Get your skates on and have your say on future of travel in county
1,500 respond to survey on cycling and walking
NEARLY 1,500 people have so far responded to a survey on the future of cycling and walking provision in Leicestershire.
But council bosses are reminding people there is still time for them to have their say before the survey closes at midnight on Sunday, March 14.
Leicestershire County Council launched its walking and cycling strategy survey at the end of January, asking people for their views on how cycling and walking provision could be improved.
Councillor Trevor Pendleton, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “In the month that our survey has been running, it has received almost 1,500 responses, which is a tremendous result.
“This response shows just how important cycling and walking is to people across the county, and we are delighted that so many people have taken the time to complete the survey and play their part in helping to shape the cycling and walking provision for the future.
“I would urge anyone who hasn’t already completed the survey to do so before the closing date.”
Individuals, groups, businesses and communities taking part in the survey are being asked for their views on how they currently travel, what deters them from cycling and walking, and what improvements could be made which would encourage them to make more journeys by bike or on foot.
The responses received through the survey will be used to shape a new cycling and walking strategy.
It aims to help more people to make more sustainable travel choices, including increasing the number of journeys by bike or on foot, and inform future plans to improve pavements and cycleways.
This will bring benefits in terms of creating healthier communities and reducing carbon emissions.
In May 2019, the council declared a climate emergency and set a goal to be carbon neutral by 2030. In December 2020, the authority went one step further, pledging to reach net zero carbon emissions for the whole county by 2045 – five years ahead of the government target of 2050.
The cycling and walking strategy, once developed and adopted, will help towards achieving these targets.
The survey can be filled out on the council website.
A WOMAN from Leicester has launched a national project to signpost women to the ethnic minority groups tackling domestic and sexual violence.
Meena Kumari, 38, has worked within frontline domestic abuse services in the city since 2005.
After being so heavily impacted by what she saw, in 2008 she dedicated her life and work to the cause and launched her training and consultancy platform, Helping Other People Every day (Hope), around safeguarding, domestic abuse and sexual violence.
To coincide with International Women’s Day, on Monday she launched a digital art project with the help of illustrator Daisy Meredith to shine a light on the black and ethnic minority professionals championing domestic abuse services across the country, and also raise money for charities that support victims.
“When I started working in 2015, one of the first cases I dealt with was a woman whose marriage had broken down,” said Meena.
“She was on a marriage visa from Pakistan and was going to be deported, but she had received letters from family to say if she returned to her home village she would be killed as a result of ending the marriage.”
Meena was 22 at the time and fresh out of university, so she had no official training to deal with the case. The woman was deported and despite Meena and her colleagues’ efforts, never heard from her again.
She said: “I think I cried for three days after that and I think about her all the time. Even now, you meet these survivors and they always stay with you.”
During the lockdown, Meena saw an opportunity to connect with other women and groups through video conferencing.
“Black and brown women have been doing the work for years but haven’t always had the voices so I started Hope calls and met all these amazing women,” she said.
The meetings culminated in the project consisting of an illustration of each of the women involved and a quote amplifying the importance of the work they do.
“We’re trying to show anyone who needs to know that we are here – we exist and we are a community that can help,” she said.
Meena met artist Daisy, a domestic abuse survivor, on Twitter.
Daisy told the Mercury: “This is another means of getting the word out there and I just thought it was a worthwhile project to be part of.”
At the age of around 16, Daisy, from Manchester, became involved in a relationship that would last “on and off” for several years.
She said: “I was really young at the time and I didn’t realise it was manipulation and grooming.”
Daisy was subjected to physical, mental and emotional abuse, which she eventually fled, and moved to Newcastle.
“I realised I just had to get out and I made some friends in Newcastle and stayed there to clear my head and get myself together,” she said.
At the time, the teenager had not shared her experience with anyone else, but as she came to terms with what had happened to her she opened up and met women who shared similar experiences.
“Nobody would have known at the time – people would have just thought it was a slightly dysfunctional relationship.
“But when I started opening up I realised there are so many other survivors and we’re all sat here carrying these things around with us and not realising there is a safe space to share and offload,” she said.
The Hope digital art project 2021 features a number of women from across the UK, including Zinithiya
Ganeshpanchan who runs Zinthiya’s Trust, a women’s charity in Leicester.
Each woman has shared a powerful message to raise awareness of the vital work they are doing towards helping victims of abuse.
You can find out more about Hope and the digital art project at:
When I started opening up I realised there are so many other survivors
Daisy Meredith, pictured