Next week marks a year since the car ban was introduced in Colchester high street. 

The rules were introduced to increase space for pedestrians and enable social distancing as retailers reopened following the first national lockdown.

Buses, taxis, blue badge holders, delivery drivers, cyclists and motorbikes are still able to use the High Street, but general traffic is not.

There were also changes across several other town centre roads, including slower speed limits but these have since been removed. 

This included the bright orange barriers which blocked sections of roads like St John’s Street and North Station Road to give more space to pedestrians and cyclists.

The changes are part of a raft of measures introduced in the town as part of the Safer, Greener, Healthier initiative.

Council bosses said if the changes were successful, they could be made permanent going forward.

Following complaints from the public about drivers flouting the new rules, Colchester's Town Policing Team spent time in August cracking down on drivers.

More than 50 drivers were stopped and spoken to about the car ban, which prohibit traffic except buses, taxis, blue badge holders, delivery drivers, cyclists and motorbikes.

In October campaigner Peter Kay, of Colchester Bus Users’ Support Group,  said many people were flouting the rules after recording 120 cars using the road in a single hour.

Read more >> Campaigner reports hundreds of drivers flout High Street car ban every day

The part pedestrianisation the Colchester High Street has been tried before but proved to be unsuccessful.

As part of new £7m plans cars could remain banned from driving down Colchester High Street. 

But it come be on a part-time basis between specified hours and days, with the aim of restricting traffic during the busiest times of the day.

Essex County Council has launched a public consultation on plans to create two segregated cycle routes across parts of Colchester.

Of the two routes, one will span from Mile End Road to Butt Road from the north of the town to the south.

Read more >> The huge new plans to transform Colchester town centre with new cycle lanes

The second would run from the junction of Spring Lane through the town to East Hill from the west to the east.

The first route is planned to connect to the planned “rapid transit system”, which will link the Park and Ride to the town centre and the planned 9,000-home garden community north east of Colchester.

It would pass through the North Station roundabout, where cyclists would have “improved segregation”.

The route continues along Station Way, the Essex Hall roundabout and along North Station Road to the Albert roundabout.

At this roundabout, crossing changes will be introduced which will give priority to cyclists and pedestrians.

If approved, cars will remain banned from driving down Colchester High Street, but on a part-time basis between specified hours and days, with the aim of restricting traffic during the busiest times of the day.