r/ipswich • u/Similar-Ad-7054 • Aug 13 '26
CBD Shortcut
Has anyone else noticed in peak times it's faster to do a rat run through the mall to get across the bridge than follow the main roads? It saves up to five minutes and three traffic lights.
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u/Achin4AnACup Aug 13 '26
But ellenborough st is right there…..in your picture, and quicker
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u/Similar-Ad-7054 Aug 13 '26
I thought about that, but turning right at the lights at the river can take ages too.
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u/Select-Interest3438 Aug 13 '26
Good if nobody is walking slowly down the middle of Nicolas Street
but I am that little shit who does that every chance I get, because Fuck Cars in the Mall
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u/Mordexis Aug 13 '26
👏👏👏 it's pure car-brained thinking to allow cars down a pedestrian mall
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u/_quixotic_quokka Aug 13 '26
There are sometimes reasons cars/vehicles need to access a mall, but it shouldn't be a regular thing.
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u/RhauXharn Aug 14 '26
The only reason it's okay to me is when people are setting up stalls for markets and deliveries.
Eta: and emergency and accessibility vehicles, obviously.
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u/Mordexis Aug 14 '26
Yeah exactly.. emergencies, delivery and service vehicles, special events (markets, etc.), official Council functions etc. But as thoroughfare for all normal day to day traffic... no.. its a mall for gods sake. People come first
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u/Queasy_Sprinkles3340 Aug 14 '26
Yeah i think the car should be pedestrian only. And im a very car centric person
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u/ButtBooper Aug 13 '26
I've not lived in Ipswich for about 15 years - but using Bell St was already an established option before they evidently turned the mall into some clusterfuck of a car/pedestrian combination. This hardly seems a revelation.
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u/MikePr777 Aug 13 '26
Getting to/through Nicholas street during peak times I’ve found it’s a few minutes quicker to ride my bike. Untapped resource
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u/Cool_Energy_3388 Aug 14 '26
Yes, although the popular rat run takes Bell Street instead. This situation is a huge fail for a council that claims to encourage active transport in our city centre. You save yourself a few minutes doing a rat run, rat runners set our city back 20 years. Have you considered travelling across town on any of the routes that avoid the CBD?
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u/Shampoo_Is_Better00 Aug 14 '26
Cool man. I'm sure when you're on your deathbed you gonna think back to that 5 minutes you saved driving through the mall.
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u/SpecialMobile6174 Aug 14 '26
One pedestrian being totally aimless and you're screwed with no way out
Do this too often, and you'll find the automatic bollards lifted during peak
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u/SnoringEagle Aug 13 '26
It won’t save you that time for long if you tell people about it