Trader criticises one way system as shop closes (From Bucks Free Press)

Sorry to hear about your business Mr Clark, i totally agree with what you say, and i'm sure you are not alone.

Its the most hideous idea anyone has ever come up with, a big town, yes maybe its more acceptable, but a town which has 2 main streets, now has 1, is pathetic, but these councillors do not have a brain, apart from the ones they sit on.

Gary Hall, just wake up, even you must think its pathetic, if not, well it just sums you up.

i was planning on going through Risborough yesterday but when i came up to the esso garage and saw the ques of traffic just trying to get up there i thought better of it and came back to Wycombe.
i don't mind supporting shops there but i can't be bothered to sit in my car queing into the town
to blame the recession is one thing but to not admit your mistake is another

Mr. Jones is quoted as saying “Risborough was promising when I came here 22 years ago. As a town it has gone downhill ever since." I didn't think the one-way system trial has been running for that long!

My apologies. It is Mr. Clark not Mr. Jones.

exmonksrisborough wrote:
Mr. Jones is quoted as saying “Risborough was promising when I came here 22 years ago. As a town it has gone downhill ever since." I didn't think the one-way system trial has been running for that long!

"It's been going downhill ever since (22 years)"
22 Years of decline plus the biggest recession we have ever had in our lifetime. The one-way system has been in place 8 months.
Does Mr Clarke's and Miccles' (the passer through person who lives in Wycombe) arguments stack up to scrutiny? I am saying nothing.

Lets get real --its not a traffic or a one way issue!!
Princes Ris is suffering due torecession
Issue is a national problem
Its lucky to have survived this long --Wycombe started struggling over a year ago

What Mr Clarke took over his shop 22 years ago it was already going down hill.
A gentleman's outfitters days were numbered with the growth of the big chains in Aylesbury and High Wycombe. People could easily go to the big towns and buy the same or similar products for much, much less.
His trade relied on the patronage of the older, wealthier person. The previous owner had been a mason and that boosted trade.
The older, wealthier person who stayed within the confines of Risborough are long gone.
~
Small towns are suffering the same fate all over the country.
Gone - or going - are the bookshops (hit by the supermarkets selling bestsellers at low prices, and the Internet trade throigh likes of Amazon.)
Gone or going are the clothes shops - again because of the supermarkets and the customers ability to shop further afield.
Gone - or going - are the electrical shops. Who buys a television, washing machine or hi-fi in a small town shop when they can get into their car and go to a larger town and visit Currys or Comet, get a much larger choice at much lower prices.
~
Shops in places like Risborough are dying because of customers ability to shop further afield at much cheaper prices.
It is a sad fact that life changes. Gentlemen's outfitters like milk deliveries, on-site bakeries, butchers, grocers, green grocers, hardware shops, etc are rapidly becoming a thing of the past.
~
High Streets across the country will soon only be home to estate agents, charity shops, hairdressers and coffee shops.

We came to live in Risborough 25years ago when you didn't need to have two cars, because whilst the breadwinner used the family car for work, the homemaker was adequatly provided in the town and had little need to shop further afield. With plenty of CHOICE/SELECTION on your doorstep it was only the larger items that you had to go out of town for. (Where has this coice gone). If you lived in the larger towns as we did, you were encouraged to visit places like Risborough by word and mouth. If we allow all our shops to close with such ease, who will want to come to visit just to buy second hand goods, then you wont need your coffee shops, people won't want to come and live here so the estate agents wont have any buyersl and that will be the demise of the town as we know it. The traders know what is going on in the market and we would hope that the poeple who can help them would do so, instead it would appear, that they are being ignored. Wether you blame the large supermarkets, the internet or the one way system, we have to do something. The one way system is not popular in fact it is hated by many, particulaly those who have to use it on a daily basis just to do the run of the mill things that they have been doing for many years,so instead of argueing over it, why are the council not listening to all the comments objectivley and help us resolve this quickly instead if insisting they were right.

I'm not convinced the one way system has affected trade that much. Before the one way system was put in place you would drive in one end, try and stop/park, do your shop, and then tend to drive out the other end, around the roundabout and back towards home. Now with the one way in place you still drive in one end and out the other, and you still use the junction at both ends of the High Street.
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Saying that, I'm not sure the one way system is actually needed. For a trial system it does look mighty permanent.

the one way system is annoying in the fact you can't use the high street as a cut through. i guess this is why they introduced it?

as for this menswear shop, I'd imagine the majority of his regular customers are either in care now or have passed away as it appears to target the 70 years old and upwards market.

they need a rethink of what type of shop would be a success. a kebab shop maybe?

Sadly, and unavoidably, BigTommy is right - the fate of small town &/or village shops is predetermined by the realities of modern day to day living.

Highly specialised suppliers may have some possibility of attracting customers to small towns / villages but suppliers of products which can be readily purchased in supermarkets or Shopping Centres (with greater choice and at lower cost) are not going to be able to prosper in small towns / villages.

When was Risborough ever a shoppers' paradise?

weyfarer wrote:

exmonksrisborough wrote:
Mr. Jones is quoted as saying “Risborough was promising when I came here 22 years ago. As a town it has gone downhill ever since." I didn't think the one-way system trial has been running for that long!

"It's been going downhill ever since (22 years)"
22 Years of decline plus the biggest recession we have ever had in our lifetime. The one-way system has been in place 8 months.
Does Mr Clarke's and Miccles' (the passer through person who lives in Wycombe) arguments stack up to scrutiny? I am saying nothing.

I was wondering when you would stick your two pennies worth in.

you stick to your word and say nothing.

You obviously don't experience the problems

miccles wrote:

weyfarer wrote:

exmonksrisborough wrote: Mr. Jones is quoted as saying “Risborough was promising when I came here 22 years ago. As a town it has gone downhill ever since." I didn't think the one-way system trial has been running for that long!

"It's been going downhill ever since (22 years)" 22 Years of decline plus the biggest recession we have ever had in our lifetime. The one-way system has been in place 8 months. Does Mr Clarke's and Miccles' (the passer through person who lives in Wycombe) arguments stack up to scrutiny? I am saying nothing.

I was wondering when you would stick your two pennies worth in. you stick to your word and say nothing. You obviously don't experience the problems

Are you suggesting that I am not allowed to comment as freely as you are?

weyfarer wrote:

exmonksrisborough wrote:
Mr. Jones is quoted as saying “Risborough was promising when I came here 22 years ago. As a town it has gone downhill ever since." I didn't think the one-way system trial has been running for that long!

"It's been going downhill ever since (22 years)"
22 Years of decline plus the biggest recession we have ever had in our lifetime. The one-way system has been in place 8 months.
Does Mr Clarke's and Miccles' (the passer through person who lives in Wycombe) arguments stack up to scrutiny? I am saying nothing.

And another thing "Mr know it all"

I think Mr Clark is probably right, i can remember P.Ris 30-35 years ago, and the High Street was buzzin all the time, with a supermarket, which was then in the High Street, it was busy, now you can virtually hear a pin drop.

miccles wrote:

weyfarer wrote:

exmonksrisborough wrote: Mr. Jones is quoted as saying “Risborough was promising when I came here 22 years ago. As a town it has gone downhill ever since." I didn't think the one-way system trial has been running for that long!

"It's been going downhill ever since (22 years)" 22 Years of decline plus the biggest recession we have ever had in our lifetime. The one-way system has been in place 8 months. Does Mr Clarke's and Miccles' (the passer through person who lives in Wycombe) arguments stack up to scrutiny? I am saying nothing.

And another thing "Mr know it all" I think Mr Clark is probably right, i can remember P.Ris 30-35 years ago, and the High Street was buzzin all the time, with a supermarket, which was then in the High Street, it was busy, now you can virtually hear a pin drop.

Sadly you now resort to insults to get your point across rather than sticking to facts. I remember those times too, we had Tesco, CoOp and Key Markets - all High Street grocers which pulled out one by one, plus many other excellent retailers who traded on the back of the national chains. The town was busy for several reasons back then:
1/ The through traffic was routed through High St and Duke St
2/ Superstores and out of town retail parks were not around
3/ People shopped locally as many didn't have cars.
Times change and so Risboro has to change with those times too.

weyfarer wrote:

miccles wrote:

weyfarer wrote:

exmonksrisborough wrote: Mr. Jones is quoted as saying “Risborough was promising when I came here 22 years ago. As a town it has gone downhill ever since." I didn't think the one-way system trial has been running for that long!

"It's been going downhill ever since (22 years)" 22 Years of decline plus the biggest recession we have ever had in our lifetime. The one-way system has been in place 8 months. Does Mr Clarke's and Miccles' (the passer through person who lives in Wycombe) arguments stack up to scrutiny? I am saying nothing.

And another thing "Mr know it all" I think Mr Clark is probably right, i can remember P.Ris 30-35 years ago, and the High Street was buzzin all the time, with a supermarket, which was then in the High Street, it was busy, now you can virtually hear a pin drop.

Sadly you now resort to insults to get your point across rather than sticking to facts. I remember those times too, we had Tesco, CoOp and Key Markets - all High Street grocers which pulled out one by one, plus many other excellent retailers who traded on the back of the national chains. The town was busy for several reasons back then: 1/ The through traffic was routed through High St and Duke St 2/ Superstores and out of town retail parks were not around 3/ People shopped locally as many didn't have cars. Times change and so Risboro has to change with those times too.

So, if you recognise all that, why do you insist on always blaming or relating absolutely EVERYTHING that happens in Risborough to the one-way system?

weyfarer wrote:

miccles wrote:

weyfarer wrote:

exmonksrisborough wrote: Mr. Jones is quoted as saying “Risborough was promising when I came here 22 years ago. As a town it has gone downhill ever since." I didn't think the one-way system trial has been running for that long!

"It's been going downhill ever since (22 years)" 22 Years of decline plus the biggest recession we have ever had in our lifetime. The one-way system has been in place 8 months. Does Mr Clarke's and Miccles' (the passer through person who lives in Wycombe) arguments stack up to scrutiny? I am saying nothing.

And another thing "Mr know it all" I think Mr Clark is probably right, i can remember P.Ris 30-35 years ago, and the High Street was buzzin all the time, with a supermarket, which was then in the High Street, it was busy, now you can virtually hear a pin drop.

Sadly you now resort to insults to get your point across rather than sticking to facts. I remember those times too, we had Tesco, CoOp and Key Markets - all High Street grocers which pulled out one by one, plus many other excellent retailers who traded on the back of the national chains. The town was busy for several reasons back then:
1/ The through traffic was routed through High St and Duke St
2/ Superstores and out of town retail parks were not around
3/ People shopped locally as many didn't have cars.
Times change and so Risboro has to change with those times too.

If you find my comment insulting, i apologise, my fault, and it wasn't meant to be, so i take responsibility for that, yes you are correct, those supermarkets, i can remember them as if it was yesterday, but being serious times do change i agree, but to be honest i just don't think P Ris is big enough for a one way system, and the way it is set out, i personally think its wrong.

Buses for instance going to Aylesbury, they have to do a complete tight circle in order to pick up in the High Street, to me, that is bad thinking, and the councillors etc, are to scared and ashamed to admit they have made a mistake, @£60,000.

again, insults were not intenional.

Miccles - you apologies are accepted graciously, end of the matter.
We both agree that PR needs a re-think, I hoped (and still do) that the one way system would be a means to an end, and I feel that only time will tell on that issue The buses issue talking to people seems to be one of the most popular aspects of the new layout as they often caused jams when they met in the High Street.
I am a life long Risborough person and want to see it through these bad times, I wish there was such a thing as a crystal ball, trouble is there is only hindsight...

Is there a softening of feeling between Miccles and Weyfarer? Will we hear churchbells above the silence of the High Street? Will there be a happy ending?

Matchmaker wrote:
Is there a softening of feeling between Miccles and Weyfarer? Will we hear churchbells above the silence of the High Street? Will there be a happy ending?

...and will they observe the No Entry signs?

There's only One Way to find out...