Chapter III – part three: A historic town

Traffic and environment

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It follows from what has been said about the historic buildings and street pattern, that Norwich is a city that could have an exceptionally high standard of environment, using that term in both its special and general sense. The street scenes are inherently attractive in scale and quality. There are numerous pleasant walks, as well as the special amenities provided by the River, the Castle and the Cathedral.

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This potentially high standard of environment is, however, lowered by the effect which vehicular traffic is having upon it. Although in most town centres traffic causes danger, noise and confusion, in Norwich these effects are more pronounced because the very narrowness of the streets forces pedestrians and vehicles into closer proximity to each other, and because moving vehicles come closer to the buildings where people are living or working.

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The unity of the central part of the area from the Cathedral west-wards, where the mediaeval street pattern is still intact, and where many historic buildings are concentrated, is severed by heavy cross-flows of traffic. This is particularly the case at Tombland and St. Andrew's Plain. Narrow shopping streets such as Magdalen Street and St. Benedict Street, which are essentially domestic in character, are also functioning as major traffic routes. In fact there are four radial routes converging into Magdalen Street. London Street and Exchange Street, which are part of the central shopping area, also form part of the present main road network despite their narrowness and use for shopping. Measures to assist the flow of traffic by the widening of central shopping streets only introduce a new element of danger for shoppers, and change the original character of the street. This has taken place, for example, in Red Lion Street.

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It is inevitable in the present conditions that there is a severe conflict between pedestrians and vehicles throushout this tightly packed central area. It is most marked at points where the main pedestrian movements cross heavy traffic flows. Nowhere is this more in evidence than in The Walk where pedestrians cross in great numbers between the market and the main shops, and hardly less 50 at the Head Post Office, in Castle Meadow, and at points between the bus station and the centre. The environmental conditions deteriorate as the number of vehicles increases, and this is reflected in the increase in road casualties, which in Norwich rose from 502 in 1957 to 644 in 1962.

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Furthermore, with the present level of car parking, every accessible piece of ground is taken up by cars. This takes place regardless of local amenity. Places of great interest and beauty such as the precincts of the Cathedral and the Castle, Tombland and St. Andrew's Plain are packed with cars with grave detriment to their appearance.