New Road Layout in St Ives

A major trial to change how traffic moves through the centre of St Ives will begin on Monday 17 November, with Cornwall Council introducing an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) on Tregenna Hill to tackle long-standing congestion and safety concerns.

From Monday 17 November 2025 only buses, cyclists and emergency services (including lifeboat crews on active duty) will be allowed to travel northbound down Tregenna Hill from The Terrace, while all vehicles may continue to travel southbound up the hill. But what does this mean for those visiting St Ives? If you’re planning on arriving in St Ives by car, avoid aiming “straight down” Tregenna Hill to the harbour and use the signed routes around town.

The council and the St Ives Town Deal Board say the change is designed to reduce the daily conflict between vehicles and pedestrians on one of the town’s tightest pinch points, particularly around Library Corner. Officials argue that moving to a single direction for general traffic will create a more controlled environment and a smoother flow for larger vehicles navigating narrow corners. The trial aligns with the Town Deal Transport Strategy’s ambition for a lower-traffic town centre.

Supporting measures will be rolled out across nearby streets. Albert Road will become one-way inbound to ease queues; an entry restriction will be applied at the western end of Dove Street; drivers at Street-an-Pol must turn left; and there will be no right turn at the bottom of Bedford Road. On Park Avenue, the existing one-way will be reversed to allow inbound traffic toward Bullans Lane and the doctors’ surgery—changes the council says could cut through-traffic, remove local buses from the street, and open the door to tighter weight limits for larger vehicles.

New signs at key junctions will direct drivers to alternative routes, and traffic marshals will be on hand during at least the first week to assist anyone unsure about the changes. The ETRO gives the highways authority flexibility to tweak the layout during the experiment in response to issues as they emerge.

Backed by £3 million from the government’s Town Deal programme and £2.5 million from Cornwall Council, the St Ives Low Carbon Transport Strategy is funding the trial, which will run for at least six months and potentially up to 18 months before any decision on permanence. The Town Deal partners say engagement with St Ives Town Council, transport operators and emergency services has shaped the design to date and will continue throughout the ETRO period.

Residents, businesses and visitors will be able to submit views online once the ETRO page launches, with engineers set to monitor traffic patterns across the network — in particular around Park Avenue, the Burrows and The Stennack — to balance flows and prevent new pressure points. In the meantime, drivers are being urged to slow down, look around and approach the revised layout with caution as St Ives tests a new way of getting around its historic streets.