"Keep protesting, it does work!" That's the timely message from South Bedfordshire Friends of the Earth to mark the first anniversary of the protest against the Stoke Hammond/Western Linslade bypass.
Protestors gathering at 6.30am on the bitter morning of January 17th last year could scarcely have imagined that they would delay work on the bypass for several weeks and eventually wring major concessions out of Bucks. County Council.
As a result of a month of daily protests by as many as 60 locals, and continuing protest events afterwards:
· Bucks County Council has held well-attended and comprehensive consultation events in Stoke Hammond and Wing, promising much improved traffic management. · A new express bus service has been agreed between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes. · Bucks and South Beds councils have launched a joint transport strategy. · A pedestrian crossing has been added to the bypass plans for the Wing Hill roundabout, where the new road meets the A418 and A505. · There are opportunities for a much improved bus service in Leighton Buzzard. · The anti-road movement Road Block was launched, co-ordinating at least 65 other anti-road protests.
Seán Kelly, who protested daily and who set up the protest website, said:
"With the future for the environment of Leighton-Linslade and the Buckinghamshire villages looking bleak, threatened by massive housing developments and airport expansions, it's time to remember that standing up and being counted can bring dividends.
"Massive development threatens to overwhelm this area. Our public representatives, councillors and MPs, seem deaf to public opposition. Join with us now and we can, once again, make a difference."