but of course councillors wage packets are guaranteed arn't they?”

“Poor old Newland eh? Remember The Specials..... 'Dis town, is comin' like a Ghost Town' terrible really.”

“I work near the avenues but wouldn't consider shopping there on my dinner as the traffic and parking is a problem and overzealous wardens which make popping in for a purchase a costly exercise ... especially if you are like me and try to sneak on a loading bay to grab a sandwich at Matts Deli.

The demographics of the area seem to be changing with more and more students (who go home for christmas) and a variety of different cultures (who may not celebrate christmas) and drug addicts who will not shop there unless you are trading drugs.

You can't always get everything you want as stock ... how can stock be guaranteed in the majority of charity shops which reside down there - whilst you can place an order in the electric store most people want buy now / get now.

If you are street retailing you should also consider internet trading. Ebay /Amazon type sites for stamps - 'group on' and HDM site for the hairdressers ....

If the traders want to do something useful why don't they ALL do the following for 1 month take the postcode of all customers find out who they really are instead of guessing and as a trading organisation do a trading discount magazine and target the doors in the areas where people shop from.

If i need to power shop the traffic and the uncertainty of stock levels would put me off - Holderness road is another area all but dead ... if the planners do another shopping area at the top end it will be like a ghetto

Sadly I am like most and shop for convenience ... unfortunately the barriers to shopping on Newland make it a row of inconvenience shops”

“im pretty sure there was some kind of newland avenues action group ,who were also responsible for this fiasco , they have a plaque enscribed in the pavement outside sainsbury,s , tbf the wooden planters were a good idea , the christmas lights too a good idea , the road layout absolute disaster , but as your stuck in the tailback , you can look at the planters or the lights , the land were the old goodfellows was , as been refused planning permission , use as car park for time being , you may be able to save face ,”

“hmm.. I don't live around there.. nor do I know the history to the road changes and layout, but did the council ever consult those on Newland ave before making these changes? Were there any meetings? Was it ever discussed? Did anyone ever object? I'm sure the council will have this information... As is always the case, more than likely no-one said a thing, and so the council got on and did what it thought was right at the time..”

“Maybe the traders havnt noticed the little things I have, and why I avoid what was a great shopping area. First, too many cafe bars began to crop up and it was obvious that those involved in giving permission were trying to cater for the "evening economy" not for the good of the existing traders . Next, the dangerous parking bays obviously planned by someone with a fetish for the Le Mans races. .Next the areas between the official pedestrian crossings sprouting umpteen other kamikaze style "crossings" which had been planned by someone with a deathwish. Next the volume of traffic which is only cutting through but making it so hard for anyone who had found a parking space to actually get out. Next the planning department allowing a massive Tesco to get a foothold knowing full well it would finish off many of the original independent traders.
The big downturn started once the Council allowed Laurel and Hardy to get involved at the planning stage.”