Moira, who asked not to give her surname, runs Canine Beauty, a pet groomer.
She said: “It’s very sad, and the community will become a ghost town – not everybody here has disposable income to spend thousands on marketing.
“The council is so far removed from the struggles of day-to-day life. People used to use this road as a cut through but now a 10-minute journey takes 40 to 45 minutes.”
Vehicles can still partly access Baker Street but the bollard has split the road in half, and motorists can no longer use it as a cut-through to avoid the town centre.
Pedestrians, cyclists, and authorised vehicles are still able to use the road as they once did.
Some residents have praised the reduction in traffic, saying it has made the street safer and quieter.
Vasilis Sarafidis, who lives on Baker Street, said the bollard was “very important for us otherwise there is too much traffic. It’s very quiet as it should be, it’s very nice.”
He added: “There are also elderly people over the road who will appreciate it. Cars will see the shops exist but if they continue driving up to the roundabout near Sainsbury’s, there’s not going to be anywhere for them to stop. There would be a lot of traffic to stop here.”