Scarborough's St Nicholas Street to close to traffic every Saturday night to improve pedestrians safety

Starting this weekend, the closure of St Nicholas Street from 11pm Saturday through to 5am Sunday will enable people to safely enter and leave the bars during that time.

During the last 18 months, plans to make the closure permanent have been developed jointly by Scarborough Borough Council, highways authority North Yorkshire County Council and North Yorkshire Police. They follow a pilot closure of the street on weekend evenings that took place during 2015 and 2016, which received positive feedback from the public and local businesses, including taxi and private hire operators.

Sandra Rees, Scarborough Borough Council Community Safety and Safeguarding Manager said: “The pilot demonstrated that closing St Nicholas Street at key times created a safe

environment for those enjoying a night out in the area, preventing near miss collisions between pedestrians and vehicles. I am really pleased that we have been able to work with partners to make the arrangement permanent and I would particularly like to thank local businesses for their support.”

Superintendent Alisdair Dey of North Yorkshire Police added: “The safety of the public remains paramount.

“Officers from the local policing and licensing teams, along with myself, have worked closely with Scarborough Borough Council to look at ways we can ensure people on a night out in the town, and those working in the night-time economy, can go about their business in an enjoyable and safe way. I believe this pilot demonstrates a huge commitment to that.”

Signs alerting drivers to the closure have been erected at key town centre locations by North Yorkshire County Council and signs advising drivers of alternative routes will be clearly evident every Saturday evening.

Richard Marr, North Yorkshire County Council Highways and Transportation Area Manager said: “The use of these automated signs will enable the closure to be adequately signed without the cost of employing personnel to erect and maintain physical signs and barriers during the night. We trust that drivers will comply with the restriction and enable this part of Scarborough’s night time economy to operate in a safer manner.”