How Fishergate looked before, and how it looks now

Preston’s controversial Fishergate scheme has won a national award.

The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) declared the changes to the city’s main high street the best at decluttering of road signs.

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‘Lessons learned’ from the Fishergate scheme are now being applied to the rest of Lancashire according to the county council.

Cabinet member for highways and transport county councillor John Fillis said: “We’re pleased with how the city centre looks following this work, and we’re pleased that the technical aspects of these changes have been recognised by the knowledgeable professionals who work in this sector.

“Anyone using Fishergate previously will remember how difficult it was to walk along with railings, advertising stands, phone boxes and signs which made it a difficult shopping experience, especially when there were lots of pedestrians at busy times.

“If you take a look at photographs before and after, it is amazing to see how much it has changed and it is now so much more accessible, especially for people with prams, wheelchairs and mobility scooters.

“The lessons learnt during this project are being applied to the rest of the county as we try to cut down on unnecessary street signs.”

Judges at the awards were impressed with the scheme.

CIHT chief executive Sue Percy said: “The CIHT Awards are a celebration of all the excellent work currently taking place in the sector. They demonstrate that our industry continues to produce high calibre schemes, innovative products and ways of working, that contribute to both the transport community and society.

“We would like to thank all of those who took the time to enter their projects. The quality of the entries was extremely high and those who made the shortlist should be very proud.”

Related: The Fishergate ‘plinth’ keeps getting knocked down

Fishergate’s new road layout has been met with criticism from the city’s business lobby.

The Preston Business Improvement District has been campaigning to have more traffic lights put back in.

The county council announced it was stopping traffic turning right from Butler Street to try and ease congestion in the city centre.

What do you think of the Fishergate changes? Let us know your views in the comments below