Speaking Up For Walking & Cycling

Chris Boardman, Olympic cyclist and campaigner, has said on the BBC Today programme, "If you asked people 10 years ago, 'Is it okay if we put 30 per cent more traffic down your road? 'they'd be incandescent rage" — but nobody asked us then. Now we have that 30% extra traffic."

" We have 20 billion more miles driven past people's homes, than we did just 10 years ago. So people actually want the change. But those changes have to be done properly and they have to be in consultation — not done to people."

When this was darwn to the attention of long-term resident, Mike Whitney, he agreed that this was definitely true of Haddenham. He had noticed a massive increase in vehicles in the last 5 years here. More courier vans, more cars per household and lots more households all mean that we are experiencing a Tsunami of vehicles down our narrow historic streets.

It is to try to give safe space back to us when we are walking and cycling, that the Government has paid for the experimental cycle lane along Thame Road. It is not perfect but Buckinghamshire Council is still considering how it could be improved. Please give them your ideas.

You can do so here

And for more information on the Government's new emphasis on walking and cycling, see here

Cynthia Floud
Chair, Haddenham Safe Walking & Cycling Group