The one-way system that sees vehicle only able to enter the High Street from the lower end and exit onto Mount Pleasant Road, was introduced as part of the Government’s Active Travel initiative.
The temporary scheme was introduced to encourage more pedestrian and cycle friendly high streets in the wake of the pandemic, and as it had to be rolled out quickly, was done without public consultation.
Permission for the scheme was set to expire in March 2022 unless the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council [TWBC] opted to renew it.
The Council has now asked residents, businesses and visitors what they think of the scheme and whether it should be retained.
It showed that nearly two thirds of businesses [63 per cent] backed the one-way system as did 71 per cent of residents and 63 per cent of visitors.
A similar number of businesses (59 per cent), residents (67 per cent), and visitors (62 per cent) also told TWBC they think the scheme should be made permanent.
The one-way system had attracted criticism when it was first introduced due to the temporary plastic barriers deployed by Kent County Council to narrow the road, which had been described as ‘ugly’ and ‘unsightly’.
These were replaced by planters and parklets earlier this year.
A total of 665 people responded to the consultation, with many saying the High Street had been made a more pleasant environment and had reduced traffic.
The Cabinet at TWBC say following the consultation, the one-way system will now be retained, but it has ruled out making the area a pedestrian-only zone.
Head of Planning and Transportation, Cllr Alan McDermott, said: “There was a good response to the consultation, and I thank people for taking the time to let us know their views.
“People were very patient while we were waiting for the parklets and planters to arrive and it’s nice to see the positive comments about them. We will act on the feedback where we can and I hope people will see from the report that they have been listened to.
“In the longer term it may be possible to make further modifications to give the scheme a more permanent look and feel as was suggested by some of the responses to the survey, but it is thought unlikely that it will be fully pedestrianised because of the need for residential access and deliveries.”
He added that temporary measures that will be introduced include providing disabled parking spaces, installing bollards to prevent pavement parking and providing designated delivery bays.
