Nearly 200 Exchange Street drivers were fined in Norwich

New figures from Norfolk Constabulary show 196 drivers were fined for driving down Exchange Street during its three-year closure to vehicles, between April 2020 and November 2023.

The data and ongoing safety concerns prompted the council's reversal in September, scrapping the pedestrianisation and reopening the road to vehicles on November 18.

Now, four months after re-opening, those affected are split over its initial impact.

Business losses

Georgina Hodges, supervisor at Cote Brasserie, lamented the lack of outdoor dining ahead of the summer period.

"Having the ability for outdoor dining helped draw people to the restaurant from further down the road, bringing more footfall.

"So we'd have more covers - people we have served or expect to serve - and ultimately be busier.

"However without the outdoor dining it limits what we can do and we are losing covers because of it."

Georgina Hodges, supervisor at Cotes, said they're losing business to the re-opening of Exchange Street (Image: Newsquest)

Liam Calvert, Green city councillor for the Wensum ward, said: "The decision of Norfolk County Council to put cars back into a busy shopping street is a missed opportunity to promote Norwich's place as a top regional shopping destination. 

"All businesses need certainty to invest for jobs and growth but the council's decision to change its approach at short notice, seemingly on a whim and without properly consulting the directly affected businesses, will have dented the confidence of business owners across the city.

"To regain that trust leaders need to sit down with people and businesses in the area to come up with a long-term vision for Norwich that supports growth and prosperity."

Exchange Street re-opened to vehicles again on November 18 (Image: Newsquest)

Liam Calvert said Exchange Street's re-opening is a missed opportunity for the high street (Image: Newsquest)

Christopher Cooper, owner of Tolar Jewellers at the bottom of Exchange Street, echoed councillor Calvert's views, adding: "Places like Cafe 33 and Cote which were previously offering outdoor dining will be severely affected.

"The businesses here were the last to know - there's been no consideration for us.

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"We needed a voice and to be asked what our views on it were, but now it's too late."

'They should have left it'

Those walking in the controversial street are similarly split about the reopening.

One local said: "In an ideal world it would be pedestrianised all the time but it probably needs to be open to some degree so people can get around."

However, another added: "I think they should have left it how it was because it was so easy for people who are shopping around here."

Mike Stonard, leader of Labour-led Norwich City Council, was among those to criticise the U-turn and the lack of an opportunity to challenge the decision.

The re-opening has also been good news for taxi drivers, who campaigned in their droves in November 2022, to voice their defiance over the decision to pedestrianise Exchange Street.

Traffic monitoring cameras were set up prior to Exchange Street's re-opening (Image: Newsquest)

Frustrated taxi drivers confront council officers stopping cabs entering Gaol Hill during a mass protest at the closure of Exchange Street (Image: Denise Bradley/Newsquest)

Chris Ford, operations director for ABC Taxis, said: "Since Exchange Street reopened to through traffic it has improved journey times in that area of the city centre.

"Service levels for passengers have also increased because of this, as they can now be collected in and around the area quicker, easier and more safely."

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Ahead of the reopening, traffic monitoring cameras were installed to assess the amount of traffic before and after the reopening.

Too soon to tell?

After four months the Conservative-controlled county council's highways chief says it's "too early" to tell whether the decision was warranted or not.

Graham Plant, cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said: "Exchange Street has only been reopened for a number of weeks and it's too early to draw any conclusions at this stage, but safety will always be my priority.

"It's clear that if the previous arrangement continued we would have seen a dangerous mix between reversing vehicles and pedestrians, which is why it was removed at that time.

"We continue to monitor the situation in Exchange Street and will conduct further traffic camera studies later this year, for comparative purposes, before we consider whether any further action is required.

"Any future proposals for the area would need to clearly demonstrate how they address the previous safety concerns."

Graham Plant, cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport said safety will always be a priority for Exchange Street (Image: Norfolk County Council)