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Press Release, Sunday 13th February 2005: |
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SOUTH BEDS FRIENDS OF THE EARTH SAYS ACT NOW BUT BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL SAYS CHILDREN'S SAFETY WILL HAVE TO WAIT |
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FoE South Bedfordshire |
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At a packed and lively public debate on the Linslade Bypass on Saturday 12 February (1) Buckinghamshire County Council said that they would not consider road safety measures in Stoke Hammond until after the Bypass was built. This same logic means that Wing will have to wait at least seven years until there are any safety measures for children in the village. South Bedfordshire Friends of the Earth said these measures should be implemented immediately at little cost, to save lives, slow traffic and deter rat running through the village. They argue that this demonstrates that the Council has little interest in saving lives, and the road is not for the benefit of local residents, but is simply to allow in more development, and provide a relief road from the already congested M1. The meeting was attended by over 60 residents from Linslade, Stoke Hammond, Soulbury, and Wing with people having to stand at the back. A vote taken at the end of the debate showed that 9 people were for the bypass (14%); 50 were against the bypass (81%); and 3 people (4%) reminded undecided. At the South Beds Friends of the Earth organised meeting, representatives from the Council and South Beds FoE answered questions from the Public in the first consultation since 1982. Passionate speeches by local people showed they feared the development that would follow from the road, they were not convinced the road would solve traffic problems in the area, and how strongly they valued the beautiful countryside around Linslade. There was also a strong feeling from the meeting that this scheme was being forced on the people of Bedfordshire by Bucks County Council and that people in Bedfordshire had no say in their future. Buckinghamshire County Council did not disagree that the bypass would not help the severe congestion in Leighton Buzzard around the Hockliffe roundabout or West street. There were people from Stoke Hammond and from Soulbury as well as from Linslade. Buckinghamshire County council have claimed that the people in Soulbury and Stoke Hammond want the bypass, however they have done no survey and have no evidence to prove that. They referred to the protest for the bypass of 60 people in Stoke Hammond. South Beds FoE responded that that was for one morning but the anti bypass protest had kept going for three weeks. Recent meetings between South Bedfordshire Friends of the Earth and Buckinghamshire County Council have resulted in commitments from the Council to improve public transport in the area and to implement safety measures. However, at the meeting they claimed that they had been meaning to do this all along. When questioned about their own outdated traffic statistics which show that traffic levels in the area will still rocket with the bypass, and without even taking into account the effects of the planned Growth Area, the County Council stated that they have not done recent surveys on the levels of traffic predicted for this area. Sean Kelly from South Bedfordshire Friends of the Earth said: "This debate showed that this road is unwanted, will not help the people of Bedfordshire, and is being forced on them by Bucks County Council. They could put in place traffic calming immediately to protect children's lives, in Stoke Hammond, Wing and all the other villages, but they would rather destroy the countryside and build more houses." "Government advisors are saying that agriculture will be completely changed in 20 years and in 50 years there could be a complete collapse of the agricultural systems due to climate change. The one of the largest contributors in the UK to global warming is motor vehicles and I don't want my children to grow up in a world where they are facing starvation and a collapse of the economy. But all that I see from Buckinghamshire County Council is craven obeisance to the motor lobby." | |||||||||||||||||
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Local residents have set up a website for the protest at www.linsladeprotest.org.uk |
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Contact: South Bedfordshire Friends of the Earth: Victoria Harvey on 01525 385 097 and 07815 817108 or vharvey@btopenworld.com |
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