In order to create safe space for people to get back to work and for shops to re-open a number of changes are being made to our city centre and these will be rolled out to some other parts of the city where this is required. Work on Union Street begins tomorrow.

Union Street will have the carriageway reduced to a single lane in each direction from Holburn Junction to Bridge Street and from Market Street to King Street. The section from Bridge Street to Market Street will be closed to all traffic including buses which will be diverted via Bridge Street, Wapping Street, Guild Street and Market Street.

A number of other changes are planned around the Thistle Street/Chapel Street area, the Belmont Street/Schoolhill area and others.

Acknowledging that we should not be using public transport unless absolutely necessary, access to city centre car parks will be maintained.

Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesman Steve Delaney said, “These measures are designed to give space to pedestrians to allow a 2m (6ft) separation outside shops, for queueing at bus stops and for safely getting around on foot in the city centre. Segregated cycle routes are also planned where it is possible to put these in place”.

“My advice is to plan your route when driving to avoid Union Street and the other affected streets, otherwise you are likely to face considerable diversions and delays”.

“I appreciate these measures are likely to create an element of inconvenience for many residents but we are still facing a public health emergency which has not yet been eradicated, These restrictions are needed to allow us to open up our city centre, allow our shops to re-open and to do so a way which protects people, reduces transmission of the virus and helps protect lives”.

The complete closure of the section of Union Street from Bridge Street to Market Street will be in force in a matter of days with other measures in the city centre and elsewhere being rolled out over the next few weeks. These measures will remain in place for as long as they are required.

More detail on these changes and how they will operate can be found here.