Proposals by the council to keep Madeira Drive fully closed during Covid are causing considerable concern for blue badge holders, those that are less able or cannot cycle and for the businesses in the area. The decision is also having a negative knock-on effect in the wider Kemptown area and the Marina with displaced parking.

Absolutely the council needs to make environments safer for people to social distance as lockdown eases, but the current plans are unjustifiably excessive, inequitable and will only serve to hurt businesses that are already struggling whilst also starving the council of much needed parking revenue.

To a great extent, by not thinking this fully through and not listening to all the people the council exists to serve, it is shooting itself in the foot.

Two e-petitions are presently running, one to keep Madeira Drive closed and the other to reopen it. It seems that public opinion is overwhelmingly going in favour of reopening.

Conservative Transport spokesperson, Cllr. Lee Wares said “Our city is heavily based on tourism that needs to provide for visitors and events. Madeira Drive has become a focal point of much discussion and because of the dogmatic stance of the Labour council is creating unnecessary and unpleasant tension. The issue has become that great that traders are now withholding paying their rent to the council.

Two opposing petitions are being promoted that polarise the debate to simply close or open the road.

The Conservative Group believe there is a viable and sensible compromise that will help everybody. This compromise is similar to what officers had proposed in recent Committee papers.

Our proposal is to create a one-way traffic flow from the Aquarium to Duke’s Mount. The northern side of the carriage way can then continue to be used for parking by blue badge holders, motorcycles, coaches, motor vehicles and loading and unloading and in doing so will provide 70-80% of normal parking capacity and revenue.

The southern carriageway, with the parking bays suspended, can then be repurposed as a two-way physically separated cycle lane and the pavement dedicated to pedestrians.

These proposals would be temporary but implemented in a tasteful and appropriate way befitting the historic and prominent setting of the road.

When the pandemic is over, and legislation no longer supports the temporary measures, Madeira Drive would revert back to its “pre-Covid” arrangement and then the city can have a proper, well-informed and democratic discussion about its future.

There is no reason why this cannot be done with most of the preliminary work having been completed by officers. As much as we continue to contest Valley Gardens Phase 3, the Administration and officers continuously claim Madeira Drive will work as a one-way transport solution. With Blackrock enabling works having recently been approved and the council having the Government’s grant already in the bank, the council can alter the Duke’s Mound A259 junction.

Conservative Leader Cllr. Steve Bell said “For the good of the city, to help those less able, to support our businesses, help our economy recover from the pandemic, maintain some level of revenue to the council and to create a safe environment to social distance for cyclists and pedestrians, I would hope councillors of all Parties or none can agree to do the right thing and support this idea.”