Adjustments to the Safe Zones following the firebreak lockdown

Adjustments to Ceredigion Safe Zones are being put into place following coming out of the firebreak lockdown.

In August temporary traffic orders were introduced so that Safe Zones in four Ceredigion towns would remain for up to 18 months subject to regular reviews so that adjustments can be made.

The key purpose of the Safe Zones and other measures introduced by Ceredigion County Council is to help protect our community’s health by reducing the risk of Covid infections. Thankfully our levels have remained relatively low compared to other counties. However, we must remain cautious and ensure there continues to be appropriate measures in place to safeguard people in our County.

Following the ‘fire break’ announcement the Council temporarily stopped closing roads within the Safe Zones between 23 October and 09 November. 

From 09 November the orders will remain in place with adjustments as follows:

In Cardigan and New Quay the roads will continue to remain open, returning to their original town centre layout as it was before the safe zone arrangements started.

In Aberaeron, the current safe zone arrangements will remain in place.

In Aberystwyth the roads that are usually closed on a daily basis will only close between 11am and 6pm on Fridays and Saturdays from 13th November. In addition, there will be controlled blue badge holder access to Eastgate from Portland Street as well as controlled access to Chalybeate Street from Terrace Road. Additional disabled bays will be implemented at the top of Eastgate soon.

These adjustments take into account a wide range of information including the results of the survey undertaking during the summer, feedback received since then, Covid-19 infection rates and its prevalence in different areas, peak trading times, student and visitor numbers and the time of the year.

The higher infection rates in the Aberystwyth area, higher footfall at weekends, the number of visitor and student numbers means that measures are needed at peak times. The adjustments strike the right balance between unrestricted access Sunday to Thursday and reducing risks at busier times where people can enjoy more room to shop and visit services.

Data will continue to be monitored so that Safe Zone implementation is kept under review. It is likely that the above changes will be in place until 01 January 2021. Areas which are closed 24/7 and parking restrictions will remain in place. 

More information can be seen on the safe zones web page: www.ceredigion.gov.uk/SafeZones

The safe zones are in line with our winter strategy to protect the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable and to enable the local economy to survive the winter months.