Sunday 29 January 2012

Tenbury Bridge Work 3 Down, 7 to Go

It seems that the contractors are making steady progress.
The upstream pavement bed has been set with concrete and part of the road bed has been dug up.

Scaffolding has appeared, although at this stage, to my untrained eye, I have not idea what it's for.
The car parking situation seems to have been mostly resolved, and there seems to be less problems with cars arriving to find no space available.  Some shops have publicly complained about a steep downturn in trade, whilst other have reported (much less publicly) that their figures are holding up and they are doing better than expected.  Interestingly where they are able to compare their figures with other branches in other towns, then the are pleasantly surprised.

The number of completed windfall cards is rapidly increasing, with the collecting boxes becoming very heavy.  Only time will tell where the shoppers have come from, but stickers are being collected by the thousands.

The date of the first draw has been scheduled for 6th February, with the Tenbury Mayor due to draw the winning ticket.

33 comments:

Ian said...

The shopkeeper I spoke to this morning told me that trade "was down" but not to extent he had feared - not so far anyway.

Anonymous said...

"The shopkeeper I spoke to this morning told me that trade "was down" but not to extent he had feared - not so far anyway"

Guess we can all relaxed then - phew!

Ian said...

Don't be so sarcastic. I'm just telling you what I was told. I didn't make any comment whatsoever about whether or not it was good or bad news. I've just had to travel to Cleobury M from the south end of Tenbury W - and extra 14 miles. So, I'm not underestimating the impact of the closure. Personally, I think it's a disaster in the present circumstances.

Anonymous said...

"Don't be so sarcastic. I'm just telling you what I was told. I didn't make any comment whatsoever about whether or not it was good or bad news. I've just had to travel to Cleobury M from the south end of Tenbury W - and extra 14 miles. So, I'm not underestimating the impact of the closure. Personally, I think it's a disaster in the present circumstances."

Calm down dear. I thought this was a sl***ing off blog, forgot myself for a moment.

Anonymous said...

And perhaps you should make a comment, to avoid confusion?

Ian said...

A post just too trivial to justify any further substantive comment . . .

Anonymous said...

Car park was full on Saturday, full on Monday, full today. If it's full tomorrow I guess it will have to be Ludlow.

Anonymous said...

People are over staying the 3hr limit -it needs to be monitored properly by someone........ not sure who .

Anonymous said...

Maybe the Windfall collecting boxes are heavy despite fewer shoppers because of the 'rumour' that stickers are available to buy in Tenbury for £3 a strip and others have been offered for sale on e-bay??

@WR15 said...

Trying to work out if the odds are better or worse than the lottery at £3 a strip.

Ian said...

I'd heard the ebay story too - but can't find any evidence on the website.

Anonymous said...

I have found the stickers on ebay (no i havent brought any hosest)

I'm not taking part in the windfall scheme. When i was in Tenbury News a woman asked for her stickers and was given both a red and green apple, she told the assistant i should only have a red one and was told oh well it doesnt matter.
Unless you ask for the stickers you dont get them and shop owners and there employers are allowed to enter which i for one think is wrong. If it was a big company compertion workers and there familys are not allowed to enter.

Ian said...

I've said before that I think the sticker system is completely flawed. There is no evidence of which I am aware that suggests that it will increase customer loyalty to any significant degree. There is no relationship between the stickers and the value of the purchase. I'm afraid it's just another example of taxpayers' money being used thoughtlessly. I'd much rather the money was used to mitigate business rates.

No rates for small businesses said...

Small businesses don't pay Business Rates at present.

@WR15 said...

Too early to tell if the sticker scheme will work in Tenbury, but it has worked in other towns and loyalty schemes are recommended by skillsmart as a way of increasing footfall in market towns. The data collected as part of the scheme will be very useful if stored and used correctly.

Many shops in Tenbury already have up to 100% business rate relief, and it would be very difficult to decide how to apportion any financial subsidy.

There is an awareness of potential low level fraud and some instances are being investigated by the Police. It was decided that the cost of introducing fraud reduction measures such as serial numbering the stickers was too expensive to make it worthwhile. There is a partial audit trail.

Ian said...

But has a loyalty scheme worked in an asymetric market such as Tenbury's currently is?

Anonymous said...

What is an asymetric market?

Ian said...

Sorry, a typo! Asymmetric.

Rugby fan 72 said...

There will always be one "bad apple" who ruins the good intensions of the majority.

Anonymous said...

What is an asymmetric market?

Ian said...

Asymmetric . . . as in distorted, unbalanced, irregular, deformed as a consequence of bridge closure.

@WR15 said...

Ian. In answer to you original question, probably not, or at least not that I have read, but the Windfall scheme is designed to run for much longer than the bridge closure.

Ian said...

Don't think I knew that . . . I guess it could make a difference once the town is "open" again . . . but I still think councils have a far too free-and-easy attitude to the use of tax-payers' money.

Anonymous said...

The publicity has clearly said the loyalty scheme runs to the end of June.
The bridge is due to open in March.
Does asymmetric mean being like a seaside town - only having one side?

Ian said...

Just shows I don't read some things vey carefully!
"Does asymmetric mean being like a seaside town - only having one side?" - do you mean the river now has the same effect as the ocean?!

Anonymous said...

i thought all the diversion roads were going to be gritted????

@WR15 said...

Please let me know if any are being missed. The gritter was around this morning about 10.30.

Anonymous said...

i was out and a about at 9ish little hereford back road and they wernt done, the car in front of me went skidding with me very close behind her. Would of been nice if they we're gritted for the early morning traffic.

Anonymous said...

Just seen the gritter in Teme Street with snow plough attached.

Anonymous said...

All those promises at the High School we will keep the roads gritted we will keep the Bridge gritted,we will do it in the shortest possible time (why dont they work Saturdays pm and Sundays) .Total TOSH !!

Anonymous said...

These councilers are just like my ex boyfriend tell you everything you want to hear and promise you the world but dump you as soon as it suits them!

Rugby fan 72 said...

There was a car on top of the hedge at the bottom of Raddle bank yesterday morning - i have no idea if the bank had been gritted or if the car was on diversion when it took its own alternative route....

@WR15 said...

Gritted or not, some people have no idea how to drive in poor conditions, & many driver don't understand how the "grit" works. They think it's some kind of magic pixie dust that makes all the problems go away.