New Market Place needs a second look - and as soon as possible

 Given the ability of Boston Borough Council’s leadership to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, we are starting to wonder how much thought has been given to the operation of the newly refurbished Market Place now that is open for business once more.
From first impressions, the redesigned market layout is an improvement. There is more space. The paired rows of inward facing stalls create an intimacy that did not previously exist.
Unfortunately, despite the new design a road still has to run through the middle, because it is used by the Into Town bus service when it exits its Strait Bargate rat run.
It should be axiomatic that a pedestrianised area should not be shared with such vehicles – and now that scarcely any cars are allowed in the Market Place, the argument is almost irresistible.
Yet our “leaders” – who were opposed to the buses using Strait Bargate when there were some votes in it at last year’s election time – have subsequently done a complete volte face and pleaded impotence to act in the face of a contract which has another year to run ... although we suspect that the contract is for the bus service – and not the route it travels.
As we walked through Strait Bargate the other day, we noticed that the setts were sinking again under the weight of the passing traffic. How long, we wonder, before someone falls and injures themselves on the uneven surface - and which local authority will foot the compensation bill … the borough or the county?
Last week we published an e-mail from a pedestrian who saw several angry motorists remonstrating with a PCSO after being issued with tickets for failing to park in “marked” bays which are nothing more than a slightly different coloured stone pattern in some areas. Not only are they hard to spot in normal circumstances, they all but disappear when it rains.
Since then we have received more reports of motorists being ticketed – and big yellow signs have appeared off and on telling drivers to use the designated bays.
But, not content with roughing up shoppers and visitors, we also hear that stallholders appear to have been targeted as well.
A reader wrote to say: “Whilst in conversation with a stallholder on Saturday, I said that something seemed missing from his stall that I could not quite put my finger on. “He replied that it would be his truck full of stock.
“He then told me that traders’ smaller vehicles were parked on the Quayside and that the larger trucks such as his were parked near the dock. As the vegetable and fruit traders have to continuously re-stock their stalls throughout the day, that's a fair old distance to walk while pulling a truck full of sacks of spuds and other heavy stuff. “Undertaking this in all weathers several times a day is not quite the same as having their stock on hand at the rear of their stalls as previously.
“It seems that our governing party’s  main aim is to make life as difficult as possible for certain types of small business people who don't fit the required market profile, all they seem to be interested in is continental markets and or craft markets.
“RIP Boston Market, RIP Boston May Fair, RIP A Country Town.”
Amid all of this, we heard reports that town rangers have been out in pairs with an order form asking shop owners if they want a hanging basket supplied above their shop - for £45.
Presumably, as the rangers do odd jobs for Boston BID  - even though we believe that the BID is not their direct employer – we assume that this must be something to do with Boston in Bloom.
Certainly, it seems something of a bloomer to ask businesses that have weathered a severe financial storm during the Market Place works to pay out so much. And wouldn’t the sales pitch have been better done by the BID Chairman and Manager – thus giving them the chance to meet some of the people they purportedly “represent?”
One final thought.
Some time ago, the market on the Green was revitalised by the introduction of new, dedicated stall awnings by Boston Borough Council.
What a shame that something similar has apparently proved impossible for the redesigned Market Place - it would have been icing on the cake that would have made a crucial difference and given the place a whole new look.
It’s so obvious, we wonder why no-one seems to have thought of it.
On second thoughts – that’s rather a silly question!

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Our former blog is archived at: http://bostoneyelincolnshire.blogspot.com