WHAT price democracy when short-sighted traders succeed in blocking a scheme supported by an overwhelming majority of residents and visitors, not just once but twice in eight years?

I refer of course to the King Street ‘shared space’ scheme where the results of a second informative and well-organised (and no doubt costly) consultation process once again showed very clearly the wishes of local people.

Now we learn that the opposition of a small self-interested group has led to the scheme being effectively mothballed in spite of the clearly expressed views of those who live here.

Do these traders not get out much to look at successful pedestrianised shopping areas in towns around us?

Take a look for instance at Northwich where pedestrianisation and free parking has long produced a heavy footfall in a congenial area.

And do these traders not care about the fact that many, especially the elderly, mothers with children and the disabled, find it difficult if not impossible to negotiate King Street in its present dangerous and dilapidated state?

It is interesting to see that at least some of these same businesses urge us to support their ‘Shop Local’ campaign, which I do myself by shopping in Knutsford almost every day.

But at the same time these naysayers persist in making it more difficult and less inviting for shoppers to do so.

So, perhaps chairman of the working group Cllr Andrew Malloy could provide us with a list of those traders who voted against the scheme so that we can exercise the only power it seems we have left – to shop elsewhere.

In the absence for the moment of such a list I would urge all those in favour of the ‘shared space’ scheme, whether you voted or not, to join me in minimising our visits to King Street until we are assured of a date for the go-ahead of the scheme we voted for and for which the government has already set aside a £2 million grant. John Miller Knutsford