Haddenham leads and the Government follows?
Three actions we can take to help the village become a safer and more pleasant place
1. Pavement Parking
It was in 2015 that Haddenham devised the "Please do not park on the pavement" card, (available from the Parish Office to place on the windscreen of offending cars). Five years later the Government is consulting us on banning pavement parking.
We can now make our views known and keep cars off our pavements. The consultation period has just started and will run until 22 November 2020 . To take part click below:
- the online survey, their preferred method
- by downloading the response form and emailing pavement.parking@dft.gov.uk
- emailing pavement.parking@dft.gov.uk directly
We must get our priorities right and keep pavements for pedestrians, buggies, small children on scooters and bikes, and, above all, wheelchairs. Wheelchairs cannot nip around the car, so wheelchair occupants are blocked from completing their journeys safely.
2. The Revision of the Highway Code
The Government is also consulting us about priorities on the roads. In Haddenham we have long been concerned about the safety of pedestrians and cyclists and are pleased that our voice has been heard. The Department for Transport proposes changes to the Highway Code to introduce a hierarchy of road users, clarify pedestrian and cyclist priority and establish safer overtaking.This consultation closes at 11:59pm on 27 October 2020. It is particularly directed at pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders, as it proposes to give them priority over vehicles on the roads. As so many of us have found while walking and cycling along the lanes around Haddenham during lockdown, there are many motorists who do not give pedestrians, cyclists and riders enough room when they overtake us. To take part in this consultation click below
Respond online
Or Complete a response form and Email to: HighwayCodeReview2020@dft.gov.uk
To see the whole revision proposals, see here
3. The Active Travel Experiment
Finally, it is a government scheme, the Active Travel Fund, which is paying for the pop up cycle lane along Thame Road. Haddenham is the only village in Buckinghamshire which
has been selected to try this experiment to give priority to cyclists, and particularly child cyclists, going from the station towards Woodways and the schools, over vehicles going in the same direction. Our Parish Council rejected the initial plan to close Woodways to vehicles on the grounds that it would be too disruptive to vehicles. This means the scheme will not get children all the way to school safely. However we have not lost the chance to improve the scheme. Buckinghamshire Council will consider changes. I quote
"if feedback suggested these were key weaknesses in the scheme, and there was a desire for a scheme to be made permanent following the trial, we could look to address these with more permanent measures."
This is the third action for us to take. We can give our views on the scheme both as it is and on how it could be improved. Click here
Submit feedback on proposed schemes
Now is our opportunity to move Haddenham forward on its route to becoming a 'walking and cycling village', where people matter more than vehicles, where we are all safe, no matter our age or infirmities, and can linger to chat to each other. This will keep our community together through these troubled times.
Cynthia Floud
Chair, Haddenham Safe Walking & Cycling Group
