Back to sustainability drawing board

I have just been looking at the Borough’s Low Traffic Neighbourhood Consultation.

In my opinion, they have missed the point completely.

When will they learn that you will not stop people using their cars just by making it more difficult?

By forcing more cars onto fewer roads it can only cause more congestion, more frustration and more pollution for the poor souls who live and work on the ‘favoured’ routes.

If you really want to reduce car journeys you need to offer a sensible and attractive alternative so why not invest in public transport instead?

More buses (preferably electric) with sensible timetables and affordable fares would also benefit those who are too young or too old to drive and are currently stranded.

Investing in more cycle routes is very commendable but it is not a solution. You cannot balance a week’s shopping on the handlebars and no one is going to go out in the evening in their finery and then tuck their skirts in their knickers to cycle home!

If you want to encourage people to walk, look at the more rural areas of the Borough and not the places that have pavements already.

During the recent lockdowns more people than ever have taken to walking and we are lucky enough to have a network of lovely footpaths, however, many of them have to be accessed via increasingly busy roads and in many places we have narrow or no footways making it very dangerous to use these routes.

We have, for years, been asking RBWM to improve safety for walkers in our area only to be told that there is no money in the budget.

Maybe this is the time to find some money?

In my view this whole sorry scheme should be abandoned and returned to the drawing board. We all need our cars so let’s look at a more sensible and sustainable plan that can persuade us to use our cars less and encourage us to look for attractive and healthy alternatives.

BARBARA FRAME Oakley Green Road

Oakley Green