Safety measures to start in Darwen Street

Further measures are being put in place in Blackburn town centre to make sure people can keep a safe distance while out and about.

Changes will be made to pavements on Darwen Street to widen the footways and remove some parking bays from Thursday, July 16^th.

This will be done by installing barriers known as Melba blocks, with posts and rails along the street.

This will separate the people queuing for takeaways and pubs and people walking along the street, giving them more distance from each other and helping people to feel safer as they enter back into the town centre and shops.

It is also to prevent anti-social parking on Darwen Street which can often create a ‘bottle neck’ at the junction, especially in the evenings which is a safety concern for pedestrians.

Businesses on Darwen Street will have alternative loading bays made available.

Councillor Phil Riley, Executive Member for Growth and Development, said:

This new move is all about public safety, and will allow people to move along Darwen Street at a much safer social distance. This is crucially important in our fight against the coronavirus.

We are speaking to businesses on Darwen Street and working with them to make this change happen. We believe it is a necessary step to take to keep everyone as safe as possible.”