Projects within the SafeAyr zone
Taxi Marshals
Taxi marshals are employed between the hours of 11.30pm and 3.30am on Friday and
Saturday nights. They control the Boswell Park taxi rank, and are, on occasion,
located at Smith Street. A toilet marshal maintains order outside the Arthur Street
public toilets. Their role is to manage the queue in the taxi ranks, promote the
taxi ‘etiquette’ and provide relevant public information.
Traffic Restriction Order
A traffic restriction, for the busiest area around Boswell Park, came into force
on 28th April 2006. This restricts access to taxis, private hires and emergency
vehicles, between midnight and 4.00am on Saturdays and Sundays. This allows easier
access in the event of an incident, as well as reducing over-crowding.
Environmental Improvements
Various ‘clean-up’ measures help in the drive to improve and maintain
a tidy and clean town centre. Extra bins are allocated in identified litter hotspots..
As well as removing all the rubbish, the availability of potential weapons, such
as discarded glass bottles, is avoided. Recent improvements involving the mechanical
removal of chewing gum from the pavements were completed in January 2008, in Arthur
Street and Boswell Park.
Toilet Facilities
The lack of accessible public toilets was identified as a contributory problem to
disorder within the town centre. To address this problem, the public toilets in
Arthur Street are now open between the hours of 11.30pm and 3.30am on Friday and
Saturday nights and are monitored by a Toilet Marshal.
Police
A mobile Police Office is occasionally situated in the Boswell Park car park between
11.30pm and 4.00am on Friday and Saturday nights during targeted weekends. This
provides a highly visible presence and offers revellers reassurance. It is staffed
by two Police officers who can deal with the range of problems the public may encounter.
South Ayrshire Sub Division also provides additional resources during peak periods
of the year.
Catch up Drinking – What was I Thinking?
The main aim of the project was to raise awareness to staff within licensed premises
(pubs/clubs) of sensible drinking levels and the health implications of binge drinking,
along with a greater understanding of alcohol units. The information was relayed
via text messages and was conducted on behalf of Ayrshire Drug Action Team (ADAT).